Overview
The Hemel Garden Communities programme is set to deliver a transformational Garden Town which will facilitate the strategic growth of Hemel Hempstead. We created a spatial and infrastructure framework with a focus on the North and East of Hemel Hempstead Growth Areas, which will aid the wider regeneration of the area.
Project Highlights
Clients
The Crown Estate
Bloor Homes
Pigeon Investment Management Ltd.
Kitewood
Hemel Garden Communities
Date
2021 - Present
Scale
11,000 homes and 10,000 new jobs
This is one of the most significant Garden Community projects in the country, and aims to take the best of Hemel Hempstead’s New Town heritage into the 21st century, delivering over 10,000 homes, 10,000 jobs, and the Hertfordshire Enviro-Tech Enterprise Zone. Working alongside The Crown Estate, landowners, promoters and local councils, we have formed a the Framework Plan for the Growth Areas to the north and east of Hemel.
Robert Hayward, Senior Associate, David Lock Associates
The Project
Hemel Garden Communities (HGC) was awarded transformational Garden Town Status by the Government back in March 2019. This success helped secure funding for the delivery of a major expansion of Hemel Hempstead, bringing transformative benefits to the town. The site encompasses the northern and eastern boundaries of Hemel Hempstead, on land that is characterised by rolling topography and proximity to the Chilterns AONB. The HGC initiative’s aim is to integrate with and enhance the existing town, creating a greener, more connected place. The delivery will aid the diversification of the New Town through a greater choice of homes and economic opportunities.
The Process
We were commissioned to create a spatial and infrastructure framework plan for the HGC Programme Area, with a detailed focus on the North and East of Hemel Hempstead Growth Areas, as well as a strategic outline of infrastructure requirements for the wider town of Hemel Hempstead. This involved testing the spatial capacity of the site to deliver the draft policy requirements. The site’s policy demands include a requirement for 200 hectares of SANG and up to 60% sustainable mode share, which present considerable design challenges. The Framework Plan balances these demands and establishes a framework for detailed design and sustainable delivery over a 30 year period.
Our work, which draws on best practice masterplanning and urban design at a strategic scale, will inform viability testing, the evolution of Local Plan allocation policies, member decision making in respect of the Local Plan, and set the framework for high quality and coordinated placemaking by different applicants. The production of the Framework Plan, has involved collaborative partnership working amongst HGC stakeholders, landowners and consultants.