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Hertfordshire Property Partnership secures funding for redevelopment of temporary accommodation site in Welwyn

Hertfordshire Infrastructure and Planning Partnership (HIPP) Responds to Government’s NPPF Consultation

No one left behind: Hertfordshire’s good growth story

Hertfordshire: Developing Euros stars of the future!

Hertfordshire County Council cements its support for care leavers

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) is set to receive £243,000 from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as part of the government’s £68m initiative to unlock brownfield sites for housing development. This funding will enable the Council to modernise Howlands House in Welwyn Garden City, used to provide temporary accommodation for local individuals and families who are homeless.

Howlands House provides temporary accommodation for local residents waiting to be assessed or given alternative housing due to homelessness but now, over 40 years after its construction, the site is in poor condition and the current design does not meet modern standards. Redeveloping this accommodation has been an aspiration for WHBC for some time, however, the viability of the scheme has been a challenge due to increasing building costs.  The additional government funding allows the scheme to progress to the next stage and will aid the overall viability of the proposed redevelopment.

The site is due to be developed as part of WHBC’s Affordable Housing Programme and the additional £243K funding, secured by WHBC as part of the Hertfordshire Property Partnership (HPP) through HM Government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2), will help to bring forward the project’s delivery date. The proposed new scheme will provide more welcoming temporary accommodation properties as well as a staff office, children’s play area, parking and associated landscaping.

HPP has worked with district and borough councils to successfully secure over £2.6 million in BLRF funding from government overall. The money will be used across seven sites in Hertfordshire with two already completed. The remaining five sites are expected to deliver approximately 662 homes and are all part of regeneration projects in the county.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised the government’s commitment to a brownfield-first approach to housebuilding, stating, “This funding for councils will see disused sites and industrial wastelands transformed into thousands of new homes in places that people want to live and work.

“Our brownfield-first approach will not only ramp up housebuilding but also create more jobs, deliver much-needed infrastructure, and boost economic growth across the country.”

Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook added, “The funding announced today will support the delivery of thousands of new homes and boost economic growth by unlocking development on scores of abandoned, disused, and neglected urban sites across the country.”

Cllr Max Holloway, Leader, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council said: “Supporting and preventing homelessness and the provision of affordable homes are priorities for WHBC. It’s great to receive this funding from the Government which will help us bring forward the delivery of a key project in our Affordable Housing Programme – and importantly provide for better temporary accommodation for local people in their time of need.

“Howlands House is an important development and this funding will mean that we are able to continue to provide security and respite for local families at times of huge distress and uncertainty.”

 

Sajida Bijle, Chief Executive, Hertsmere Borough Council and Chair of HPP said: “Securing over £2.6 million in BLRF funding represents a significant achievement for the Hertfordshire Property Partnership. This collaboration with district and borough councils is set to transform seven key sites across the county, with two projects already completed. The remaining four sites will deliver approximately 662 homes, contributing to the ongoing regeneration efforts within Hertfordshire. This funding is a testament to our collaborative working across Hertfordshire and beyond with a clear commitment to infrastructure as well as providing much needed housing solutions. This is particularly important in Hertfordshire, where land values are very high, and affordability is well below the national average.”

 

Cllr Jeremy Newmark, Chair of the Hertfordshire Growth Board: “This injection of funds by the government, including £243,000 for Welwyn Hatfield, is fantastic news for Hertfordshire as a whole. It’s an investment in meeting the county’s housing needs, ensuring we have the infrastructure to support families and individuals in need, while revitalising a key area. This will only bolster the extent to which Hertfordshire contributes to the national growth mission.”

 

Angie Ridgwell, Chief Executive, Hertfordshire County Council said: “The modernisation of Howlands House marks a significant step forward in addressing our local housing needs. This funding will provide quality temporary accommodation and also support regeneration of the area for the community to enjoy.”

The Hertfordshire Infrastructure and Planning Partnership (HIPP) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the government’s proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Representing the collective views of the district and borough councils and county council, HIPP is committed to ensuring that the proposed reforms support sustainable growth and development across Hertfordshire.

HIPP acknowledges the government’s commitment to delivering 370,000 homes annually. Hertfordshire has pledged to build an additional 100,000 homes and create 100,000 new jobs over the next decade. Collaborative efforts with Homes England and other partners are already underway to deliver significant projects such as the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town and Hemel Garden Communities, alongside other new settlements proposed through District and Borough Local Plans. These initiatives are supported by a Development Quality Charter aimed at promoting high-quality design and sustainability standards.

Cllr Jeremy Newmark, Chair of Hertfordshire Growth Board and HIPP said: “We welcome the opportunity to comment on the Government’s NPPF consultation and support a brownfield-first approach in sustainable locations. We advocate for the definition of a Grey Belt to prioritise the development of underperforming sites within the Green Belt. However, we must ensure that development occurs in sustainable locations, along with affordable housing to support the needs of our residents and communities.”

 

Cllr Stephen Boulton, Executive Member of Sustainable Economic Growth, Hertfordshire County Council said: “We support the proposed revisions to the NPPF to increase support for renewable energy schemes and to safeguard our environmental resources. A vital area of focus is the improvement of our water supply in providing safe water, and a robust sewage and drainage infrastructure for the benefit of residents and the overall environment.”

Read our full response.

Hertfordshire is known for its lush green landscapes, rich history, and idyllic garden towns and villages, but it is also a major engine for UK growth. From a booming multi-million movie industry to a world-leading cell and gene sector centred in the golden triangle, Hertfordshire boasts an economy that is larger than many city regions.  It’s this quality of life and access to a thriving economy that attracts residents from all walks of life to locate here.

The Hertfordshire Growth Board has already set its vision and missions, taking a unified approach with leaders from the county, district, and borough councils, as well as the NHS, Police and business. From new employment opportunities and quality and sustainable homes, to healthy places that are well connected for the digital age with a sustainable transport infrastructure, the Growth Board has ambitious plans and is ready to work closely with the new Government and MPs.

I’ve been Chief Executive of St Albans City and District Council since 2017 and I’ve overseen various projects, including new sports and cultural centres in Harpenden, and a cycling and community hub in St Albans. I’ve also been involved in developing a seven-acre site in the heart of St Albans and the Strategic Local Plan for housing and development.

Naturally my ambitions for St Albans play a major part of my involvement in the Hertfordshire Growth Board where I’ve led on setting up aspects of the Transport mission. I’d like to see public transport better joined up regionally, particularly east to west. That would require a whole county approach and will need input from central Government to make it happen.

Hertfordshire’s growth potential

We have a strong track record of innovation, with leading clusters in space and defence – responsible for a third of the world’s satellites, built in Stevenage – and the county is Europe’s top cell and gene cluster. Yet a short drive down the A1 in Elstree and Borehamwood, and Watford we’re at the centre of the UK’s film production industry that’s set to rival Hollywood.

Our proximity at the centre of the golden triangle between London, Oxford and Cambridge is what gives us the edge, and in Hertfordshire we have the luxury of affordable key development sites for large organisations to set up shop and invest.

But it’s not just about big business because our town centres and high streets are bustling with independent shops and cafes. It’s these local businesses, run by local people that help to keep us fuelled and they’re part of the reason why so many visitors come.

Transforming transport

Our transport infrastructure has always been a hot topic but we’re eager to improve our public transport links as well as build on our existing active travel networks.

One standout example is HertsLynx which acts a bit differently to your traditional bus service. It operates in North Herts, East Herts and Dacorum, and doesn’t follow the usual bus timetable. Instead, passengers can use an app to choose a pick-up and drop-off point. This has been popular with residents and a welcome improvement.

Working with a new Government

A change of administration offers the opportunity to reset our relationship with Government. Our biggest priority is to work collaboratively to showcase what makes Hertfordshire unique, so that our asks to Government come with an offer from us that evidences a return which supports the country at large.

Hertfordshire is an engine of growth with £42bn GVA pa. We contribute more to UK plc than many city regions.

As well as our strong track record of innovation, with leading defence, space, and biosciences’ sectors, we pioneered the first garden cities and new towns, and councils locally are already committed to building thousands of additional new homes and generating new jobs in the next 10 years.

But we are facing barriers to further growth. The new Government could unlock these through a strong devolution deal so we can tailor interventions to the needs of residents and businesses.

We must ensure economic growth is inclusive and sustainable; that we get high quality, sustainable housing growth in the right places; and that we protect our outstanding natural landscapes including our globally significant chalk streams.

To do this, we need more funding and local powers over skills, business support, regeneration, housing and strategic planning, transport, sustainability, energy, and digital infrastructure.

Making an impact

The Growth Board and our partners have come a long way in the last 12-18 months. The Hertfordshire Economic Board has already launched a Hertfordshire Film Office which works with film and TV creatives, and major studios globally to secure suitable shooting locations in the county. This is a service that the industry has welcomed with open arms and makes it easier and faster for studio execs to scout locations and get filming.

Invest Hertfordshire, which is the county’s new inward investment service, promotes development and opportunity sites in the county so that businesses can make easy decisions on where to locate or invest.

We have also secured additional Government funding for Hertfordshire, targeting the roll-out of Full Fibre coverage to around 7,000 premises in hard-to-reach and rural areas of the county.

To strengthen our role as planning authorities, I’ve started work on improving planning resilience in the county so that we can better meet the growth needs of the county.

Hertfordshire is open for investment and is ready to work with Government and other funding partners to secure deals and drive inclusive growth for the benefit of our residents, communities, and businesses.

As the UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament kicked off in Germany this weekend, we want to wish Hertfordshire-born Gareth Southgate, who comes from Watford, all the best as his England team gears up for their first game of the tournament.

Hertfordshire has a proud tradition of nurturing grass roots youth football, as well as being home and host to many famous footballers, as well as football league clubs Watford FC and Stevenage FC.

There are over 50,000 children – 42,497 boys and 7,651 girls – currently taking part in some form of grassroots football activity, with female participation increasing 56% since 2021, and male participation increasing 14%. There are also over 600 players taking part in dedicated Disability Football settings across the county.

Hertfordshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils have played its part in the growth and development of football by providing regular funding to support local schools, organisations, and sports clubs. Such as providing football for children with a wide range of physical and neuro-diverse challenges and those with learning and physical disabilities.

“We are very keen to support our local grassroots organisations to provide sport and physical activities, as these opportunities are essential to help our residents lead healthy and fulfilling lives. In particular, we have invested a great deal of funding into physical activity programmes specifically designed to help people improve their mental health and wellbeing, as we are well-aware of the link between physical and mental health. We have been working with Watford and Stevenage Football Clubs for many years to develop bespoke physical activity programmes for local residents.”

– Hertfordshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, Sarah Perman

Active Connections is a new programme, funded by Hertfordshire County Council’s Public Health department and delivered by Herts Sports Partnership (HSP). The partnership works to upskill health professionals and social prescribers and to promote the health benefits of being physically active and to sign post people to local opportunities.HSP works closely with the Hertfordshire Football Association and the University of Hertfordshire with events such as the ‘Coach Education Week’ and have three Apprentices currently working in the Herts FA team from the Universities ‘Sports and Business Management’ degree course. Children can register to play football from as young as age 6 and in Hertfordshire over 50,000 players have registered with Hertfordshire FA across all formats of affiliated football, making up 3,380 teams from 494 clubs. These are supported by over 5,000 qualified coaches and countless other volunteers who give up their time to make the grassroots game happen.

Hertfordshire FA is responsible for a wide range of initiatives that help to develop the professionalism and culture of football across the county and all age groups.

“Football has a unique power to unite communities, build aspiration, reduce inequality, and bring joy to those involved. As well as improving physical and mental health, participation has also been shown to have wider impacts on society, such as reducing crime and improving educational outcomes. With the vast majority of the grassroots game being run by volunteers, additional financial support is always welcome, and we encourage clubs to reach out to Councillors to access locality budgets where they can be used to grow provision in areas of need and share these benefits more widely. We are proud to work together with local agencies to use the power of football to promote positive change, which includes putting on sessions with Hertfordshire County Council to raise awareness across the game about the risk of radicalisation to young people as part of the Prevent programme.”

– Karl Lingham, CEO, Hertfordshire Football Association

Hertfordshire Sports Partnership
Hertfordshire Football Association
Active Herts

The Care Leaver Covenant has gained a new signatory as Hertfordshire County Council pledged its continued commitment to support care leavers as they continue their journey to live independently.

As part of its commitment, the County Council is calling on local businesses, organisations, districts and borough councils to also sign up. Encouraging local employers and housing providers to reach out to these young adults by offering support and opportunities as they take their next steps into adulthood.

Fiona Thomson, Executive Member for Children, Young people and Families, said: “We know that our care leavers face additional challenges as they transition to adulthood: living independently, often with little family or community support. Many care-experience people say that discrimination has also contributed to negative outcomes in their lives. Our care leavers have told us that it’s important that we sign up to the National Care Leaver Covenant, which we are able to do now that we have found a way to offer council tax reimbursement for them until the age of 21.”

The National Care Leaver Covenant is a promise made by the private, public and voluntary sectors to provide support for care leavers aged 16-25 to help them live successful lives. The covenant pertains to all areas which impact on care leavers’ opportunities to thrive, including housing support, training and employment, work experience, or partnerships with local businesses.

Signing the Care Leaver Covenant is one element of the Council’s commitment to improve outcomes for care leavers. Recently, Hertfordshire agreed to treat care experience as a protected characteristic. This means that when policies and services are developed, it will assess the impact of these on people with care experience making sure that they are not negatively impacted by decisions taken.

Fiona continued, “As the corporate parents for children and young people in our care, it’s important that we lead the way and encourage all those we work with to look at how their practice and policies are impacting care leavers and encourage them to do all they can to support people leaving care. By working together, we can build bright futures for our care leavers.”

As well as The Local Offer for Care Leavers, Hertfordshire County Council has recently extended the lifelong links programme; strengthening contact with people important to them to create support networks and providing stability. It has also expanded the Care Leaver Service to provide personal advisors with more capacity and time to dedicate to the young people and the popular Ohana support group for care experience young parents.

Useful contacts and links

The Local Offer of Care Leavers
Lifelong Links Programme
Ohana support group
Samantha.jeffery@hertfordshire.gov.uk
www.mycovenant.org.uk