Victory declared in barn battle (From Watford Observer)

Victory declared in Oxhey Hall Barn battle

9:00am Friday 8th February 2013 in News By Ben Endley, Senior reporter

An eight-year battle to protect two listed barns has ended after they were bought by a local resident.

Oxhey Hall Barns had been owned by Veolia Water, which had submitted a variety of planning applications to Three Rivers District Council for the site since 2004, finally securing permission for two homes in December 2012.

The new owner, who does not want to be identified, bought the barns in Hampermill Lane in January and is understood to want to turn one of the Grade II listed barns into a family home.

Christine McNulty, who has led a campaign to keep the barns for agricultural use, said: "It has been an incredible battle but it’s now at an end.

"It is a shame it had to be taken out of agricultural use but he is the man we backed as the lesser of two evils.

"He is conservation minded, I think he values the whole location."

In February 2007 a public inquiry was held into plans to convert the structures in Hampermill Lane into two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom homes.

However, at the end of the two-day inquiry the planning inspector upheld Three Rivers District Council’s decision to refuse Veolia permission to build.