Plans for 110 new homes in green belt land with a relocated medical centre have been approved.

Last week, Hertsmere Borough Council voted through the proposal for Organ Hall Farm, between Radlett and Borehamwood, with nine councillors in favour and one against.

However, the Section 106 agreement, also known as a planning agreement, must still be finalised before the decision is formally issued.

Once that is agreed, the development is set to go ahead despite around 900 objections because the council's planning officer agreed with the developer that “very special circumstances” exist which outweigh the harm to the green belt.

Of the 110 homes, 44 are to be classed as affordable and Watford Community Housing is apparently looking to manage them. The 13.5-acre site adjacent to a smaller existing development would be left as green, publicly accessible open space.

Watford Observer: Plans for the Organ Hall Farm site.

The other major feature of the plan is a building ready for a local medical centre to move to.

Manor View Practice’s existing Borehamwood location can only serve 9,000 patients and needs to move. After the local NHS contacted the developer, Griggs Homes, a place for it to be relocated to was added to the development, able to accommodate 21,000.

Watford Observer: Plans for the Organ Hall Farm site.

Griggs Homes land and planning manager Oliver Myrants-Wilson said: “We are delighted to have received a resolution to grant planning permission.

"This is a culmination of over a year of collaborative work between ourselves, the council, Manor View Practice, the NHS/ICB, and all statutory consultees.

“We would like to thank all of our staff, professional team and the council planning officers for their collective work in achieving this resolution and we look forward to the next stages of this exciting project.”

Watford Observer: Plans for the Organ Hall Farm site.

The planning report given to councillors before the decision was made recognised that 895 neighbour responses were against the plan, but said that “the majority” were automated responses from the Save Hertsmere website.

The objections were broken down into 15 issue topics, primarily around harm to the green belt.

Overall, the report considered that each topic had been addressed or was not a material planning consideration.