Stevenage: Planning permission granted for up to 1,500 homes

Full planning permission for the first phase of the development, which includes 390 homes, has been granted by Stevenage Borough Council, with outline planning permission given for the remaining 1,110 homes.

The council's Planning and Development Committee first approved the plans in December 2021, subject to a section 106 legal agreement, which requires a developer to contribute financially towards infrastructure and services such as community facilities, public open space and affordable housing.

The s106 agreement has now been completed, triggering Stevenage Borough Council to grant planning permission for the development.

An aerial view of what the development site layout could look like. (Image: Taylor Wimpey / Persimmon) The development site is on the western border of Stevenage, on the far side of the A1(M), with access proposed from Meadway and Bessemer Drive.

The A1(M) runs along the site's eastern boundary, with the rest of the site bordering open farmland.

The new housing, built by Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon, will be separated from the A1(M) by "a mound and noise fence", the developers said.

As well as up to 1,500 homes, the proposed development also includes a GP surgery, primary school with up to three-form entry, care home with up to 72 beds, neighbourhood centre with retail space, and employment land.

A Design and Access Statement accompanying the planning application says: "The neighbourhood centre is the heart of the scheme and should be an active and vibrant place for the residents and community."

It continues: "The development to the land west of Stevenage will create a high quality, sustainable mixed use development."

Phase 1 of the development will provide 390 homes, from one and two-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom family houses.

A community green will be the landscaped centre of Phase 1, with a new cricket pavilion overlooking the green.

A Supporting Planning Statement accompanying the planning application says: "The proposed development will deliver the largest new development site identified in the Local Plan, and is of fundamental importance to the plan's delivery, particularly meeting housing, employment and education needs over the plan period."

Stevenage Borough Council's Local Plan, adopted in 2019, sets out proposals for building 7,600 new homes by 2031.

Proposals for major residential development to the west of the A1(M) in Stevenage has been ongoing for more than 50 years.

Public opposition and legal challenges from North Herts Council and Hertfordshire County Council are among the reasons development of the site has so far not gone ahead.