Hundreds more homes coming?

Dacorum Borough Council has made the final changes to its Site Allocations planning document, which will come into force in 2017.

The updated plan includes a number of extra homes and other changes, and residents have until Sunday, February 5 to have their say.

The alterations include:

> Doubling the number of new homes being built at the Hemel Hospital site, from 200 to 400;

> Changing the “indicative capacity” for new homes from 3,656 to 4,075, allowing developers to potentially build more homes in the future;

> Allowing new homes in Hemel Old Town to be two-and-a-half storeys rather than two storeys high;

> Letting new homes be built on greenbelt land in West Hemel immediately, rather than from 2021;

> Removing proposals for five gypsy and traveller pitches in Icknield Way, west of Tring, while keeping the proposals for 12 new pitches in Hemel Hempstead.

Graham Sutton, portfolio holder for planning and regeneration at Dacorum Borough Council, said: “Securing an adopted Site Allocations DPD remains a top priority for the council, and we’re pleased the inspector has generally backed our approach.

“The Site Allocations DPD will give us more say over future development within the borough by providing a robust set of policies and proposals to support housing and economic growth, whilst at the same time safeguarding and enhancing our environment.

“This will help us to make sure that enough homes and other development can be brought forward, in the right places and at the right time.”

View the plans online and have your say at www.dacorum.gov.uk/consultation

And let us know what you think on [email protected]