Updated Tuesday 4th January 2005
Housing Development In Hertford

The Ebe in North Road

The size of Hertford continues to grow as new homes are built to satisfy increasing demand and government policy.

The number of households in Hertford was 10960 in 2002, an increase of 1533 or 15% since the 1991 census (source: EHDC). Only one in five of new homes is built on a greenfield site.

The largest recent development in the town was Coleridge Park, built by Barratt Homes and now named Newland Gardens. This development consists of 218 homes on former industrial land that until recently was the site of the Addis Works until the factory closed and the company relocated their operations in the nineties.

The development includes affordable housing, underground parking, a gym and a children's play area. A water feature including a fountain and stream also forms part of the site which was levelled in Summer 2000. For more pictures of the site go to go to our In Pictures section. Adjoining the site is Kings Rise, which is accessed from Park Road.

To the immediate east of the town is Mead Lane, a large area featuring significant amounts of disused brownfield land. This area was recently the subject of a public consultation by East Herts District Council, following the publication of a development strategy by a developer. This consultation raised a number of issues and as a result the authority decided not to pursue the matter further. One of the principle concerns was that of access, with Mill Road being the only road serving the site. Whilst much of the land is disused, there are still a considerable number of employers located in Mead lane and as such Mill Road can become congested during peak times.

Nearby, the former District Council depot has been earmarked for housing and at the time of writing is the subject of a planning application for 112 homes.

Have your say and tell us what you think about housing in Hertford.

Future Development

The government has recently unveiled new plans for housebuilding in England, with specific focus on the South-East, with East Herts being asked to provide over 20,000 new homes. It is unclear how this might effect Hertford, but proposals for the region are being strongly resisted by both the District and County Councils.

Studies have also highlighted the need for a multibillion pound commitment from the government for new roads, rail links, schools, health centres and other community facilities. This was highlighted in April 2003 when a committee of MPs criticised the plans as ill thought out and not fully assessed.

The  East of England Regional Assembly initially adopted the government proposals but in late 2004 suspended their support due to inadequate funding from national government for associated infrastructure improvements.

Public Consultation

A public consultation is currently being undertaken by the East of England Regional Assembly to determine public opinion on matters arising from the proposals for increased housebuilding in the region. The District Authority are encouraging people to respond to this and have set up a dedicated section on their website named Speak Up East Herts. Here you can find out details about what the proposals mean and why they are bad for the district. The consultation ends on 16th March 2005.

From The Archive: Housing Development in Hertford
15th February 2004
30th September 2002
20th July 2002
1st October 2001