Nearly 100 new council homes in Dacorum move step closer

The new plans will see 99 new council homes built over three sites
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Plans to build nearly 100 new council homes across Dacorum have moved a step closer.

Cabinet members in Dacorum Borough Council have approved plans to earmark three new sites for housing in Tring and Hemel Hempstead.

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The new plans will involve purchasing a new site in Tring, as well as repurposing land already owned by the borough council.

Nearly 100 new council homes in Dacorum move step closerNearly 100 new council homes in Dacorum move step closer
Nearly 100 new council homes in Dacorum move step closer

More than 330 social homes have been built in the borough since 2013, and an easing of rules on council borrowing has allowed Dacorum to speed up plans to increase their housing stock.

The new plans will see 99 new council homes built over the three sites.

In Tring, the borough council will purchase land in Bulbourne Road, from Tring Town Council with aims of providing 11 new homes.

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This is expected to include seven two-bedroom houses for four people, and four three-bedroom houses for five people, one of which will be fully wheelchair compliant.

The land is currently partly unused, with parking and allotments also currently on site. The parking and allotment areas will be maintained after construction, and remain under control of Tring Town Council.

Indicative plans also show that a natural boundary with densely planted hedges will act as a buffer to avoid any impact on the green belt.

In Hemel Hempstead, land on Marchmont Farm, near Piccotts End Lane will be repurposed to allow for 32 new social rented homes to be built.

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The site will include a new access road into the development along Piccotts End Lane, but access to Laidon Square will be maintained and the proposals include a public open space at the end of the site.

The third site to be included in the plans is for a site in Paradise industrial estate, in Hemel Hempstead town centre.

The Paradise Depot, off Park Lane, is currently occupied by a small industrial unit, and charity DENS, which operates an on-site food bank and supports vulnerable individuals. The council are hoping the new plans will include 56 social rented units, and a new standalone commercial unit for DENS.

In a report to councillors, officers said that the lifting of the borrowing cap on the Housing Revenue Accounts has “presented an opportunity to accelerate delivery and enable a sustainable ongoing development programme”. Since 2013, Dacorum Borough Council has delivered 338 new council homes in the borough.

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The council’s Cabinet backed the plans to acquire and repurpose the sites at a meeting on Tuesday, September 21.

While the council will now be able to earmark each site for housing, each individual scheme will still need to be granted planning permission before building work can begin.