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Community engagement stage 1: October 2024

These preliminary sessions introduced The Crown Estate and shared information about our land at East Hemel and our outline aspirations for the site.

Our emerging vision for East Hemel

Our ambition is that East Hemel will be a place built for and with the longer term in mind. This will lead to resilient, environmentally conscious communities and nature recovery.

View the consultation board

  • Historical context

    Hemel Hempstead has become one of the most important towns in Hertfordshire. Designated a ‘mark one’ New Town in 1946, Hemel provided good family homes in healthy neighbourhoods, easing overcrowding and poor living conditions in many London boroughs. It has grown considerably from that time when the population was around 20,000. 

    Learn more about the history

  • Local planning context

    The Local Plan policies set out further details on what East Hemel should include, for example, the number of affordable homes. The Local Plan also requires us to deliver Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) to help protect the Chilterns Beechwoods in addition to delivering improvements to the Nickey Line and making provision for new health services.

    Read more about our local plan policies

Our approach

As a new town built around a medieval town, Hemel Hempstead has evolved in form, design, economy, and activities, yet its people still have the same continuing need for homes, nutrition, comfort, community, and connection.

There is much we can learn by combining our experiences with new technologies to help us create places for people that address challenges like climate change, material resources, and social inequality.

  • Nurturing our natural world

    Our increasing awareness of our impact on the planet demands that we think differently about how we use and treat our land.

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  • Promoting community participation

    Our ambition stretches beyond building homes and workplaces. We aim to support the growth of an inclusive and vibrant multi-generational community, where everyone has a sense of belonging and an opportunity to thrive.

    Learn more

  • Fostering prosperity & new economies

    Successful communities combine opportunities for work together with new homes and services. This has long been part of Hemel Hempstead’s success story.

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  • Celebrating pride of place

    Our vision is rooted in celebrating pride of place, emphasising the local culture, history and communities that give Hemel Hempstead its unique identity.

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  • Connecting places and people

    We want to create a place where people can easily walk, cycle and use public transport, and where sustainable travel can take precedence over vehicles.

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Our design team will be exploring a range of factors for further discussion with the community and other stakeholders in the coming months. We anticipate looking at themes like:

  • Landscape and greenspace: Including parks, woodland, play space, community gardens and wildlife corridors.

  • Routes and links: Both pedestrian and cycleways, routes and trails, and roads including for public transport.

  • Infrastructure networks: For aspects like main services, drainage, power and telecommunications.

  • Neighbourhood ‘anchor’ facilities: Such as schools, shops, cafés, health, sports and leisure provision.

  • Range of house types: Including styles, sizes, layouts, tenures.

  • Business and workspace: Including locations as well as types of jobs and skills for future needs.

  • Sustainable lifestyles: Future ways of building, living, working and playing.

View our consultation resources