Developer responds to shopping centre delay

Developer Wrenbridge have responded to the latest delay in granting planning permission for amended plans for Bircherley Green shopping centre.

The proposals were expected to be discussed at this month's Development Control Committee meeting on 22nd May but are not included on the agenda. The following meeting is on Thursday 19th June.

In a statement to Discover Hertford, Wrenbridge said: "the development partners are disappointed that EHDC will not be considering our amended planning application on 22 May."

"These changes are vital to the future of the scheme and we cannot move forward until we have EHDC’s approval. Over the past two months, we have been working closely with EHDC to progress our application, making this latest setback particularly frustrating."

The amended plans include a reduction in the number of residential units to provide officespace for Housing Association Network Homes.

Here is the full response from Wrenbridge:

Since Wrenbridge joined the Bircherley Green project in 2012, the development partners have engaged with local residents, businesses and East Herts District Council (EHDC) to create a town centre destination that provides new homes, shops and offices, as well as employment opportunities and community facilities.

The well-documented downturn in high street retail and the slowing of the property market has meant we have had to adapt our plans to ensure the Bircherley Green redevelopment remains viable and sustainable in the long run.

Given this, the development partners are disappointed that EHDC will not be considering our amended planning application on 22 May. This application was to convert 14 of the 70 already approved apartments into offices for housing association, Network Homes. These changes are vital to the future of the scheme and we cannot move forward until we have EHDC’s approval. Over the past two months, we have been working closely with EHDC to progress our application, making this latest setback particularly frustrating.

As we have said before, the lack of certainty is putting the viability of the entire project at risk and prolonging the disruption to local residents and small businesses. Only when construction work is underway can we be more confident of when facilities, such as the new health centre, shops, and refurbished car park, will open and new life injected into the town centre.

The next opportunity for the application to be considered is the 19 June Development Management Committee. We will be doing everything in our power to assist EHDC to be ready for this meeting. All the development partners are committed to delivering the redevelopment swiftly and in a way that is sustainable. But ultimately, planning in Hertford is controlled by EHDC and the future of Bircherley Green is in their hands.

We will continue to work with EHDC to move our plans forward and hope that a decision can finally be made at June’s committee meeting.