Updated 01:10 Saturday 30th August 2003
Housebuilding Explosion

Five storey flats for riverside

Up to 500 new homes could be built on brownfield land east of the town centre.

Developers have already submitted a planning application for 112 new homes on the corner of Mill Road and Mead Lane, whilst the District Council are negotiating up to 100 new properties on the adjacent council depot. Other sites including the former gas works and railway sidings are also receiving interest from housebuilders.

Plans for five-storey blocks of flats have been submitted by Flowertrail for the site which stretches from Hertford Marina to Spencer Street, including frontage along the River Lee navigation and Mead Lane.

The blocks feature exterior walkways on the first and second floors, together with up to two levels of basement parking.

Part of the land is currently used by Reg's coaches, whilst other parts are derelict. A new sea scout hut is also included in the plans.

East Herts District Council is in the process of talking to a shortlist of developers about proposals for up to 100 homes on the former council depot in Mill Road. A detailed planning application could be made by the end of the year.

The two developments are amongst a number of brownfield sites to the east of the town centre along Mill Road and Mead Lane.

Click here for pictures of the sites.

Other sites for potential development include a disused factory in St.John's Street and land east of Marshgate Drive bordering Mead Lane. Together the sites are thought to have the potential to accommodate 500 residential properties.

At present the only access to the area is via Mill Road, which already suffers congestion at peak times due to the high number of business premises based in Mead Lane. Industrial use has historically dominated the area due to the proximity of the railway.

Hertfordshire County Council is encouraging the development of brownfield sites in an effort to protect the Green Belt and prevent the building of 5000 new homes to the west of Stevenage.

In the ten years up to 2002 the number of recorded housing completions in Hertford was 1533, with 164 homes completed in 2001/2.

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