Harthall Lane caravan site in Kings Langley confirmed lawful

On Friday (November 3), Three Rivers District Council approved an application for a certificate of lawfulness for the existing use of an area behind Harthall Lane, near Kings Langley.

According to the planning statement, submitted in July, the land has been in continuous use as a caravan site for at least 10 years. This is required for activity not approved by a planning condition to be considered lawful. Where a use is considered lawful, no enforcement action can be taken and planning permission is not required.

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Part of the application site was approved for use as a caravan site in 2001, but the application sought to confirm that “a much wider extent of the land has been in use as a caravan site and for purposes ancillary to this use”.

Rough area of the application site (white) and caravan site as approved in 2021 (black). See planning statement for exact area. (Image: Google Maps)

Aerial photographs from Google Earth between the years 2000 and 2022, as well as statutory declarations from three individuals, were provided to the council as evidence.

Five neighbours objected to the proposal, claiming that some or all of the site had not been used as a caravan site and that the evidence did not demonstrate that use.