Potters Bar is facing major planning pressure.

Why are we focused on the former golf course?

• It is one of the largest single proposed developments in the entire Hertsmere Local Plan — 40.2 hectares, with 550 homes applied for
• It sits entirely in Green Belt land and has never previously been allocated for development in any adopted plan
• It has documented serious flood risk, and Darkes Lane — the only vehicular access — is subject to flooding with no secondary route
• It has a live planning application AND a Local Plan allocation simultaneously — two separate processes, both open right now, both requiring action
• The volume and complexity of the technical evidence demands focused, sustained effort that cannot be spread across all sites in the town

PottersBar.Vision supports good planning across the whole of Potters Bar and encourages residents to engage with all planning consultations — not just this one. We focus our detailed research here because of the site's exceptional scale and complexity.

The numbers that don't add up

Three figures. The same site. No public explanation for the gap between them.

About the site

The location

Former Potters Bar Golf Course, Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1DE. 40.2 hectares (approximately 100 acres), entirely within the Green Belt. Closed as a golf course in 2018 and rewilding since.

The access problem

The site has a single vehicular access via Darkes Lane, which is subject to flooding. The railway tunnel at the western boundary is pedestrian-only and subject to Network Rail restrictions. It is not a secondary vehicular access.

The flood risk

Potters Bar Brook, an Environment Agency Main River, crosses the site. The central valley has HIGH documented flood risk. The area recorded 32% of all Hertsmere flooding incidents between 2002 and 2015.

Protected trees

The entire site is subject to a whole-site Tree Preservation Order protecting approximately 1,601 trees of 37 varieties, placed by Hertsmere in 2020. Two European Protected Species licences are required before any development.

Groundwater protection

The site sits within EA Source Protection Zone I — the highest level of groundwater protection, directly overlying drinking water sources. A foul water storage tank under the former car park has a consented overflow into Potters Bar Brook. Thames Water has not confirmed drainage capacity for 550 homes.

Green Belt status

The site is entirely Green Belt and has never been allocated for development. National planning policy requires that inappropriate development in the Green Belt should only be approved in very special circumstances. The applicant has not demonstrated that those circumstances exist.

Other developments in Potters Bar

PottersBar.Vision focuses its resources on the former golf course because of its exceptional scale and the complexity of the issues it raises — but we are not the only campaign worth engaging with, and this is not the only development in Potters Bar.

If you are concerned about other planning applications or developments in the town, we encourage you to engage directly with Hertsmere Borough Council's planning portal, where you can comment on any current application. The Hertsmere Local Plan consultation covers multiple sites across the borough.

Hertsmere planning portal →  |  More useful links →