Plans for 186 homes at Lyndhurst Farm Borehamwood approved

The homes will be built at Lyndhurst Farm, off Green Street, with 30 per cent of the affordable homes offered at social rent, 20 per cent at 80 per cent of market rents, and 50 per cent as shared ownership.

Councillors on the planning committee gave the proposals, put forward by Griggs Homes in partnership with Success Property, a warm welcome as they unanimously agreed their approval on Thursday, August 15.

The new homes will be a range of sizes, with 38 one-bedroom properties, 57 two-bedroom, 73 three-bedroom and 18 four-bedroom. 

The Lyndhurst Farm development. (Image: Grigg Homes) The 74 shared ownership properties will be offered to people with local connections before they are brought onto the wider market.

There will be more than 300 parking spaces, with car access from Green Street and additional pedestrian and cyclist access from Stapleton Road. Traffic modelling suggested there would be a “negligible” impact on traffic in the area.

A community building is included in the plans, adjacent to a children’s play area, which would likely be managed by a parish council. 

The Lyndhurst Farm development. (Image: Griggs Homes) The site will be divided into three ‘character areas’, with the highest density housing – up to three storeys high – being closer to the centre.

Councillor Christian Gray (Lab, Potters Bar Furzefield) described it as a “blue riband development”, and added that he had “never seen anything like it” in his five years on the committee. 

Cllr Gray described the plans as a “fantastic development” that would “set the bar extremely high” for future developers in Hertsmere.

His praise was echoed by Cllr Seamus Quilty (Con, Bushey Heath), who described the development as “novel and pleasing” given the “huge pressures” on housing in Borehamwood.

An outline of the approved Lyndhurst Farm development. (Image: Griggs Homes) He congratulated the applicant on making proposals that “residents would want”.

The application received 64 objections from members of the public, with 48 writing in support of the plans.

While the site is currently in the green belt, planning officers deemed it would likely be classed as “grey belt” if reforms proposed by the new Labour government come into effect.

Under the reforms, councils will be encouraged to build on so-called “grey belt” sites – plots within the Green Belt that have previously been built on or are otherwise “poor quality”.​ The Lyndhurst Farm development. (Image: Griggs Homes) Since the 1980s, part of the site has been used for storage and hire of construction equipment, despite lacking planning permission for this use.

The site also includes Stapleton Road allotments, managed by Elstree & Borehamwood Town Council.

At the same meeting yesterday, councillors approved plans for a new allotment site close to the existing one, that will include 100 plots – each double the size of the existing site – as well as water, electricity, and a hub building.

Existing plot holders will automatically be offered a plot at the new site, and a further 46 sites will be offered to people on the 150-strong waiting list. 

Work on the Lyndhurst Farm homes will not be allowed to begin until work on the new allotment site – which will also be managed by the town council – has been completed.

Gary Dawson, who spoke to the meeting on behalf of Success Property, told councillors that the project was “120 years in the making”.

He said his grandmother, who was born in a workhouse, had spent her life “in fear of poverty [and] in fear of homelessness”.

Mr Dawson continued: “I promised that whenever I got the opportunity I’d do something to try to put that right. This is it. This is the only thing I could do.”

He said that since he had acquired the site, private housebuilders had “bombarded” him with “huge” offers to buy it, but he told councillors that “delivery of affordable housing” was his priority.

Mr Dawson said Borehamwood-based Griggs Homes were “the only people” that were willing to look at the proposals, with housing associations he approached raising concerns about Hertsmere being “too big a risk” and home to “too many campaigners”.

Council planning officers had recommended approval, deeming the “substantial” harm to the Green Belt would be “clearly” outweighed by the benefits of the scheme. 

They described it as a “well-designed” site that would “introduce much needed affordable and market housing to the borough”.

In 2022/23, 110 homes were built in Hertsmere. Under the government’s proposed new mandatory targets, the borough would be expected to build 959 homes each year.

Approval of the Lyndhurst Farm development is subject to a Section 106 legal agreement, which is expected to include a contribution of more than £100,000 towards bus services. 

Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board has requested £240,000 towards GP services, and Hertfordshire County Council has requested £206,000 for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school places.

Another condition is that bus stops on Stanborough Avenue and Stapleton Road will be improved, with speed humps also added to Stapleton Road at the request of Hertfordshire County Council.

After the development was approved, cabinet member for planning and infrastructure councillor Nik Oakley (Lab, Borehamwood Kenilworth) said she was “proud” of the council’s work with the developer.

“Lyndhurst Farm is an example of how the landowner, a developer and the council can work together to produce a really good scheme that benefits the community,” she said.

Cllr Oakley was particularly pleased “all the homes are of the same quality”, regardless of whether they will be offered at market rate or as affordable properties.

Griggs Homes land and planning director Oliver Myrants-Wilson said he was “delighted” at the approval decision, adding it was “the result of an extensive and collaborative effort with Hertsmere Planning Officers, key local stakeholders, and town and borough councillors”.

A spokesperson for Success Property said they were “incredibly proud” of the support from councillors, and added: “Our vision for Lyndhurst Farm was to provide affordable housing that truly serves those in the greatest need whilst also bringing lasting benefits to the wider community”.