The Croxley Green appeal concerns up to 600 homes on Green Belt land north of Little Green Lane. The appeal is still undecided.
It is worth watching because the national policy rules changed while the appeal was under way. The December 2024 NPPF was part of the original case, but the new August 2026 NPPF came into force before the inquiry opened.
The council’s position has changed too. Three Rivers originally refused the scheme on Green Belt, woodland and Section 106 grounds, but it has since withdrawn the first two reasons.
None of that decides the appeal. The Inspector still has to reach an independent decision.
What is proposed in the Croxley Green appeal?
Appeal reference 6004972 concerns about 40 hectares of greenfield land at Croxley Green. The site lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt.
The outline application is for up to 600 homes. It also includes a five-bedroom home for children’s social care and supported living.
The wider scheme includes two vehicle accesses from Little Green Lane, walking and cycling routes, and a one-form-entry primary school with land available for later expansion.
A mixed-use local centre would provide health and social care services, a community building, shops and a cafe. A country park, play areas, allotments, a community orchard, landscaping and sustainable drainage are also proposed.
The proposal offers 50% affordable housing. If all 600 homes were built, that would mean up to 300 affordable homes.
The application is outline. Access is being considered now, while layout, scale, appearance and landscaping would be dealt with later if the appeal succeeds.
Why officers and councillors originally disagreed
When the application went to Three Rivers Planning Committee on 22nd January 2026, planning officers recommended delegated approval. That was subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Officers were working with the December 2024 NPPF. They considered the land to be grey belt.
Part of their reasoning was that roads, existing development and woodland around the site could contain future development. Officers also gave limited weight to the council’s draft Stage 4 Green Belt Review when considering this individual application.
Councillors disagreed. They considered the land made a strong contribution to preventing unrestricted sprawl and were concerned about harm to Green Belt openness and countryside encroachment.
Members also raised concerns about infrastructure, the Green Belt Golden Rules and the effect of more intensive use next to woodland.
So the disagreement was not simply officers wanting homes and councillors opposing them. It was a genuine disagreement about how Green Belt policy applied to this land and how the benefits and harms should be weighed.
The council’s appeal position has changed
The original refusal had three reasons. The first dealt with Green Belt harm. The second concerned the effect on adjoining woodland. The third concerned the absence of completed planning obligations.
The appeal library now contains formal letters withdrawing refusal reasons 1 and 2. That means the council’s case at the inquiry is materially different from the committee decision that started the appeal.
But the Green Belt question has not disappeared. The Inspector is not bound by the council’s revised position, and other parties can still raise Green Belt arguments.
The Inspector must decide the proposal against the development plan, current national policy and the evidence heard at the inquiry.
What does grey belt mean here?
Grey belt is still Green Belt. Calling land grey belt does not remove the Green Belt designation.
Under the August 2026 NPPF, grey belt can include previously developed land and other Green Belt land that does not strongly contribute to certain Green Belt purposes. Those include checking unrestricted sprawl, preventing neighbouring towns from merging and protecting the setting and special character of historic towns.
The Croxley site is described as greenfield agricultural land. So the argument here is not that it qualifies because it is previously developed land.
The argument is about how strongly this particular land contributes to the relevant Green Belt purposes. Our grey belt and Green Belt guide explains the difference in more detail.
The August 2026 NPPF arrived mid-appeal
The current National Planning Policy Framework was published on 17th August 2026. It replaced the December 2024 version.
The Croxley inquiry library now contains both versions. It also contains a joint statement from the parties dealing with the implications of the new NPPF.
The new Framework reorganises Green Belt policy into policies GB1 to GB8 and adds a detailed assessment method at Annex E.
Policy GB7 can allow some development on grey belt land to be treated as not inappropriate development. But that route has several tests. The proposal must not fundamentally undermine the remaining Green Belt purposes, there must be evidenced unmet need and the site must be in a sustainable location.
For major housing schemes, the Green Belt Golden Rules in policy GB8 also matter. They cover affordable housing, necessary infrastructure and accessible green space.
That does not point to an automatic answer at Croxley. It simply means the Inspector must decide the appeal using the current national policy framework.
Planning Geek’s NPPF 2024 vs 2026 comparison explains the wider changes.
Grey belt does not make the other planning issues vanish
If Green Belt development is inappropriate, policy GB6 says it is harmful by definition. It should not be approved unless very special circumstances exist.
Those circumstances require the Green Belt harm, including harm to openness, and any other harm to be clearly outweighed by other considerations.
If a proposal falls within a category that is not inappropriate development, that particular very special circumstances test is not needed. But the rest of the planning case still has to be considered.
That is why the label alone cannot decide Croxley. Housing need, affordable housing, openness, landscape, infrastructure and the legal obligations all remain relevant.
Why the Section 106 agreement still matters
The Section 106 agreement remains an important part of the inquiry. The appeal documents include a draft agreement dated 26th August 2026.
The obligations are intended to secure matters such as affordable housing and infrastructure if planning permission is granted. Promises in drawings or supporting documents are not enough where a binding planning obligation is needed.
The inquiry material also includes a Transport for London request for a £1.065 million contribution towards step-free access at Croxley station. The justification for contributions therefore remains part of the live evidence.
The latest published inquiry timetable includes further discussion of the Section 106 position. It also makes clear that the inquiry will continue beyond 4th September.
Where the Croxley Green appeal has reached
The inquiry opened on 27th August 2026. Three Rivers then confirmed that it would not sit on 28th August.
The current programme is for the inquiry to reconvene at 10am on Thursday 3rd September and continue on Friday 4th September at Three Rivers House in Rickmansworth.
Three Rivers still lists the appeal as undecided. There is no Inspector’s conclusion yet on grey belt, the new NPPF or the final planning balance.
You can follow the case through the council’s live appeal page and appeal document library. Our guide to planning appeals explains how public inquiry appeals work more generally.
Why the eventual decision will be worth reading
This appeal brings several important planning issues together in one place.
There is a disputed grey belt assessment, a significant housing land supply issue, a 50% affordable housing offer and a large Green Belt housing proposal.
There is also an unusual officer and councillor disagreement, followed by the council withdrawing two refusal reasons. On top of that, national policy changed before the appeal was decided.
The eventual decision will not be a legal precedent in the way a court judgment can be. But it could become a useful practical example of how Inspectors apply the August 2026 Green Belt and grey belt policies.
For now, the important point is simple: the appeal is still live.
Primary sources
Croxley Green appeal News Post Created: 31st August 2026
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