Plans to build 390 homes and care home on green belt land in Hemel Hempstead

Developers want to build nearly 400 homes and a new care home on green belt land to the north of Hemel Hempstead, according to new plans.

Landowners Fairfax Strategic Land (Hemel) Ltd submitted the proposals for 390 homes to Dacorum Borough Council, which also promise 40 per cent affordable housing on the site.

The outline application was submitted at the start of the month, and appeared on the council’s planning portal on December 10.

The proposals would see the homes built to the west of Leighton Buzzard Road and north of Galley Hill, which is currently designated as within the green belt.

The developers say the plans will create a “landscape led, sustainable development, that will sit alongside and connect with the existing residential areas of Piccotts End and Gadebridge, providing much needed new housing, some local employment, areas of open space and enhanced community infrastructure.”

The scheme will also include new publicly accessible open spaces, and improvements to the pedestrian and cycle infrastructure between Gadebridge and Piccotts End.

A green belt assessment undertaken by the developers has found the site currently makes a ‘moderate’ contribution to preventing unrestricted sprawl of built-up areas and in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.

Despite this the developers highlight the location is “wholly sustainable”, and will bring “much needed new housing” to the borough.

As an outline application, the developers will provide details on the mix of housing and further specifics on the layout of the site to be approved at a later stage.

At this point, the developers have confirmed the houses will include “a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced dwellings which are 2 storeys in height and comparable to surrounding built form.”

The application added: “The development has been carefully designed to ensure the preservation of open space and character of the site, allowing the existing landscape to dictate the form, siting and scale of the development”, including place homes away from the Piccotts End Conservation Area.

The plans also include a ‘green buffer’ to enhance the area’s ecology and biodiversity, which will include the creation of new areas of habitat and tree planting.

A consultation period for neighbours began on December 13, and will run until January 3.

More details on the plan are available on Dacorum Borough Council's planning portal, search planning reference: 21/04508/MOA.