Planning Background    

In 1998, Hertfordshire County Council took the decision to allocate land to the west of Stevenage as a strategic housing site for a total of 5,000 homes of which 3,600 are to be completed by 2011.

After targeting almost 70% of new housebuilding to suitable brownfield sites and conversion opportunities, the County Council decided that the majority of the remainder would be best accommodated through a well-planned urban extension of Stevenage rather than at alternative sites or by allowing it to be “pepperpotted” around the County’s smaller towns and villages. This strategy was supported by all but one of the County’s ten District Councils and by an independent panel of planning experts

 In order to accommodate its housing needs, Hertfordshire’s housebuilding requirement has recently been increased to approximately 85,000 new dwellings for the period 1991- 2016, with a regional target that 60% of these should be built on previously developed sites or provided through conversions. Faced with this prospect, the need for a well-planned mixed-use development at West Stevenage, with a range of new infrastructure and community facilities funded by the development, is now considered to be greater than ever in helping to:
  • Provide housing for Hertfordshire’s residents and reduce the level of commuting
  • Prevent the loss of less suitable greenfield sites elsewhere in the County
  • Protect the character of Hertfordshire’s historic towns and villages from the effects of “town cramming” and maintain the quality of life of their residents
  • Avoid over-straining existing schools, health and community facilities and local road networks
  • Reduce the overall level of carbon dioxide emissions and private car usage
  • Provide physical infrastructure to assist the economic development of Stevenage and the surrounding area.