A developer who wants to build 700 new homes at Highover Farm in Hitchin has received a rap on the knuckles after allegedly “threatening” a committee.

Martin Wright, of David Wilson Homes, was accused of trying to rush North Herts Council members into approving the firm’s application at a meeting on Thursday, October 12.

He told councillors that, if the planning application did not go his way on the night, his firm “must consider” going over the authority’s heads – taking its case to the Westminster government’s Planning Inspectorate.

Decisionmakers in the planning process can choose to impose conditions on developers, and demand housebuilders pay for infrastructure such as schools and road improvements.

If an inspector were to have ruled on the application, it could have limited North Herts Council’s power to draft these conditions with input from local councillors and negotiate funds for public services.

Planning committee chair Cllr Val Bryant told her colleagues to “discount” Mr Wright’s warnings.

She said: “You cannot take into account in making your decision whether there will be an appeal or not – or whether that would result in changes of conditions.”

Mr Wright spoke at the meeting in favour of plans for up to 700 new homes at Highover Farm – on the north-eastern edge of Hitchin.

The land is earmarked for housing in the North Herts Local Plan, which councillors voted to adopt in November 2022.

The planning committee debated the scheme’s details on Thursday, July 6 this year, but members voted to defer the decision – asking the developer to provide more information about traffic management.

Responding in October, Mr Wright said his team had looked at transport data from 2018 and compared it with newer data, which they sourced after July this year.

“Forecasted traffic flows are now lower than presented [in the 2018 assessment], so the [2018] data represents a worst-case scenario, and the traffic impact predicted from this development is deemed low,” he said.

Mr Wright said developer contributions would be in the region of £28million, with 40 per cent of the homes meeting “affordable” standards, plus a two-form entry primary school.

“Our appointed counsel on this project has advised that if we cannot secure approval tonight, we must consider lodging an appeal,” he added.

“He has also advised that if the Planning Inspectorate supports an appeal, it may strike out some of these … contributions.”

Mr Wright said his company’s “firm preference” is to deliver a catalogue of contributions “following a positive decision this evening”.

Committee member Cllr Daniel Allen said: “Threatening us is not a great way to make friends during a statement.”

The committee later granted permission for the new homes at the October 12 meeting.