Plans to build a new venue on Green Belt land at the Hare Krishna temple site in Aldenham has been approved by councillors.

Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Hilfield Lane, submitted a planning application to Hertsmere Borough Council to build a two-storey “Haveli”.

The proposal was submitted following the council’s adoption of a planning brief in 2012, which sets out the manor’s plans for the next 15 years.

The “Haveli” building will be approximately 2,000sq m.

The plans also includes the relocation of polytunnels, tulsi (a holy basil) greenhouses and a children's playground, alongside the demolition of eight buildings and a single-storey extension to the existing ladies ashram - a place where religious and spiritual activity takes place.

In May, councillors deferred their decision to approve the plans on the grounds that there needed to be a more robust set of conditions to manage traffic, parking and noise levels – particularly on festival days.

At the planning meeting on Thursday, a member of the public was refused to speak against the application as according to the chairman, they had not registered in time to speak.

However, Aldenham West councillor, David Lambert, spoke as an advocate for the residents. He said at the previous meeting it was agreed that he and cllr Caroline Clapper would liaise between residents and planning officers to agree a set of conditions that would be appropriate.

He said: “I believe this process is not fully completed. The Hare Krishna’s are good neighbours – there is no deliberate disruption, but the numbers and the proximity can have a significant effect on the village.

“The section 106 (the conditions) is about control and guidance and most residents are very anxious to make sure there are effective controls.

“We had a meeting in June and there were letters sent out in July. But after that there was nothing and up until two days before the agenda for this meeting came out we did not have what was going to be in the section 106.

“We are presenting with these key headings without any meat on the bones. This delay since May took too long, it’s produced too little, and there is inadequate time for resident consultation.”

During the debate, many councillors agreed that residents had not been properly consulted regarding the conditions and that it had been brought back to the planning committee “prematurely”.

Councillors therefore unanimously approved the application on the grounds that there continues to be ongoing discussions between the ward councillors, residents and planning officers about the set of conditions that will manage the traffic and parking on the temple site.

Gauri Das, managing director at the manor said after the weekend: "We are delighted that this long awaited and much needed project has been approved in principle.

"The new Haveli building will help us to provide a better experience for our existing visitors and manage overcrowding. We have a 19th century building that has to cope with 21st century demands, and we must address the needs of our congregation and the limitations of our current site.

"We have worked closely with local residents and the council around the development of the new plans. To ensure this dialogue continues, a local liaison group will be set up and will meet twice a year."