Our vision is to create an exemplar development fit for 21st century living, through thoughtful design and sustainability that balances sensitively designed homes alongside quality community facilities, enhancements to the local environment and improved access for the local community. We are committed to creating a great space to live, work and play for generations to come that reflects the character of Hertford Heath, whilst maintaining a sensitive relationship with its landscape setting.

We want to engage with the community to ensure that we bring forward the best possible scheme that reflects local aspirations for the site. We are committed to considering the view and comments of local residents before any planning application is submitted.

A community hub

A community hub shaped by what you told us. 316 out of 335 residents — 94% — said they wanted a village store. A café was the second most requested facility. And 163 said healthcare was their number one priority.

The hub includes a purpose-built village store, a café, and flexible health and wellbeing space. If the NHS does not take up the health space immediately, it will remain in community health and wellbeing use — not left empty. That is secured through a legal mechanism in the planning agreement.

This would improve the local alternative to travelling out of the village and foster a more dynamic community.

Village Car Park

The community hub includes a 16-space car park with electric vehicle charging, available for residents, visitors and community events. This helps relieve the parking pressure in the village that residents have raised as a concern for years. Whether it is a football match, a village hall event, a trip to the allotments or simply visiting the shop — the car park provides a proper place to park that does not currently exist.

The car park is approximately 208 metres from the playing field — under a 3-minute walk. One resident, in the recent parking survey, wrote that they wanted ‘parking for allotments and facilities, even a tea room.’ That is almost exactly what we are proposing

Electric Vehicle Charging

As part of the village car park, we would install Electric Vehicle Charging points to promote more sustainable and cleaner modes of travel. Currently, Hertford Heath has just one charging point with the nearest alternative located in the centre of Hertford.

Green open space for all villagers

The development would retain existing hedgerows and trees, with additional planting and landscaping to improve biodiversity across the site. Around 3.6 acres of public green space would create a spacious, welcoming setting for people of all ages to enjoy — with a dedicated children’s play area open to all village children. Play provision received the highest importance rating of any investment in public open space in the community survey.

For nearly ten years, the village has been trying to improve safety on London Road. In 2016, the Parish Council won funding for traffic calming. Hertfordshire County Council designed a scheme — but it was rejected because it would have affected existing resident parking and included speed humps that residents did not want. Speed cameras were installed as a compromise. They have helped, but they are not a permanent solution and they require ongoing funding from the Parish Council.

Barclay Grange is designed to resolve this — by combining safer crossing points and improved footways with additional publicparking for the village.

A new Crossing in the village

A pedestrian refuge island is proposed on London Road, giving people a safe place to cross in two stages. This includes the first safe crossing to the Hertford-bound bus stop — which currently has no defined crossing at all. With much of Hertford Heath lying to the east of London Road, many existing residents already need to cross the road to reach that bus stop and other village facilities.

Traffic Calming measures

The wider footway and the refuge island together narrow the carriageway, which is an established approach to reducing vehicle speeds. This creates more of a village street environment —encouraging slower driving without the need for speed humps.

And because the scheme also includes a public car park, the village gains traffic calming without residents along London Road losing a single parking space. Funded by the developer, not the taxpayer

Improving Footway for all residents

The footway along London Road is currently as narrow as 1.2 metres in places — too narrow for a wheelchair, a pushchair or two people to pass comfortably. The proposals include widening the footway to 2 metres, improving the walking route to the primary school, the allotments, community gardens and bus stop for all pedestrians — including wheelchair users, families with pushchairs and older residents.

These improvements are for the whole village, not just for people living in the new homes. All would be secured through legally binding agreements as part of the planning permission.

Enhancing Village Character

The existing green character of London Road is also a key consideration for the design.

The diagrams illustrate how this part of London Road will retain and further develop its unique charm. Key elements include preserving the beautiful, established tree frontage, incorporating extensive new planting for a lush feel, whilst fostering a sense of openness with set-back houses and generous green spaces, and strategically offering limited visual connections to community facilities to balance privacy and a welcoming atmosphere.

The introduction of new structural planting, whilst ‘softening’ the built-up edge of the village, would also enhance the landscape, visual amenities and biodiversity of the area by improving the local ‘green’ infrastructure and connections to adjoining wildlife habitats and have a positive effect on the adjoining Green Belt. The development will deliver at least 10% biodiversity net
gain.

respecting the history of the village

The history of Hertford Heath is visible in many of its buildings. There are several listed buildings on London Road, including Rose Cottage, Highwood and The White House. These are located further to the south and east of Barclay Grange and would not be affected by the development. An archaeological assessment has confirmed that the proposals will not negatively affect the area’s archaeological or historical heritage.

protecting endangered landscapes

Hertford Heath has an important Site of Special Scientific Interest which comprises of approximately 29 hectares of valuable lowland Heath. This type of land is threatened habitat in southern England and is particularly rare in Hertfordshire. The land has been damaged in the past and Natural England have designated a third of the land, the section by The Roundings as recovering. The development does not border or disturb this important SSSI, protected species or important priority habitat. The
proposals have been designed to avoid any direct effects on designated land.

Preventing Further Development

We appreciate the value that the Green Belt provides. The site has well-defined boundaries, and the open space will be secured through a legal agreement with restrictive covenants preventing future development in perpetuity. This is the complete proposal — not a first phase.