Hertfordshire church to be knocked down and replaced with houses
Last week Hertsmere Borough Council decided it'll be replaced with four-bedroom homes
A plan to knock down a Hertfordshire church and replace it with nine homes has been agreed.
The building has been empty since December 2018 when two congregations merged, and a developer has said new houses will unlock funding for a new church elsewhere.
According to documents put forward by the developer, the congregation at St Andrews United Reformed Church, Borehamwood was “dwindling”.
By October 2018, the congregation agreed to merge with St Andrews Chesterfield Road in Barnet, nearly five miles away.
Hertsmere Borough Council decided the church – which is made out of brick and “glazed with what appear to be asbestos panels” – can be replaced with the four-bedroom homes on January 26 this year.
The developer’s document reads: “Securing planning permission on this site will provide much-needed funds to help with the build costs of the new church in Barnet.
“The new church project has to be self-funded as the URC has no money to invest in the project, and therefore this project is an essential part of keeping a long-running community together.”
The developer has admitted three trees – none of which were protected through an order – have been removed as they were causing subsidence to nearby properties.
“The site is laid to grass and is generally unkempt, with no borders except for a dilapidated gate,” the developer document reads.
The houses will be three storeys high, with parking spaces, “generous” entrance halls, “ample” storage, large bedrooms and around 80 square metres of garden space either side of each house.
Council officers who analysed the plans agreed there is no need to supply any affordable housing in the development, because it falls one house short of being a “major” development according to national planning rules.
They noted community use for the site has been “encouraged” in previous discussions with developers.
Officers added the development “principles” – including design, appearance and the impact on existing and new residents’ amenity – are “acceptable”.
Hertsmere Borough Council granted planning permission with 14 conditions, among them that more detail is needed around plans for electric charging, potential solar panels to reduce levels of energy consumption and the landscaping.