Being 70% bigger mean major changes for Baldock
Plans for up to 3,200 homes east of Baldock have received outline planning permission, with construction expected to take at least 15 years. Developers say the…
BALDOCK — Baldock could grow substantially as North Hertfordshire councillors have granted outline planning permission for up to 3,200 homes east of the town. If built, the scheme would increase its housing stock by about 70%, bringing major changes to residents and nearby villages.
The Growing Baldock project also promises employment, leisure and education facilities. But opponents say the development could harm the historic market town and disrupt life in surrounding communities.
It is a long build.
Urban&Civic is leading the project in partnership with landowner Hertfordshire County Council. The site covers 527 acres (213 hectares) to the east of Baldock, including 42 acres (17 hectares) earmarked for employment space.
Kitty Eyre, Urban&Civic’s development manager, called the planning decision an “important milestone.” She said: “[It] is the result of several years of detailed work and, most importantly, conversations with the people who know Baldock best.”
Being 70% bigger mean pressure on roads and services
Residents and representatives from nearby villages raised concerns about access, parking and the location of facilities during discussions with councillors. Graham Lee, from Ashwell, warned that proposed contraflows on main roads could “reduce usage of Baldock Station and retail outlets”.
Lee also pointed to commuters parking on nearby roads, verges and paths around Ashwell and Morden railway station. He said: “If Baldock is more difficult to access then traffic from certainly the northern villages will be tempted to use Ashwell as their station to commute.”
Andrew Wheen, representing Bygrave, asked for plans for a large sports park to be reconsidered. He said “concentrating facilities on the rural edge encourages car dependency” and said parking provision was inadequate.
Rona Cameron, the Labour councillor for Baldock East, said the project would “disrupt the lives of Baldock residents with no benefit to any of us”. She also raised the lack of a guaranteed new secondary school and the small amount of social-rent housing in the plans, and warned that Bygrave would be swallowed up in a large urbanisation.
Those concerns touch on the practical effects of a development on this scale: how residents travel, where children go to school and whether nearby villages face more commuter traffic. The scheme includes a first primary school alongside its largest phase, but the source does not say that a new secondary school is guaranteed.
Construction expected to unfold over at least 15 years
Urban&Civic says it will continue community engagement now that outline permission has been granted. Eyre said the ambition was “to create one Baldock” and described plans for homes and jobs alongside investment in infrastructure, green spaces and community facilities.
Chris Lucas, Hertfordshire County Council’s executive member for resources, said the authority had worked with Urban&Civic on the plans. “We want this investment to create lasting benefits, from education and transport to employment opportunities and high-quality green spaces,” he said.
James Scott of Urban&Civic told councillors that the scheme’s 15% affordable-housing provision might increase if housing grants become available. Detailed applications for specific parts of the project will now be submitted for approval.
Construction is expected to start next year with a first phase of 250 homes south-east of Baldock. The biggest phase is planned for the north-east, with construction traffic using a purpose-built access off North Road. The first primary school is planned alongside that phase, and the first residents are expected to move in during 2028.
The employment land is scheduled to be ready by around 2030. The full development is expected to take at least 15 years to complete.
Source: bbc.co.uk
