Development
Development Changes in Hertfordshire
Land use in Hertfordshire tends to comprise of small and medium sized towns set within a rural landscape with good transport connections. Whilst this combination contributes to a high quality of life, attaining a balance has become increasingly difficult as the demand for housing and infrastructure grows. This section focuses on these towns which currently account for 13% of land in the county.
To reflect importance of developments in the county, this section has been renamed from Land Use.
Indicator LU1 - Land Used for Urban Activities
The population of the main towns shown on the map below are those with over 7,000 residents. Along with the tables this map shows how land use has changed from rural to urban activity between April 2007 and March 2008. This year the total addition to the urban area of Hertfordshire stands again at 0.05% which is less than the average for the previous 12 years when it has stood at 0.14%. The area of change equates to about 11 ha (hectares) in a total of 375 ha from 2001. This compares with an annual average of 30.3 ha in 2007.
Source: HCC Development Commitments Survey 2008
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The main areas this affects is 3.58 ha for employment use and 7.37 for residential development. Only four developments are included in this period:
- Hatfield Business Park Offices: 2.05 ha
- Hoddesdon Warehousing (Essex Road) 2.64 ha
- The other two are residential developments involving 2.64 ha at Cock Lane in Broxbourne and 5.98 ha at the redevelopment of Balls Park campus in Hertford. These two developments will provide nearly 200 dwellings on the fringe of the urban area this year.
| Town | Change 2006-7 (ha) | % Town Change 2006-7 | Urban Area 2007 (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broxbourne | 2.64 | 0.94 | 283.28 |
| Hatfield | 0.65 | 0.07 | 925.26 |
| Hertford | 5.98 | 1.08 | 561.55 |
| Hoddesdon | 0.28 | 0.05 | 522.33 |
| Hertfordshire | 10.95 | 0.05 | 21,385.63 |
Source: Hertfordshire County Council Environment Department Development Commitments Survey 2008 disclaimer
Indicator LU2 - Number of Households
The 2001 Census estimated that Hertfordshire accommodated 420,650 households in 2001. Each household averaged 2.42 people, comprising nearly 98.5% of a 1,033,977 population. The remaining 1.5% resided in communal establishments. Both population and households are forecasted to rise by the Office of National Statistics; population by almost 0.5% per year and households by almost 1% per year. The disparity in these rates is due to a fall in household size, arising from a further projected rise in single person households. In 2007 the county’s population was estimated to be 1,066,100 which is equivalent to about 442,000 households. By 2021 it is forecast by ONS that household numbers will rise above 500,000 and the county’s population will now reach about 1,175,000.
Forecast growth in Households by Type, Hertfordshire
Source: DCLG 2004-based household projections (Revised February 2008)
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Average household size is forecast to fall to about 2.22 people and is expected to continue to decline beyond 2021, driven by growth in the number of single person households. The rise in these type of households reflects an increase in the elderly population and a growing trend for young people to live alone.
Size and type of dwellings
The chart below continues the analysis of types and sizes of homes built each year in Hertfordshire. It emphasises the steady climb in the percentage of apartment developments; from 36% in 2002 to 67% in 2008. It also reinforces the growth in development of smaller homes from 51% to 73% over the same 7 years. Both trends will have had a strong effect on the new housing market in Hertfordshire.
Size and Type of Dwellings
Dwelling Size (Hertfordshire Annual Gross Completions 2002-2008 % by Grouped Size & Type)
| Type | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House 1-2 bed | 17% | 11% | 13% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 7% |
| House 3+ bed | 47% | 47% | 42% | 40% | 32% | 29% | 26% |
| Flat 1-2 bed | 34% | 40% | 43% | 48% | 57% | 61% | 66% |
| Flat 3+ beds | 2% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Source: Hertfordshire County Council Environment Department Development Commitments Survey 2008
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Indicator LU3 - Residential Development on Previously Developed Land
The Government remains committed to maximising the reuse of Previously Developed Land (PDL) to promote urban regeneration, to use land more efficiently and minimise the amount of Greenfield land being developed. The national target required that by 2008 authorities should have built 60% of homes on PDL. The following table shows how the county has both met and exceeded this target ever since it was introduced in 2000.
Residential Development on Previously Developed Land
| District | 2003/4 | 2004/5 | 2005/6 | 2006/7 | 2007/8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC | 51% | 46% | 80% | 76% | 93% |
| DHBC | 94% | 94% | 97% | 99% | 97% |
| EHDC | 90% | 78% | 84% | 96% | 96% |
| HBC | 100% | 100% | 99% | 100% | 100% |
| NHDC | 70% | 67% | 48% | 58% | 66% |
| SACD | 93% | 99% | 97% | 99% | 94% |
| SBC | 64% | 78% | 48% | 52% | 46% |
| TRDC | 99% | 99% | 100% | 90% | 99% |
| WBC | 100% | 98% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| WHBC | 71% | 80% | 99% | 100% | 100% |
| County | 82% | 78% | 86% | 87% | 87% |
Source: Hertfordshire County Council Environment Department Development Commitments Survey 2008
In the year ending 31st March 2008 the gross percentage of homes built on Previously Developed Land (PDL) remained at 87%. Eight out of the county’s ten local authorities had built over 90% of new homes on PDL. At the end of this period 72% of the 34,041 identified housing commitments in Hertfordshire, yet to be built, were to be built on PDL. This means that Hertfordshire continues to exceed the target of 60% for developments on PDL.
As average household size continues to fall, developments of a smaller dwelling size is rising with trends showing that between 2002 and 2008 the growth in smaller homes rose from 51% to 73%.
Future Land Use Change in Hertfordshire
Being situated within the East of England Region, Hertfordshire’s strategic planning is undertaken by the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) and the government. The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), also known as the East of England Plan, was adopted in May 2008. It contains significant growth implications for the county up to 2021, some of which were previously reported but may have been amended including:
- The creation of 83,200 new homes and 68,000 jobs
- Strategic large scale housing and employment growth at Hemel Hempstead, Hatfield/Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, and East Hertfordshire with development in the north of Harlow which will encroach into Hertfordshire
- Significant development will be required on some greenfield land and there are currently strategic greenbelt reviews underway to provide growth in the above areas
- Regional strategic employment sites will be created at Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead with others potentially being created on a smaller scale in other areas of the county
Separate planning processes remain in development for exploring the expansion of Luton into Hertfordshire, potentially developing major housing and employment sites east of Luton within North Hertfordshire. The county is also threatened by environmental impacts from a proposed second runway at Stansted Airport, the public inquiry of which is due to be held in 2009.
Development policies set out in the East of England Plan are being implemented through the Local Development Frameworks of district and borough councils. These frameworks were still in the process of being prepared as this publication went to press and throughout their various stages of progress will be informed by public consultation.
Although the East of England Plan has only recently been published, a review is already in place to extend it through to 2031. By February 2009 the review was in its early stages, followed by a consultation expected during autumn 2009 with results emerging in 2011. More details available online at www.goeast.gov.uk
Building for Life
Building for Life is the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods; it aims to promote design excellence. Good quality housing design can improve social wellbeing and quality of life. At least one person in each council will be trained by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment to use Building for Life as an assessment tool, creating a network of 500 accredited assessors. These assessors will score the design quality of planned or completed housing developments against 20 criteria including environment, community, character, streets, parking, pedestrianisation, design and construction. Building for Life celebrates best practice in the house building industry by annually awarding housing projects that demonstrate a commitment to high design standards and good place making.
Several agencies now include Building for Life Assessments as part of their regulations whilst some planning authorities will require applicants to show how they expect to meet Building for Life standards. Hertfordshire’s local authorities have produced ‘Building Futures’, sustainable design and construction guidance which can be viewed at the newly revamped website www.hertslink.org/buildingfutures relaunched in March 2009 at a special event in Ware.
For more details on the Building for Life initiative visit www.buildingforlife.org.
Green technology Hertfordshire's Housing
The County Council has recorded planning applications containing ‘green’ technologies since April 2007. These applications have included wind turbines, solar panels and sedum roofs. Since this time Hertfordshire as a whole has received 222 planning applications with an element of green technology and Dacorum has had the most applications with 58. Of those applications with a decision (175) 19% were refused (33).
Two of the applications received were for wind farms. One of these was near Benington, which was refused, the other was in Weston Hills which has still to be decided. The rules on permitted development have changed and so some renewable technologies no longer require planning permission making the monitoring of renewable energy more difficult.
For more information on the changes please refer to the internet at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.
1 For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk or www.planningportal.gov.uk