Hertfordshire County Council to sell off land for new housing development

Hertfordshire County Council has drawn up plans to “dispose” of land alongside County Hall for re-development.

Council officers revealed that they had earmarked the 312-hectare site – that includes the derelict Leahoe House and gardens – for redevelopment last year.

And on Tuesday (16 April) proposals to sell the site to Cala Homes will be presented to a meeting of the council’s resources and performance cabinet panel.

At the meeting councillors will be asked to back proposals to declare the Leahoe site – which also includes tennis courts, car park, allotments and a number of flats – as surplus.

And they will be asked to back the move to identify Cala Homes as the preferred bidder to acquire the site.

But the final decision on the future of the site will be taken by a future meeting of the council’s cabinet – with exact terms being agreed later.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, executive member for resources and performance Councillor Bob Deering said he believed it would be “an absolutely beneficial development” that would “revive” Leahoe House and the entire Leahoe site.

According to the report published in advance of the meeting, the council received 10 bids for the site from potential development partners.

Although it does say the site “has the potential to deliver a residential-based re-development scheme”, exact details of the planned redevelopment are not included in the report for councillors.

And, according to the report, any sale would be subject to the developer obtaining planning consent for their proposed scheme.

The Leahoe site is not used by the council for office or service delivery functions.

And all but one of the flats and houses within the site are reported to be already vacant.

According to the report the majority of the existing properties are of “poor construction”.

And it says there have been issues in bringing them up to and maintaining them at a ‘good homes’ standard.

When the council revealed plans to market the site last year, it was stressed that any future development would need to include the sympathetic restoration of Leahoe House.

And it was suggested that as well as enhancing the wider site it would need to demonstrate a highly sustainable approach.