Councillors unanimously refused permission for a car park which had already been built on greenbelt land.

The plot, directly opposite Kings Langley station and behind Flowerhouse florist, has been surrounded by solid timber fencing obscuring outside view since works began in early September 2018.

A council site inspection on October 12 revealed “significant re-grading of the land coupled with the laying of hard-core” to “facilitate parking of vehicles”.

A CCTV tower had also been installed, which, “by virtue of its size”, would also require planning permission.

However, Pure Bricks, based in Home Park Mill Link Road never sought planning permission from Three Rivers District Council.

Read more: Kings Langley Green Belt 're-graded' without permission to make way for car park

So the company submitted a retrospective planning application, which was knocked back by the planning committee last week.

Chairman of the committee, Cllr Sarah Nelmes said: “To lose a greenfield site for more parking, we did not feel was an appropriate use of land. I was aggrieved because it was a retrospective planning application.

“We are trying to make the district greener and those didn’t seem an appropriate change of use. It just doesn’t meet our sustainability policies.”

At its last full council meeting, the council approved a climate change motion requesting it actively works with communities and businesses to fight the global threat.

Watford Observer:

Kings Langley and District Residents Association chairman Gary Ansell said: “We are extremely pleased to see that the council made the right decision in refusing this application. However I’m very concerned about the planning department’s approach to properly considering all the factors regarding potential development of the green belt, and making the right recommendations to the planning committee is somewhat flawed.”

Pure Bricks’ application was recommended for approval by the planning officer.

He added: “We are trying to protect Kings Langley as a village and we want to say no to green belt development.”

Three Rivers District Council is considering its next steps, which could be to take enforcement action, however Pure Bricks does have the right to appeal the committee’s decision.