Policy information sourced from Dacorum Local Plan 2004 Alteration

46 Garden Centres

Each proposal for a garden centre will be assessed according to the:

  • location of the site;
  • size of the site;
  • nature of the use;
  • amount of building;
  • traffic generation;
  • adequacy of the access;
  • parking requirement; and
  • quality of the landscaping.

In terms of general location, a garden centre will be acceptable within a settlement where shopping is appropriate.

Elsewhere in a settlement or at its edge with the countryside a garden centre may be permitted if;

  • the use is not intrusive; and
  • it significantly enhances the appearance of the land.

In the open countryside of the Green Belt and the Rural Area a garden centre will not be permitted except as a reuse of redundant buildings. No addition to these buildings will be permitted unless the development is very small in scale and has no detrimental effect on the character and the appearance of the countryside. An incremental increase in the amount of building will not be accepted.

For more information please see the Local Plan