Hertfordshire council area
Selling Land in Broxbourne
Broxbourne passes the government's delivery test with a result of 110%, yet its plan from June 2020 has passed its fifth birthday and the council's own monitoring now puts its supply of housing land at barely two years. With all of the borough's countryside inside the Green Belt, that gap works through grey belt, and in June 2026 an inspector allowed up to 90 homes on grey belt land at Goffs Oak.
- We pay for the planning, at our own cost and risk
- Your price is agreed up front, in writing
- If planning is refused, you keep your land and owe nothing
A Built-Up Corridor Between the a10 and the Lea
The River Lea forms Broxbourne's eastern boundary. The borough takes in Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Hoddesdon and Broxbourne itself, with Goffs Oak, Wormley and Turnford. At about 52 square kilometres and roughly 99,000 people in 2021, it is small, and it divides sharply: the land between the A10 and the river is mostly built up, while the west is largely rural, with extensive woodland.
- No countryside outside the Green Belt. The adopted plan states that all of Broxbourne's countryside lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt.
- A release already made. The monitoring report records that adoption of the plan took 480 hectares out of the Green Belt, 14.5% of it, leaving 2,824 hectares. On our own arithmetic, set against the borough's area of roughly 52 square kilometres, that remaining Green Belt covers a little over half the borough.
- The delivery test passed. The council completed 1,492 homes against a requirement of 1,362 in the Housing Delivery Test 2025, a result of 110%.
- A plan past five years. The Local Plan 2018 to 2033 was adopted on 23 June 2020, so its housing figure no longer sets the yardstick for supply.
- A new plan at the start line. Councillors agreed to begin a new Local Plan in September 2025, and a call for sites closed in January 2026.
The delivery result looks back at an old target. The supply figure looks forward against a much higher one, and for land here it is the one that counts.
Broxbourne in Figures
The government's latest figures for the council, and where its local plan stands.
Housing Delivery Test 2025
110%
Meeting its housing requirement.
Homes built against homes needed
1,492
of 1,362 needed, April 2022 to March 2025
Most recent strategic plan adopted
June 2020
More than five years old, so its housing figures are usually replaced by the government's standard method.
New plan progress
No recent stage listed
Check the council's website for its timetable.
Sources: Housing Delivery Test: 2025 measurement, MHCLG, published 17 August 2026; Local plans: monitoring progress, Planning Inspectorate, August 2026. Local plans move quickly, so always check the council's own website for the latest position.
From 3.02 Years to 2.13 on the Plan's Fifth Birthday
The council's Authority Monitoring Report for 2024/25 sets out its five-year supply twice: on the plan's figure of 454 homes a year at 1 April 2025, and from 23 June 2025, when it says the plan's housing policies fell out of date, on the government's standard method, which the December 2024 changes lifted to 787 a year.
| Part of the calculation | Plan figure, 1 April 2025 | Standard method, from 23 June 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Homes needed each year | 454 | 787 |
| Five years of need | 2,270 | 3,935 |
| Shortfall carried from 2016 | 1,008 | 1,170 |
| 5% buffer | 164 | 255 |
| Five-year requirement | 3,442 | 5,360 |
| Deliverable supply | 2,077 | 2,282 |
| Years of supply | 3.02 | 2.13 |
Even on the old figure the council could not show five years. The report used a 5% buffer because the delivery test in force at the time gave 86%, and the Housing Delivery Test 2025 result of 110% keeps it at 5%. A council report updating members on the new plan puts it plainly: a five-year supply cannot currently be demonstrated, so the housing element of the plan is treated as out of date.
What the Shortfall Changes, and What It Does Not
Under the August 2026 framework, policy S5 lets a shortfall stand as evidence of unmet need for homes on the edge of a town or village, but it has no force inside the Green Belt. With no countryside here beyond the Green Belt, S5 barely touches Broxbourne's fields. The shortfall earns its keep through grey belt instead. Grey belt housing has to meet an evidenced need for homes, and a shortfall as deep as 2.13 years provides that evidence today. Plots within Cheshunt, Hoddesdon and Waltham Cross fall under policy S4 instead, which favours approval unless the harm would substantially outweigh the benefits.
Green Belt Appeals the Council Has Already Lost
A report to councillors summarising recent Green Belt and grey belt appeals lists six recent decisions. Five were allowed:
| Site | Proposal | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 303 Ware Road, Hoddesdon | A 75-bed care home | Allowed, 20 June 2025. Grey belt, but the Golden Rules were not met, so it succeeded on very special circumstances |
| Land north of Pylon Farm, St James Road, Cheshunt | One self-build home | Allowed, 26 August 2025, on land the inspector found to be grey belt |
| Rear of 21 to 32 Doverfield, Goffs Oak | Permission in principle for four detached homes | Allowed, 9 October 2025, as grey belt and not inappropriate development |
| Land west of Elm Farm, Crouch Lane, Goffs Oak | One detached house | Dismissed, 4 November 2025, with no reference to grey belt in the decision |
| Goffs Oak Gospel Hall, Newgatestreet Road | Storage use of the building and car park | Allowed, 10 June 2026, under the exception for reusing buildings |
| Land off Newgatestreet Road and Hammondstreet Road, Goffs Oak | A special educational needs school and up to 90 homes | Allowed, 16 June 2026, as grey belt with the Golden Rules met |
The June 2026 Goffs Oak decision matters most: an inspector accepted grey belt for a scheme of real size once the Golden Rules on affordable housing, infrastructure and green space were met. At Ware Road, by contrast, grey belt status alone was not enough and the care home needed very special circumstances. The one dismissal never addressed grey belt at all.
The council's own update on the new plan says that working out what grey belt means for Broxbourne will need external specialists, so for now each parcel is tested on its own evidence. Our guide to grey belt land explains the purposes an inspector weighs and how the Golden Rules work.
Brookfield, Cheshunt Lakeside and the Sites the Plan Relies On
The 2020 plan provides for 7,718 homes between 2016 and 2033 under policy DS1. Much of it rests on a few large allocations, whose pace explains much of the gap above:
- Brookfield Riverside (policy BR1), about 250 homes as part of a new town centre. Outline permission was issued on 20 February 2025, and the monitoring report expects construction to begin in mid 2027.
- Brookfield Garden Village (policy BR2), up to 1,250 homes with a primary school and a blue light hub. The planning committee approved it in May 2025 subject to a section 106 agreement, with a proposed condition capping it at 600 completions until a substantial start has been made on Brookfield Riverside.
- Cheshunt Lakeside (policy CH1), allocated for 1,750 homes. The monitoring report records that the developer went into administration, that fresh plans are being discussed with a new developer, and that first completions are not now expected until 2030/31.
- Rosedale Park (policy CH2), around 820 homes, and High Leigh Garden Village in Hoddesdon, where five permissions provide 441, both already delivering homes in phases.
Completions Year by Year
The council's own count of net completions has swung widely: 457 in 2018/19, 150 in 2019/20, 204, 335, then 527 in 2022/23, 460 and 305 in 2024/25. Its three years from 2022/23 to 2024/25 add up to 1,292 homes, while the Housing Delivery Test 2025, covering April 2022 to March 2025, records 1,492. The counts differ because the government's rule book for the test also adds bedrooms in student and other communal accommodation, such as care homes, at a set ratio, which a council's table of new homes usually leaves out.
With Cheshunt Lakeside stalled and Brookfield not yet under way, smaller sites, including well chosen grey belt land, carry more weight here than their size suggests.
The Land We Look for in Broxbourne
- Plots, yards and backland inside Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Waltham Cross, Broxbourne and Wormley.
- Green Belt land enclosed by houses, roads or other buildings on the edges of Goffs Oak, Cheshunt and Hoddesdon.
- Previously developed land in the Green Belt, such as former commercial yards and depots with lawful buildings or hardstanding.
- Derelict glasshouse sites in the Green Belt, where the plan provides for small self-build schemes once horticulture is shown to be no longer viable.
- Larger holdings in the west of the borough that could be considered in the new Local Plan.
Glasshouse land needs care, because horticultural buildings count as agricultural and so are not previously developed land in national policy. For yards and depots, our page on brownfield and yards covers the ground.
Whichever route fits, we meet every cost of the planning work under an option at a price agreed at the outset, set above what the land is worth today.
A New Plan Starting as the Supply Runs Thin
The Timetable, and What Has Slipped
The council agreed in September 2025 to prepare a new Local Plan and held its call for sites from 5 November 2025 to 7 January 2026. Its Local Development Scheme, dated October 2025, sets out the stages:
| Stage | Council's timetable |
|---|---|
| Issues and options consultation (Regulation 18) | May 2026 |
| Draft Local Plan consultation (Regulation 18) | May 2027 |
| Publication of the plan it intends to submit (Regulation 19) | January 2028 |
| Submission for examination | May 2028 |
| Examination hearings begin | January 2029 |
| Adoption | To be confirmed |
At the end of September 2026, the council's consultation site still shows the call for sites as its latest planning policy exercise, with no issues and options consultation listed, so that first stage appears to be running behind the May 2026 date in the scheme. Even on the scheme's dates, hearings are not due until 2029. Our guide to call for sites and local plans explains what each stage asks of a landowner.
The Next Supply Figure
Broxbourne publishes its supply calculation in its annual monitoring report. The next one, for 2025/26, will be the first with a base date after the plan's housing figure fell out of date, so its whole calculation should rest on the standard method. Against a requirement of 5,360, getting back to five years would need more than twice the supply the report found; we make no forecast either way.
The Next Delivery Test
The Housing Delivery Test 2025 came out on 17 August 2026, and a new edition follows each year. At 110%, a fall below 95% would call for an action plan and one below 85% would raise the buffer to 20%, adding to the requirement in the table above. The monitoring report's 305 completions for 2024/25 already sit in the current result; the next edition would normally bring in 2025/26.
Reorganisation on Hold
The government decided on 16 July 2026 that Broxbourne would join East Hertfordshire, with the Northaw and Cuffley ward of Welwyn Hatfield and several North Hertfordshire wards, in an Eastern Hertfordshire council, with elections in May 2027 and vesting on 1 April 2028. On 7 September 2026 the local government minister asked Hertfordshire leaders to cease work on that decision while it is reviewed, and May 2027 elections will be held on existing boundaries.
What This Means for Timing
- Grey belt land close to existing homes is best looked at now, while the shortfall provides the evidence of need.
- Larger holdings belong in the new plan, and the evidence is most useful before the draft plan consultation.
Questions About Land in Broxbourne
Broxbourne passes the delivery test. How can it be short of housing land?
The two measure different things. The delivery test looks back at homes built against the old plan target. The supply figure looks forward five years against the standard method, which rose sharply once the plan passed five years old, and the council's own figures now show about two years.
Every field here is Green Belt. Is there any route for mine?
Possibly, through grey belt. Land that does little to stop London spreading or to keep towns apart can qualify, and with supply this short the need test is met. Inspectors have found grey belt land at Cheshunt and Goffs Oak since 2025, including a scheme of up to 90 homes, and our how it works page shows how we take a site from review to application.
I submitted land to the call for sites last winter. What happens next?
The council will assess submissions for the new plan, with the first consultation still to come. A grey belt site in the call for sites can still be looked at for an application now.
My family has derelict glasshouses in the Green Belt. Are they brownfield?
Not in national policy, because horticultural buildings count as agricultural. The plan has its own route for derelict glasshouse sites, limited to small self-build schemes where growing is no longer viable, and some sites may also be tested as grey belt.
If Broxbourne merges with East Hertfordshire, will my land be treated differently?
Not for now. The minister has asked Hertfordshire councils to stop work on the merger while it is reviewed, and the May 2027 elections will be held on existing boundaries. Until that changes, Broxbourne decides applications here under its own plan and is preparing the next one itself.
Tell Us About Your Land in Broxbourne
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More in Hertfordshire
County overview
Selling Land in Hertfordshire
Selling land in Hertfordshire? Most councils are well behind on new homes, and grey belt is opening up. We agree your price and pay for all the planning.
Housing Delivery Test: 102%
Selling Land in East Hertfordshire
Own land in East Hertfordshire? About two thirds of it lies outside the Green Belt, and supply is under four years. We agree a price and pay for planning.
Housing Delivery Test: 95%
Selling Land in Watford
Own land in Watford? Nearly every home built here in 2024/25 was on previously developed land. We agree your price and pay for all the planning.
Housing Delivery Test: 52%
Selling Land in Dacorum
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Housing Delivery Test: 26%
Selling Land in Hertsmere
Own land in Hertsmere? The council built only 26% of the homes it needed and a new plan is coming. We agree your price and pay for all the planning.
Housing Delivery Test: 46%
Selling Land in St Albans
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Selling Land in Three Rivers
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Selling Land in Welwyn Hatfield
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Selling Land in North Hertfordshire
Own land in North Hertfordshire? The council's own figures show 2.6 years of housing land, not five. We agree your price and pay for all the planning.
Housing Delivery Test: 78%
Selling Land in Stevenage
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Sources
- Borough of Broxbourne Council: Broxbourne Local Plan 2018 to 2033 (adopted June 2020)
- Borough of Broxbourne Council: Authority Monitoring Report 2024/25
- Borough of Broxbourne Council: Local Development Scheme (October 2025)
- Borough of Broxbourne Council: Local Plan update report to councillors
- Borough of Broxbourne Council: Summary of recent Green Belt and grey belt planning appeal decisions
- Borough of Broxbourne Council: Brookfield Garden Village, Planning and Regulatory Committee report (May 2025)
- Borough of Broxbourne Council: Broxbourne Local Plan, Call for Sites (autumn 2025)
- East Herts District Council: Government announces four unitary authorities in Hertfordshire (July 2026)
- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council: Ministerial letter on reviewing reorganisation in Hertfordshire (September 2026)
- GOV.UK: Housing Delivery Test measurement rule book (updated August 2026)
- Wikipedia: Borough of Broxbourne
Figures on this page come from the Housing Delivery Test 2025 (published 17 August 2026) and the Planning Inspectorate's local plan monitoring to August 2026, with newer plan milestones checked on 24 September 2026. We update the page when new results or plan milestones are published. Planning positions change quickly, so always check the council's own website before relying on it.