North West Hatfield Development and Sustainability Consultations
Welwyn Hatfield’s current Local Plan was adopted by Full Council in October 2023 and sets out how the Borough will be developed from now up to 2036.
As part of the implementation of the current Local Plan, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) is seeking views of local residents, businesses, and developers/planning agents, on two Draft Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), which will add further detail to policies within the Local Plan and will help to inform and guide new development.
The consultations will commence on the 8 November until 20 December. The results will be reviewed and considered before the documents are finalised and presented to Council for formal adoption.
North West Hatfield is a strategic site, which is allocated for housing led, mixed used development in the Local Plan. The North West Hatfield SPD seeks to deliver approximately 1,750 homes, new primary and secondary schools, a neighbourhood centre, retail and employment uses as well as areas of green open space. The framework proposes key principles for the development of the site and how it links to the rest of Hatfield and beyond and includes an indicative masterplan. The document has been prepared by the landowner Gascoyne Estates, in collaboration with officers from WHBC and Hertfordshire County Council. Gascoyne Estates will also hold a drop-in session at the Fielder Centre in Hatfield on 26 November from 3pm until 8pm. This will be an opportunity to find out more about the proposals for the site.
The second consultation relates to the Sustainability SPD. This SPD aligns with the Council’s key priority of ‘Action on Climate’ and specifies the sustainability expectations for new development proposals, setting out the measures which can encourage higher standards. The SPD sets out measures in a number of areas including design, drainage and flooding, active and sustainable travel, and climate change adaptation. The SPD spells out the sustainability requirements that developers must deliver when planning their developments, as well as more aspirational considerations which go beyond current national/local policy requirements and would be taken into account when planning applications are considered.
Councillor Rose Grewal, Executive Member for Planning, said: “Sustainability is a key priority for the Council and I welcome the Draft Sustainability SPD, which aims to drive up the environmental standards of developments across the Borough. The North West Hatfield development is the largest proposed development in our Local Plan and offers an opportunity to deliver a high quality, well connected place that adds value to existing communities. I would encourage as many people as possible to have their say on these important documents and take part in the consultations.”
The consultations, will run from 8 November to 20 December.
The North West Hatfield SPD can be found here
The Sustainability SPD can be found here