Councillors agreed the Regulation 19 plan on 7 October. Representations run until 11.59pm on Thursday 19 November, online, by email or on paper at ten venues.
Hertsmere’s new Local Plan has cleared the full council and is open for formal comment until 11.59pm on Thursday 19 November. Councillors agreed to publish the plan at an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday 7 October, the council has announced.
The six-week window opened on Thursday 8 October. This is the Regulation 19 stage, the last chance to comment before the plan goes to a government inspector.
The plan allocates sites for at least 14,390 homes across the borough between 2026 and 2041. Borehamwood carries the largest share, with 3,413. Four large urban extensions were dropped before the vote, including the 3,750-home Well End site between Borehamwood and Shenley.
What happens next
The council’s Local Plan page sets out the sequence:
- 8 October to 19 November 2026: the publication period, when anyone can make a representation
- After 19 November: the plan returns to full council, which considers the responses before any decision to submit
- By the end of 2026: submission to the Secretary of State, together with every representation received, if the council votes to proceed
- 2027: an independent planning inspector examines the plan and may invite people who commented to hearing sessions
The return to full council was added by Cabinet on 7 October, as we reported. The council says it still intends to submit the plan by the end of the year, so that it is examined under the current rules rather than the new system due in 2027. Its own frequently asked questions say hearings are unlikely before summer or autumn 2027 because so many councils will submit at the same time.
How to comment
A Regulation 19 representation is not a vote for or against a site. The council says comments at this stage should focus on whether the plan is legally compliant and sound, and should say what change would fix any problem. The inspector reads them, not just the council.
There are three ways to respond:
- Online through the council’s consultation site at hertsmerelocalplan.commonplace.is
- By email, using the council’s printable representation form, sent to reg19.localplan@hertsmere.gov.uk
- By post or in person to the Local Plan Team, Hertsmere Borough Council, Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, WD6 1WA
The deadline is 11.59pm on Thursday 19 November 2026.
Where to read a paper copy
Hard copies of the plan are available at ten places across the borough, according to the council:
| Venue | Address |
|---|---|
| Civic Offices | Elstree Way, Borehamwood |
| Borehamwood Library | 96 Shenley Road, Borehamwood |
| Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council | Fairway Hall, Borehamwood |
| Bushey Library | Sparrows Herne, Bushey |
| Oakmere Library | High Street, Potters Bar |
| Wyllyotts Theatre | Wyllyotts Place, Potters Bar |
| Radlett Library | 1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett |
| Aldenham Parish Council | Radlett Centre, 1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett |
| Shenley Parish Council | 106 London Road, Shenley |
| South Mimms and Ridge Village Hall | Blanche Lane, South Mimms |
The full plan and its supporting documents, including the sustainability appraisal and the consultation statement, are on the council’s committee site with the 7 October agenda.
What the council said
Councillor Jeremy Newmark, the council leader, called the vote “an important milestone for Hertsmere and for the thousands of local residents who have helped shape the Plan”. He said: “We need to provide new homes and the infrastructure to support them if we are to tackle the housing crisis.”
Councillor Nik Oakley, the portfolio holder for planning, said the council’s approach was “regeneration of our town centres using brownfield sites and making the best possible use of that land while protecting the Green Belt sites of greatest value”.
The council says the plan was shaped by more than 6,000 responses to the spring consultation. Its consultation statement puts the figure at 6,374, of which 4,733 used templates written by community groups.
What it means for you
- If you objected in the spring, this is a separate stage with a different test: soundness and legal compliance rather than preference. Respond again if you want the inspector to see your view.
- If you want the inspector to hear you in person, say so in your representation. The council says the inspector may invite people who commented to hearing sessions.
- If a site near you is in the plan, our earlier story lists every Borehamwood site and its indicative capacity.
- If you cannot get online, the paper form can be returned to the Civic Offices in person, and libraries in Borehamwood, Bushey, Potters Bar and Radlett hold copies of the plan.
For schemes already going through the system, see our Borehamwood planning news page.
Sources
- Hertsmere Borough Council, Council moves forward with new Local Plan for Hertsmere, published after the 7 October meeting and read on 10 October 2026, for the vote, the dates and the councillors’ quotes.
- Hertsmere Borough Council, New Local Plan, for the deadline, the response routes, the email address and the list of venues.
- Extraordinary Council, 7 October 2026, agenda and papers, for the plan, the consultation statement and Cabinet’s amendment.
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