Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates

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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
Hertfordshire
guide to growth–2021
how should the County grow?

DRAFT
Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
The Hertfordshire Charrette of 2008 was an initiative
hosted by the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of the
University of Hertfordshire.

The principal consultants were:

Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company led the Charrette, prepared
the designs and wrote this guide.
www.dpz.com

The Division of Geography and Environmental Management
at the University of Hertfordshire provided the Geographic
Information Systems research.
www.herts.ac.uk/environment

The Building Research Establishment carried out the Green-
Print environmental assessment.
www.bre.co.uk

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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
contents                                          the guide to growth

INTRODUCTION                                      We are pleased to present this Guide to Growth, which records the Hertfordshire Char-
Process                                       4   rette process. The Charrette provided a rare chance for a diverse group of residents and
                                                  professionals to convene to discuss challenges the region will face in future years. The
Current Planning Policy                       6
                                                  exercise, which was held between the 24th of June and the first of July 2008 was led by
Vision Statement                              7   urban planner Andres Duany and offered the Hertfordshire residents and profession-
The Urban Village Model                       8   als the opportunity to work directly with a design team developing sustainable growth
                                                  strategies. The Charrette was funded by a combination of local and national sponsors
ScenarioS FOR THE GROWTH OF THE County       11   including the County Council, the University, local landowners and a number of organi-
BRE Assessment Criteria                      12   sations and companies based in Hertfordshire.
Scenario 1: Continuing Existing Trends       14
                                                  The guide focuses on six general ‘Scenarios’ by which the County might grow in the
Scenario 2: Brownfield and Greyfield Sites   16   years until 2021, as the growth allocations proposed by the Government Office of the
Scenario 3: Transport-Oriented Development   18   East of England come to pass. Each Scenario includes clarifying illustrations and a criti-
Scenario 4: Settlement Extensions            20   cal analysis, along with an environmental assessment, or ‘GreenPrint,’ undertaken by
Scenario 5: Satellite (Garden) Villages      22   the Building Research Establishment. The design team also provided analysis of typical
Scenario 6: Stand-Alone Garden City          24   urban models, including a critique of the design of the New Town of Stevenage, and
                                                  case studies, including village and hamlet extensions.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDIES          27   We think we would all agree that to continue the development approach of the past
Housing Density                              28   30-40 years is not the optimal vision for the future. We are therefore happy to have
Housing Patterns                             29   provided this forum, and hope that this Guide will become a valuable resource to plan-
Greyfield Housing                            30   ners, Councillors, and residents interested in the growth of the County. We welcome
Greyfield Urban Village                      31   any comments you may have, and hope you will continue the productive discussions
                                                  undertaken at the Charrette.
Greyfield Town Centre                        32
Transport-Oriented Development               34
Village Extension                            36
Hamlet Extension                             37
Town Extension                               38
Satellite Village                            39
Garden Village                               40
Garden City                                  42
                                                  Marquess of Salisbury                         Professor Tim Wilson
INDEX OF TERMS                               48   Chancellor, University of Hertfordshire       Vice-Chancellor, University of Hertfordshire

RESIDENTS’ FEEDBACK                          51
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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
Process

The Hertfordshire Charrette                       The Charrette design team studied the various          Public participation was a critical element of
                                                  ways which the County could accommodate the            the entire exercise. The design team worked
provided a wide range of parties
                                                  number of dwellings mandated. Discussing with          directly with numerous County officials and
the opportunity to participate in                 the general public both the historic and current       members of the general public, all of whom
the development of this report.                   development patterns, the designers developed          were asked to provide their opinions. Organisa-
Unique in its regional focus and                  six strategies or Scenarios, including                 tions, companies and groups represented
                                                                                                         included Hertfordshire County Council; the
private/public funding struc-
                                                  •   Continuing existing development trends             Hertfordshire District Councils; the Hertford-
ture, the exercise offered the                    •   Developing available brownfield and               shire Parish Councils; the Hertfordshire Town
general public the opportunity to                      greyfield sites                                   Councils; the Hertfordshire Society/Campaign
work with design professionals to                 •    Densifying existing town and neighbour-          to Protect Rural England; Groundwork Hertford-
                                                        hood centres                                     shire; the East of England Development Agency;
determine the most socially sus-
                                                  •     Extending current settlements at the edges       the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce; Hert-
tainable and environmentally-                     •     Building numerous small, satellite              fordshire Prosperity; Herts & Middlesex Wildlife
sensitive means for the County                           Garden Villages                                 Trust; Friends of the Earth; the Welwyn Garden
to grow, whilst maintaining its                   •      Building a stand-alone New Town or             Heritage Trust; and other local companies,
                                                          Garden City                                    residents’ associations, environmental activists’
current character and landscape.
                                                                                                         groups, and heritage societies.
                                                  After selecting these six development approach-
The design team’s work addressed the propos-      es as those most characteristic or promising
als put forward by the East of England Plan,      for Hertfordshire, the design team worked to
or Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), which was     illustrate all six and analyse their strengths and
produced in May 2008 by the Government            weaknesses. In addition, the team generated
Office of the East of England. This document,     specific case studies, to provide more specific
which is the first Regional Spatial Strategy to   information on design and implementation. All
be completed within the UK, mandates a plan-      of the design proposals aimed to establish a
ning and development approach for the years       high standard for new development, featuring
through 2021. Whilst the document focuses         mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly urban villages,
on a great range of regional political and eco-   with well-connected transport systems and
nomic concerns, a primary focus is the provi-     thoroughfare networks.
sion of housing. The report anticipates the
                                                  All the Scenarios and case studies were in turn        The Hertfordshire Charrette was held at the Ma-
new housing which the region will require,                                                               cLaurin building on the University’s De Havilland
and then proposes the numbers of dwellings        examined by a team of consultants from the Build-      campus. Formal meetings and design sessions
to be constructed within each County. Specifi-    ing Research Establishment, who assessed them          were attended by the design team (top left);
cally, the plan allocates 83,200 new dwellings    for sustainability and environmental performance.      local Councillors, planners and other leaders (top
                                                                                                         centre and bottom left); University of Hertford-
to Hertfordshire, although it does not provide    The specific strengths and weaknesses of each          shire geography students and Building Research
a site-specific plan for their distribution.      Scenario are discussed at length within this report.   Establishment staff (top right).

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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
Eight special interest groups con-
vened to discuss specific aspects of
the County’s growth. They included:
•   L ocal planners, who discussed planning prac-
     tice at the District and County levels and policy
     at the national level
•    Environmental professionals and activists,
      who discussed the merits of an environmental
      strategy
•     Councillors, who discussed the general region
       and the current political climate
•      Local transportation engineers and the
        traffic authority, who discussed the transporta-
        tion network, as well as means of calming
        traffic and alleviating congestion
•       Business leaders and representatives from the
         Chamber of Commerce, to discuss the economy
         and means of encouraging retail and business
         activity
•        Local property owners and developers working
          in the region, who discussed current develop-
          ment practice and their plans for upcoming
          years
•         Social and community advocates, who dis-
           cussed needs and means of providing resources
•          Local and national design professionals who
            discussed specific design strategies

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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
Current Planning Policy                                                                                         83K
                                                                                                                                  27K

The Charrette team’s work was ca-                    The Plan also identifies Stevenage, Watford,         The large and small circles above are
                                                     Hemel Hempstead, and Welwyn Garden City/             the areas which would be occupied
talysed by the East of England plan,                                                                      respectively by 83,200 and 27,476
                                                     Hatfield as ‘Key Centres for Development and
which offers specific proposals for                                                                       new dwellings, assuming a density
                                                     Change’, with each town receiving a specific         of 15 dwellings/hectare, which is the
population growth, economic de-                      development strategy.                                current average density of develop-
velopment, transportation, infra-                                                                         ment in the County.
structure, mineral extraction and                    The 83,200 dwellings allocated to Hertfordshire
general development strategy. The                    will have a significant impact on the Counties’
plan, which is available in full from                character and landscape. It is most likely that
                                                     they will be located on a variety of sites. Whilst
the Government Office of the East
                                                     Government policy focuses on brownfield devel-
of England (www.goeast.gov.uk), is                   opment and urban regeneration strategies, the
intended to provide a comprehen-                     East of England Plan also states that many of the
sive means of managing growth to                     new dwellings will inevitably be located on cur-
the year 2021.                                       rent Green Belt land. Accordingly, the Charrette
                                                     design team’s proposals focus on development
The East of England Plan provides population         of all types of sites, including the regeneration
growth estimates and housing development             of urban centres, the extension of current towns
requirements to the region as a whole, as well as    and villages, and the development of new vil-
the specific counties. According to the Plan, Nor-   lages or towns on green belt land.
folk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire
and Hertfordshire, are mandated to expand by
508,000 dwellings, whilst Hertfordshire as a sin-
gle County is mandated to accommodate 83,200
dwellings. Of these 83,200 dwellings, approxi-
mately 26,000 had already been built as of April
2008, whilst an additional 29,500 had already
been permitted, though not yet constructed.
Accordingly, approximately 27,000 dwellings have
yet to be sited. In addition, approximately 20,000                                                        Total new dwellings required to be built between 2001 and 2021   83,200
dwellings are separately allocated for Luton and                                                          Dwellings already built as of April 2008                         26,163
Harlow New Towns. These are not addressed by                                                              Dwellings yet to be built as of April 2008                       57,037
this Guide.                                                                                               Dwellings in the “planning pipeline” as of 2008                  29,561
                                                                                                          Dwellings yet to be sited                                         27,476
                                                     The table on the right summarises the housing
                                                     provisions, proposed by the East of England          Additional homes separately allocated to Luton & Harlow          20,000
                                                     Plan; some figures are approximations.

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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
vision STATEMENT                                                                                      Minimum Dwelling Provision, 2001 to 2021
                                                                                                                                                  District             To Build      Already Built
                                                                                                                                                                       (2001-2021)   (2001-2006)

                                            The following is extracted ver-                       To realise the economic potential of the        Broxbourne           5,600         1,950
                                            batim from the East of England                        region and its people by:                       Dacorum              12,000        1,860
                                            Plan. The document is available                       • facilitating the development needed
                                                                                                      to support the region’s business sec-       East Hertfordshire   12,000        2,140
                                            in full at www.goeast.gov.uk                              tors and clusters, improving skills and     Hertsmere            5,000         1,080
                                                                                                      widening opportunities in line with the
                                                                                                      Regional Economic Strategy;                 North Herts          6,200         1,900
                                            By 2021 the East of England will be realising its     • providing for job growth broadly match-      St Albans            7,200         1,830
                                            economic potential and providing a high quality           ing increases in housing provision and
                                            of life for its people, including by meeting their        improving the alignment between the         Stevenage            16,000        1,570
                                            housing needs in sustainable inclusive communi-           locations of workplaces and homes;          Three Rivers         4,000         1,010
                                            ties. At the same time it will reduce its impact on   • maintaining and strengthening the East
                                            climate change and the environment, including             of England’s inter-regional connections     Watford              5,200         1,410
                                            through savings in energy and water use and by            by improving access to economic op-         Welwyn Hatfield      10,000        2,730
                                            strengthening its stock of environmental assets.          portunities in London; and
                                            The specific objectives are:                          • ensuring adequate and sustainable            Hertfordshire        83,200        17,480
                                                                                                      transport infrastructure.
                                            To reduce the region’s impact on, and expo-
                                            sure to, the effects of climate change by:            To improve the quality of life for the         To improve and conserve the region’s envi-
                                            • locating development so as to reduce               people of the region by:                       ronment by:
                                                travel needs;                                     • ensuring new development fulfills the       • ensuring the protection and enhance-
                                            • effecting a major shift in travel away from            principles of sustainable communi-             ment of the region’s environmental assets,
                                                car use towards public transport, walking and         ties, providing a well designed living         including the built and historic environment,
                                                cycling;                                              environment adequately supported by            landscape and water;
                                            • maximising energy efficiency of development            social and green infrastructure;           • re-using previously developed land and
                                                and promoting the use of renewable                • promoting social cohesion by improv-            seeking environmental as well as develop-
                                                energy; and                                           ing access to work, services and other         ment gains from the use of previously
                                            • reducing the risk of adverse impact of flood-          facilities, especially for those who are       undeveloped land;
                                                ing on people, property and wildlife habitats.        disadvantaged;                             • promoting and, where appropriate, sup-
The above diagram depicts Hertfordshire                                                           • maintaining cultural diversity while ad-        porting and enhancing biodiversity through
County, with currently urbanised areas      To address housing shortages in the                       dressing the distinctive needs of each         the protection of habitats and species and
noted in purple. Open space is noted in
green, with the darkest greens signifying   region by:                                                part of the region;                            creating new habitats through development;
specifically protected space.               • securing a step change in the delivery of          • promoting the regeneration and re-          • providing a thorough network of accessible
                                                additional housing throughout the region,             newal of existing disadvantaged areas;         multi-functional greenspace; and
                                                particularly the key centres for development          and                                        • reducing the demand for and use of water
                                                and change; and                                   • increasing community involvement in             and other natural resources and reducing
                                            • giving priority to the provision of affordable         the implementation of the strategy at          waste, whilst increasing the sustainable
                                                housing to meet identified needs.                     the local level.                               management of waste.

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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
the urban village model                                                                                                                           the urban village vs.
                                                                                                                                                   the suburban model

 All the proposals generated by   These patterns can be seen to prioritise three aims:      been inadvertently sidelined in the post-war           The Urban Village has the following at-
 the design team are intended     the free and rapid flow of traffic, the provision of      years. Although Urban Villages can be easily           tributes:
                                  high quantities of parking and the segregation of         identified within Hertfordshire – in places like       • It is important to recognise that particular
 to offer an alternative to the
                                  building clusters by their purpose. The result is that    St Albans, Hertford and Standon – this sort                care is required with certain special cases
 continuation of the generally    traffic and the consequential pavement become             of outcome is not typically envisioned in the              such as hospitals or universities. Otherwise
 unsatisfactory growth patterns   the central, unavoidable focuses of public life.          planning process, placing architects and de-               there are a number of important comparisons
 which have been delivered by                                                               velopers in a peculiar position of being unable            between the Urban Village and the suburban
 the post-war planning process    The design team’s proposals instead return to the         to emulate the County’s most admired, and                  model.
 within Hertfordshire.            traditional pattern of pedestrian and transport-          indeed environmentally sustainable, historic           • The Urban Village is a comprehensive
                                  oriented Urban Villages – an approach which has           patterns.                                                  planning increment: when clustered with
                                                                                                                                                       others, it becomes a town; when stand-
                                                                                                                                                       ing free in the landscape, it becomes
                                                                                                                                                       a village. The Urban Village varies in
                                                                                                                                                       population and density to accommodate
                                                                                                                                                       local conditions.
  The ‘Typical’                                                         The Urban           The diagram to the left depicts two models of          • The Urban Village is limited in area
Post-war Model                                                          Village Model       growth, the post-war suburban pattern, which is            so that a majority of the population is
                                                                                            currently common within the County and the ‘Ur-            within a pedestrian shed of a 5-minute
                                                                                            ban Village’ pattern, which has numerous historic
                                                                        Office buildings                                                               walking distance of its centre (500 M).
                                                                                            precedents in Britain.
     Business Park                                                                                                                                     The basic needs of daily life are ideally
                                                                        Terrace housing                                                                available within this area. This centre
                                                                                            The suburban model (depicted on the left side),
                                                                        High Street shops   features cul-de-sacs and collector roads which             provides the location for a bus stop or
                                                                                            rarely connect to the greater network. Shopping            rail station, convenience stores, work
                                                                                            centres and office parks exist as isolated entities,       places, community events, and leisure
                                                                                            with separate access to the main roads and no              activities.
Shopping Centre                                                                             direct connections to the nearby residential areas.    • The streets are laid out in a network, so
                                                                                            Landscaping is not continuous throughout the de-           that there are alternate routes to most
                                                                                            velopment, with trees primarily serving as buffers.
                                                                        Houses                                                                         destinations. This disperses traffic, per-
                                                                                            This approach to development isolates the housing
                                                                                            and can lead to an unwarranted dependence on               mitting most streets to be smaller and
                                                                                            the car. The Urban Village model (depicted on              slower and as a result, able to support
                                                                                            the right side) accommodates a similar number of           parking, trees, sidewalks, and buildings
  Housing estate                                                                            residential and commercial units. Housing is ac-           without buffers or setbacks. They are
                                                                                            commodated on a network, which offers residents            equitable for both vehicles and pedestri-
                                                                                            alternative routes to most destinations. Retail and        ans.
                                                                        School              offices are allocated within a high street. This       • The streets and other public spaces are
           School                                                                           approach to development not only lessens depen-            spatially defined by building frontages
                                                                                            dency on cars; it can foster a sense of community
                                                                                                                                                       along the pavements in a disciplined
                                                                                            and local identity.

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Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
manner, uninterrupted by car parks.          •   V ehicular traffic controls the scale and           and work places, age and economic              •   T he young, below the legal driving age,
•   The buildings are diverse in function,           form of public space, with streets being            classes are integrated encouraging the              are dependent on adults for their social
     but compatible in size and in disposi-           wide and dedicated primarily to the car.            bonds of resilient community.                       needs. They are bused to schools, to
     tion on their plots. This allows for a           Car parks are a dominant feature.               •   By providing suitable civic buildings              which they cannot walk, and isolated at
     harmonious mixture of houses (large         •    Buildings are often highly articulated, ro-         and spaces, democratic initiatives are             home until their working parents arrive.
     and small), terrace houses, small                 tated on their plots, and greatly set back          encouraged and the balanced evolution              The alternative is to relegate one parent
     apartment buildings, shops, restau-               from streets. They are thereby unable to            of society is facilitated.                         to a career as the child’s chauffeur. The
     rants, and offices.                               create spatial definition or sense of place.                                                           detached house with garden is a good
•   Community buildings (schools, com-                 Civic buildings do not normally receive        Post-war models have several                            place for childhood only if it is structured
    munity halls, theaters, churches, clubs)           distinguished sites.                           negative consequences:                                  as part of an Urban Village, within which
    are often placed on squares or at the        •     Open space is often provided in the form      • Each car not only generates more roads,              a child can walk or bicycle to school, to
    termination of street vistas. By being              of “buffers”, “pedestrian ways”, “berms”,        but also requires a paved parking place at           play, to shops, and to friends’ houses.
    built at important locations, these                 and other ill-defined residual spaces.           the house, another at the work place, and       •    The elderly, who lose their self-sufficiency
    buildings serve as landmarks.                                                                        yet another at the shopping centre. By                once they lose their drivers’ licences are
•    Open space is provided in the form of      The urban village has several                           the construction of an excessive horizon-             still able to walk and can continue to live
     specialised squares, playgrounds, and       positive consequences:                                  tal infrastructure, the natural landscape is          independently within an Urban Village.
     parks and Green Belts.                      • By bringing many daily activities into               destroyed.                                            People do not need to be consigned to
                                                    walking distance, everyone (especially            • By consigning the bulk of the available               specialised retirement communities where
Post-war models have quite                          the elderly and the young) gains inde-               public budget to pay for horizontal                   their daily needs are met at great cost.
different physical attributes:                      pendence of movement.                                infrastructure, the vertical human
• The development is disciplined by             • By reducing the number and length of                 infrastructure of schools, post offices, fire   The current planning process tends to
    isolated “zones”, which are dedicated to        automobile trips, traffic congestion is              stations, meeting halls, cultural buildings,    monitor only traffic flow, parking counts,
    single uses such as “shopping centres”,         minimized, the expenses of road con-                 and affordable housing is starved.              the segregation of building use, and the
    “business parks”, and “housing estates”.        struction are limited, and air pollution is                                                          safeguard of open space. New planning
    These are inaccessible to each except           reduced.                                          The groups who suffer particularly                 policy should encourage the Urban Village,
    by car. Housing is segregated into large     • By providing streets and squares of               from the post-war models include:                  which is the authentic human habitat in all
    clusters containing units of similar cost,      comfortable scale and with defined spatial        • The middle class, who are forced into           its complexity.
    hindering socioeconomic diversity.              quality, neighbors, walking, may come to             multiple automobile ownership. The
 • Size is limited only by the range of the        know each other and to watch over their              average yearly cost of car ownership is
    car which can depend on cachment                collective security.                                 over £4,000. The possibility of owning
    areas for shopping, often exceeding 20       • By providing appropriate housing concen-             one less car is the single most important
    miles.                                          trations at easy walking distances from              subsidy that can be provided towards
• There is a high proportion of culs-de-sac        transport stops, public transport becomes            attaining housing. The investment of
    and looping streets within each zone.           an economically viable alternative to car            personal time in the activity of commut-
    Through traffic is possible only by means       trips. The emissions resulting from driving          ing is mandatory. A person who drives
    of a few “collector” streets, which conse-      are reduced.                                         one hour a day spends the equivalent of
    quently become easily congested.             • By providing a full range of housing types           a month each year in the car.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              9
Hertfordshire guide to growth-2021 how should the County grow? - drAft - Gascoyne Cecil Estates
six growth Scenarios

The strengths and weaknesses of each
Scenario are analysed in the following
sections.

1                                  2                                 3                  4                                                    5                                 6
CONTINUING                         BROWNFIELD &                      Transport-Oriented SETTLEMENT                                           SATELLITE                         STAND-ALONE
EXISTING TRENDS                    GREYFIELD SITES                   DEVELOPMENT        EXTENSIONS                                           (GARDEN) VILLAGES                 GARDEN CITY

Growth continues at its            Some of the housing is            Some of the housing is              Some of the housing is              Some of the housing               The majority of the
existing rate and pat-             placed on large previ-            placed along transpor-              attached to the edges               is assigned to new                housing is assigned
tern, with the housing             ously developed or                tation nodes.                       of existing settlements             villages in proximity to          to a new Garden City
primarily on smaller               underutilised sites.                                                  on Green Belt land.                 existing settlements.             on the existing rail
sites wherever found.                                                This Scenario proposes the                                                                                network.
                                   This Scenario advocates           development of housing within       This Scenario proposes the          This Scenario envisions the de-
This Scenario advocates the         the development of both indus-   walking distance to existing rail   distribution of new housing         velopment of new settlements      This Scenario proposes the
status quo, proposing that the     trial brownfield sites,           and bus stations. This will re-     on the boundaries of existing       of a small scale, some of which   development of one major
County continue with its current   and commercial car parking        quire the radical intensification   settlements of all sizes, includ-   would provide an opportunity      new settlement to accom-
approach, developing plots of      sites, or ‘greyfields.’           of existing areas.                  ing towns, villages and hamlets.    for farming and agriculture.      modate most of the new
all kinds as opportunity arises.                                                                                                                                               housing, along with the jobs,
                                                                                                                                                                               infrastructure and amenities to
                                                                                                                                                                               support them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            11
BRE assessment criteria

Each of the six strategies was                                                                                           This established technique
found to have certain positive and                   1 CONTINUING EXISTING TRENDS                                        rates the sustainability of the
negative consequences. These                         Growth continues at its existing rate and pattern, with the hous-   proposed Scenarios, making it
were formulated as “Scenarios” to                    ing primarily on smaller sites wherever found.                      possible to take a more objective
help organise the public discus-                                                                                         view of the potential approaches
sions that are to take place at the
Borough and District Councils
                                                     2 BROWNFIELD & GREYFIELD SITES                                      to development in Hertfordshire.
                                                     Some of the housing is placed on previously developed sites.
over the coming years.
                                                                                                                         When examining the Scenarios, the BRE team
Within this report, the Scenarios are accompa-       3 Transport-Oriented DEVELOPMENT                                    did not consider factors that would be the
                                                                                                                         same in each case, instead concentrating on
nied by two types of assessment. One is subjec-      Some of the housing is placed along transportation nodes.           variables that differ, many of which related to
tive, listing the relative merits of each approach
                                                                                                                         matters of scale or location. Likewise, the fac-
as they emerged in the Charrette discussions.
The second is the result of a more objective         4 SETTLEMENT EXTENSIONS                                             tors that remain constant for all the Scenarios
                                                                                                                         were considered to be ‘Givens.’ The full list
analytical method called the GreenPrint, which       Some of the housing is attached to the edges of existing settle-    of these factors is published in a companion
has been developed by the Building Research          ments on Green Belt land.                                           document to this one along with further infor-
Establishment to gauge sustainability.
                                                                                                                         mation on BRE’s GreenPrint methodology.

                                                     5 SATELLITE (GARDEN) VILLAGES                                       None of these Scenarios can entirely accom-
                                                     Some of the housing is assigned to new villages in proximity to     modate the necessary allocation aside from
                                                     existing settlements.                                               Scenario 6 (the Garden City), and so these
                                                                                                                         Scenarios must be considered in combination.

                                                     6 STAND-ALONE GARDEN CITY
                                                     The majority of the housing is assigned to a new Garden City on
                                                     the existing rail network.

12
ScenarioS
BRE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:                                                                                                     “Does the Scenario...”                                                                                        1     2     3     4    5    6

                                                                                                                             a. accommodate sustainable drainage schemes to manage a rainfall event?                                       1     2     1     2    3    3
Climate       Development should take all cost effective options to ensure it is appropriately adapted to present and
                                                                                                                             b. enable efficient passive solar design?                                                                     1     2     1     2    3    3
              projected climate change impacts, such as flooding and increased temperatures.
                                                                                                                             c. offer sufficient scale to allow a viable community heating system?                                         0     3     3     2    3    3
                                                                                                                             d. reduce the ‘heat island’ effect of existing urban centres?                                                 0     1     3     1    0    0
                                                                                                                             e. ensure significant cost efficient technology, energy and installations?                                    1     2     2     2    3    3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           3     10    10    9    12   12

              Development should reduce the use of resources both in construction and operation. Assesses the current        a. remediate contaminated land?                                                                               1     2     1     1    0    0
Resources                                                                                                                    b. reuse land (brownfield and greyfield)?                                                                     1     3     3     0    0    0
              status of the land and its reuse and how waste is managed when the construction site is in operation.
                                                                                                                             c. introduce sustainable and integrated waste management and treatment schemes?                               0     1     1     1    2    3
                                                                                                                             d. allow for the use of locally recycled building materials?                                                  1     2     3     1    1    1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           3     8     8     3    3    4

                                                                                                                             a. locate growth in a walkable neighbourhood?                                                                 1     1     3     3    3    3
Transport     Development should depend on the availability of transport options, walking and cycling, and public
                                                                                                                             b. allow movement along desire lines?                                                                         1     1     2     2    3    3
              transport (bus and train).
                                                                                                                             c. enable safe, weatherproof and secure cycle storage convenient to key locations?                            1     2     3     2    3    3
                                                                                                                             d. enable safe pedestrian and cycling routes that mitigate intermodal conflicts?                              0     1     2     2    3    3
                                                                                                                             e. provide sufficient demand for a bus stop within 500m from dwellings?                                       1     2     3     3    3    3
                                                                                                                             f. provide demand for a railway station situated 15 minutes (non-car journey) from dwellings?                 1     1     3     0    0    3
                                                                                                                             g. offer sufficient scale to improve public transport provision to the area?                                  0     1     2     2    3    3
                                                                                                                             h. humanise vehicle movement?                                                                                 0     2     2     2    3    3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           5     11    20    16   21   24

                                                                                                                             a. support green infrastructure such as substantial green corridors?                                          0     2     1     2    3    3
Ecology       Development should ensure that biodiversity of a site is protected and enhanced wherever possible, and that
                                                                                                                             b. provide designated space for food growing (allotments or community gardens)?                               1     1     1     2    3    3
              links are established to surrounding ecological sites where they exist.
                                                                                                                             c. provide a new area managed for biodiversity value?                                                         0     1     1     1    3    3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           1     4     3     5    9    9

              Development that increases in population should be accompanied by a corresponding increase in employ-          a. provide sufficient critical mass for new shops and basic services?                                         0     1     3     3    2    3
Business                                                                                                                     b. provide new space for business?                                                                            0     1     2     2    2    3
              ment opportunities in a variety of business sectors. Dwelling without employment opportunities results in
                                                                                                                             c. provide a varied scale of commercial and industrial properties?                                            0     1     2     1    2    3
              travel patterns which burden the transport infrastructure.                                                     d. support existing community scale retail and services?                                                      2     3     3     3    0    0
                                                                                                                             e. provide the scale for a viable home working hub?                                                           0     0     2     2    3    3
                                                                                                                             f. allow for the creation of local jobs in the construction phase?                                            1     1     2     1    3    3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           3     7     14    12   12   15

                                                                                                                             a. provide a significant number of affordable houses?                                                         1     2     3     2    3    3
Community     Development should offer more than good quality dwellings. Residents should have community facilities
                                                                                                                             b. provide sufficient scale for provision of additional community facilities?                                 0     1     2     2    3    3
              that allow social gathering and communication opportunities across economic and ethnic groups.
                                                                                                                             c. protect existing community facilities?                                                                     1     1     2     3    0    0
                                                                                                                             d. protect the social character of the existing communities?                                                  3     2     1     1    3    3
                                                                                                                             e. provide community management of communal facilities and infrastructures?                                   0     1     2     2    3    3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           5     7     10    10   12   12

                                                                                                                             a. enhance legibility and orientation within existing settlements?                                            0     2     3     1    0    0
Placemaking   Much of what makes a settlement where people want to live and work in is related to how individuals
                                                                                                                             b. provide access to age appropriate space for children and teenagers?                                        1     1     2     2    3    3
              perceive the environment around them. Good development provides a positive sense of the location itself
                                                                                                                             c. provide access to public open space at the required distance?                                              1     1     2     2    3    3
              which is linked to the landscape in which it sits, its history and legibility and how the public spaces are    d. integrate neighbourhoods with existing ones?                                                               1     2     3     1    0    0
              designed.                                                                                                      e. enhance the existing public realm?                                                                         1     3     3     1    0    0
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           4     9     13    7    6    6

              Development should improve the performance of individual buildings through of technology and by                a. ensure significant installations of non-energy related sustainable technologies?                           0     1     2     2    2    3
Buildings                                                                                                                    b. allow existing buildings to be brought back into use?                                                      2     2     3     0    0    0
              incorporating existing structures. This protects the existing character or heritage and retains the embodied
                                                                                                                             c. allow the existing building stock in the area be made more sustainable?                                    1     2     3     0    0    0
              energy and materials.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           3     5     8     2    2    3

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Average score %   23% 53% 71% 55% 63% 69%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Ranking    6th   5th   1st   4th 3rd   2nd
Scenario 1
CONTINUING EXISTING TRENDS
                                                                                                      In recent years, much of Hertford-                  Hertfordshire cannot accommodate the number
                                                                                                      shire’s growth has been piecemeal,                  of houses required by the East of England Plan
                                                                                                                                                          if it continues with business as usual. Indeed,
                                                                                                      occurring without a greater master-
                                                                                                                                                          to do so will require active resistance, as well
                                                                                                      planning strategy. In most cases,                   as official Council initiated legal challenges.
                                                                                                      growth occurs on opportunity                        Such tactics can delay the construction of
                                                                                                      sites identified by local authorities               housing but can not eliminate it. Ultimately,
                                                                                                      or “found” by private developers.                   the difference between the housing allocation
                                                                                                      Such sites are random, and may or                   for 2021 and the anticipated number of houses
                                                                                                                                                          built at the current rate of construction is only
                                                                                                      may not be well-located relative to
                                                                                                                                                          about 23,000 dwellings out of a total of 83,000.
                                                                                                      existing urban villages and trans-                  It is safe to say Hertfordshire, one way or the
                                                                                                      portation patterns. Such sites may                  other, will continue to grow.
                                                                                                      be large or small, within developed
                                                                                                      areas or on the outskirts of settle-                Delivering the housing at the slower rate of
                                                                                                      ments. Much of this kind of devel-                  the existing trend might better maintain Hert-
                                                                                                                                                          fordshire’s traditions, as newcomers arriving in
                                                                                                      opment has not been considered
                                                                                                                                                          small groups are more likely to absorb the local
                                                                                                      aesthetically or environmentally                    ethos than large groups might be. However,
                                                                                                      advantageous for the County.                        it is also notable that continuing the current
Growth continues at its existing rate and pattern, with new housing placed on sites wherever found.                                                       rate of construction will prolong the current
                                                                                                                                                          housing shortage, preserving the current high
                                                                                                                                                          prices and thus hampering the prospects of
                                                                                                                                                          companies that need a diverse workforce.
        advantages                                    DISADVANTAGES                                    REQUIRED DWELLINGS                                 Indeed, scarce and expensive housing would
                                                                                                                                                          prevent the young from remaining or moving
        • Incremental development                     • Housing capacity less than required            2001 Population                        1,033,977
                                                                                                                                                          into Hertfordshire and ultimately lead to an
        • Maintains current social structure          • Piecemeal development                          2008 Population                        1,072,800   inbalanced, aging population.
                                                      • More expensive housing                         2021 Population Projection             1,177,800
                                                      • Uncoordinated infrastructure                   2001 - 2021 Population Growth           143,823    The most acute negative consequence of sim-
                                                      • Relatively inefficient process                 Dwellings at existing trends                       ply following the existing trends is that growth
                                                      • Seldom at optimum locations                    (@ 2.4 persons per dwelling)             59,926    would continue to be located opportunistically,
                                                                                                       Dwellings required by the RSS            83,200    seldom at optimal locations, with the result that
                                                                                                        ifference in dwelling requirements
                                                                                                       D                                                  effective planning for concurrency would be
                                                                                                       RSS/Trends 2001-2021                      23,274   virtually impossible. The most elemental level
                                                                                                                                                          of regional planning would be scarce.

14
GREENPRINT ASSESSMENT: Scenario 1                                                                                    Reso
                                                                                                                                                          a te                                urce
                                                                                                                                                      Clim                                         s

                                                                    This Scenario performs poorest overall of the six as-
                                                                    sessed in this exercise. It is strongest in the buildings
                                                                    category because it has some potential to bring empty

                                                                                                                                            s

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Tran
                                                                                                                                        ding
                                                                    buildings back into use and to improve the efficiency of                                         20%
                                                                                                                                                                                   25%

                                                                                                                                                                                                              spor
                                                                                                                                    Buil
                                                                    existing ones. However, it achieves the lowest scores in

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   t
                                                                                                                                                      33%
                                                                    all other categories.

                                                                                                                                                                                           21%
                                                                    On average this Scenario offers the least development

                                                                                                                                                                                         11%
                                                                    capacity, with many sites occurring in fairly random

                                                                                                                                                      33%
                                                                    locations. It is the one which makes the least difference

                                                                                                                                    Com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 y
                                                                                                                                                                                 17%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   og
                                                                    to a settlement, either positive or negative. So whilst                                      27%

                                                                                                                                       mun

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Ecol
                                                                    it could be viewed as protecting the status quo, that

                                                                                                                                          it y
                                                                    means there is little chance for improvement where the
                                                                    current situations are sub-optimal.

                                                                    It is “pot luck” as to which facilities already exist around                   Plac                                              s
                                                                                                                                                       ema                                   ines
                                                                    any new development, and it is unlikely that it will pro-
                                                                                                                                                           kin   g                        Bus
                                                                    vide size enough for a financial contribution sufficient to
                                                                    build new ones (made under a section 106 agreement).
                                                                                                                                                 Category                  Score               Rank
                                                                    It is possible that existing inefficient buildings will be
                                                                    replaced under this Scenario, but it is not likely that                      Climate                   20%                 6th
                                                                    developments will be sizable enough to improve street                        Resources                 25%                 6th
                                                                    environments or public transport, or offer economies of
                                                                    scale for utilities or renewable technologies. It is unlikely                Transport                 21%                 6th
                                                                    that these developments will offer uses other than
                                                                    dwellings.                                                                   Ecology                   11%                 6th

                                                                    Best case: The plot brought forward has one or more
                                                                                                                                                 Business                  17%                 6th
                                                                    existing buildings which are reused for housing. This
                                                                                                                                                 Community                 33%                 6th
                                                                    makes efficient use of resources and maintains the local
                                                                    vernacular and heritage. The site is located close to a                      Placemaking               27%                 6th
                                                                    settlement centre, and thus within easy reach of public
                                                                    transport links and facilities, reducing car dependence
                                                                                                                                                 Buildings                 33%                 3rd
                                                                    and the need for parking space. The public realm is im-
                                                                    proved as the site is brought back into use, and nuisance                    Average                   23%
At best, current development practice in Hertfordshire involves
private sector developers identifying and purchasing an underut-    issues are addressed by the reuse of the site. The dwell-
lised site, demolishing the existing buildings and replacing them   ings have high energy and water efficiency standards,
with denser housing types. The images above depict a mediocre       and ecological needs are integrated into the buildings.
                                                                                                                                                 Overall ranking                               6th
site before and with excellent new redevelopment after.

                                                                                                                                                                                                         15
Scenario 2
Brownfield and greyfield sites
                                                                                                   Brownfield sites are developed       Brownfield and greyfield sites have the great
                                                                                                   industrial areas that are no         ecological advantage of reusing committed urban
                                                                                                                                        land and resources, as well as existing infrastruc-
                                                                                                   longer in use. The best-known
                                                                                                                                        ture. Developing such sites, however difficult,
                                                                                                   example of such a site               conserves Green Belt area. The only disadvantage
                                                                                                   in Hertfordshire is the Hatfield     of brownfield and greyfield sites is that they are
                                                                                                   Aerodrome, now home to the           not always optimally located for public transport.
                                                                                                   University of Hertfordshire’s De
                                                                                                   Havilland campus.                    The redevelopment of brownfields may require
                                                                                                                                        demolition as well as soil remediation, thus
                                                                                                                                        adding to delay and expense. Unfortunately,
                                                                                                   Greyfield sites are large open car   in Hertfordshire there are very few remaining
                                                                                                   parks, in use as a support area      brownfield sites available, as the recent genera-
                                                                                                   for an existing development,         tion of development has consumed most of them,
                                                                                                   such as a shopping centre or a       and those which remain should be retained for
                                                                                                   business park. In many cases,        commercial purposes that lead to job creation.
                                                                                                   these sites can be redeveloped,
                                                                                                                                        Greyfield sites (of which there are many) are not
                                                                                                   with car parking placed in a         normally considered for redevelopment as the
                                                                                                   multi-storey car park.               owner/operators believe current uses require the
Some of the housing allocation is placed on previously developed sites, within the boundaries of
existing settlements.                                                                                                                   surface car parks. Activating them for develop-
                                                                                                                                        ment may involve the outright and unrequested
                                                                                                                                        grants for density as well as certain subsidies
                                                                                                                                        for the building of multi-storey car parks. The
        advantages                                    disadvantages                                                                     identification of greyfield sites would be at the
                                                                                                                                        initiative of the District Planning Councils.
        • Conserves Green Belt                        • Too few sites available
        • Reuses land resources                       • Incurs additional cleanup costs
        • Reuses existing infrastructure              • Seldomly uses optimum locations
        • Remediates of contaminated land             • Removes industrial & commercial space

16
GREENPRINT ASSESSMENT: Scenario 2                                                  a te
                                                                                                                                                                              Reso
                                                                                                                                                                                   urce
                                                                                                                                                      Clim                              s

                                                                       This Scenario is the fifth best performing of the six                                 67%
                                                                                                                                                                              67%

                                                                       analysed, although it scores significantly better than
                                                                       the worst (Scenario 1). Its best performance is in the

                                                                                                                                          s

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tran
                                                                                                                                      ding
                                                                       resources and buildings categories, largely as it brings

                                                                                                                                                                                                        spor
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                                                                       fallow urban land and buildings back into use and

                                                                                                                                               56%

                                                                                                                                                                                                             t
                                                                       improves their energy and water efficiency. It also

                                                                                                                                                                                             46%
                                                                       performs well in the placemaking category because it
                                                                       provides the opportunity to improve the street scene
                                                                       and appearance of existing settlements. Whilst the

                                                                                                                                                                                          44%
                                                                       size of developments in this Scenario is not as large as

                                                                                                                                                47%
                                                                                                                                  Com

                                                                                                                                                                                                        y
                                                                       in some others, there is an opportunity for a degree of

                                                                                                                                                                                                         og
                                                                                                                                     mun

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ecol
                                                                       mixed use.                                                                                            39%

                                                                                                                                        it y
                                                                                                                                                            60%
                                                                       This is the Scenario most likely to offer opportunities
                                                                       to clean up contaminated sites, and when existing
                                                                       buildings and infrastructure are replaced, they can                       Plac                                     s
                                                                                                                                                     ema                          ines
                                                                       provide recycled building materials for new develop-                              kin     g             Bus
                                                                       ments.

                                                                       Housing on brownfield sites is likely to support exist-                 Category              Score          Rank
                                                                       ing facilities and may be of sufficient scale to support
                                                                                                                                               Climate               67%            jt 3rd
                                                                       new ones. Developments in this Scenario are also
                                                                       likely to be large enough to perform well in terms of                   Resources             67%            jt 1st
                                                                       climate change and carbon efficiency, but they are not
                                                                       likely to be large enough to support the provision of                   Transport             46%            5th
                                                                       new public transport.
                                                                                                                                               Ecology               44%            4th

                                                                       Best case: The brownfield site is close to existing cen-
                                                                                                                                               Business              39%            5th
                                                                       tres or public transport connections. The development
                                                                                                                                               Community             47%            5th
                                                                       reuses materials from the previous buildings. Mixed-
                                                                       use development provides employment opportunities,                      Placemaking           60%            2nd
                                                                       and there is proximity to additional employment sites.
                                                                       Contaminated sites are cleaned, and old buildings are
                                                                                                                                               Buildings             56%            2nd
                                                                       made more efficient.
                                                                                                                                               Average               53%
Although there are few brownfield sites available in Hertfordshire,
there are numerous ‘greyfield’ sites featuring underutilised surface
car parks. The images above depict a supermarket, before and after                                                                             Overall ranking                      5th
redevelopment with new apartment buildings and multi-story car
parks “lined” with offices or flats.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   17
Scenario 3
Transport-Oriented DEVELOPMENT
                                                                                       Transport-Oriented Develop-                      stations which could become hubs for larger
                                                                                       ments are located within walk-                   settlements, and urban sites which currently in-
                                                                                                                                        clude large car parks or other underutilised land
                                                                                       ing distance of rail stations or
                                                                                                                                        offering the opportunity for development.
                                                                                       bus stops. Catering to both those
                                                                                       who work in the vicinity and                     Because these sites offer the ideal location
                                                                                       those who commute, T.O.D. can                    for housing, they may justify the demolition of
                                                                                       lessen the general dependence                    existing underutilised structures, even if it will
                                                                                       on cars.                                         add to the expense of development. Indeed,
                                                                                                                                        when developed in a balanced, pedestrian-
                                                                                       Whilst opportunities for this sort of develop-   oriented and mixed-use pattern, these sites can
                                                                                       ment exist in Hertfordshire, there are not       become both destinations in themselves and
                                                                                       enough suitable sites remaining to accom-        feeders to London, ultimately allowing a more
                                                                                       modate all of the housing allocation.            efficient use of the rail network as a whole.

                                                                                       Although the majority of railway stations in     One design challenge with these sites is that they
                                                                                       Hertfordshire have already been developed,       must accommodate the parking for the on-site
                                                                                       some stations offer the opportunity for ad-      program as well as for commuters who have
                                                                                       ditional residential, commercial and retail      driven to the station.
                                                                                       development. Amongst these are rural railway
Some of the housing allocation is placed around railway stations and bus stops.

        advantages                                    disadvantages
        • Improves commercial performance             • Too few sites available
        • Conserves Green Belt                        • Requires compulsory purchase
        • Reuses resources                            • Requires demolition
        • Reuses existing infrastructure
        • At existing nodes
        • Improves commercial sense of place

18
GREENPRINT ASSESSMENT: Scenario 3                                                      a te
                                                                                                                                                                                   Reso
                                                                                                                                                                                        urce
                                                                                                                                                            Clim                             s

                                                                         This Scenario performs best overall in the analysis                                         67%           67%

                                                                         because it provides an opportunity to address problems
                                                                         in existing settlements and improve the quality of life in

                                                                                                                                              s

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Tran
                                                                                                                                          ding
                                                                         and around the New Town centres, whilst also providing

                                                                                                                                             89%

                                                                                                                                                                                                          spor
                                                                                                                                      Buil

                                                                                                                                                                                                    83%
                                                                         new dwellings. Development in central and accessible

                                                                                                                                                                                                               t
                                                                         locations provides the opportunity to strengthen existing
                                                                         employment opportunities. The scale of the develop-
                                                                         ment enables construction efficiencies. Some existing
                                                                         buildings and building materials can be reused in new

                                                                                                                                                                                          33%
                                                                         developments.

                                                                                                                                      Com

                                                                                                                                                                                                             y
                                                                                                                                                   67%

                                                                                                                                                                                                               og
                                                                                                                                         mun

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ecol
                                                                         This Scenario’s worst performance is likely to be in the

                                                                                                                                            it y
                                                                         ecology category because there is unlikely to be much
                                                                         opportunity to provide green infrastructure, and in city
                                                                         centre locations may not provide additional space for                                                      78%
                                                                                                                                                                 8
                                                                         managing rainwater and growing food.                                            Plac 7 %                               s
                                                                                                                                                             ema                       ines
                                                                                                                                                                 kin   g            Bus
                                                                         The central location and proximity to existing public
                                                                         transport facilities helps reduce car dependence, and
                                                                         its size provides more critical mass for public transport                   Category              Score      Rank
                                                                         improvements. Redevelopment in the New Town centres
                                                                         can improve pedestrian and cycle routes and generally                       Climate               67%        jt 3rd
                                                                         improve connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods. The                      Resources             67%        jt 1st
                                                                         scale of the development offers a better opportunity for
                                                                         well-integrated affordable housing.                                         Transport             83%        3rd

                                                                         Best case: The intensification provides small-scale em-                     Ecology               33%        5th
                                                                         ployment opportunities, and integration of uses creates
                                                                         a “place” in its own right. Noise is carefully managed
                                                                                                                                                     Business              78%        2nd
                                                                         through design standards. Residents using the public
                                                                                                                                                     Community             67%        3rd
                                                                         transport are encouraged to walk through the develop-
                                                                         ment, adding to its economic sustainability. The new                        Placemaking           87%        1st
                                                                         development is linked to existing economic and social
Hertfordshire could accommodate significant transport-oriented           networks. Connectivity and resource efficiency through-
development on sites adjacent to railway stations. The illustrations                                                                                 Buildings             89%        1st
above depict the Stevenage entertainment complex, as it exists cur-      out the town centre are improved.
rently, and after redevelopment including the construction of new                                                                                    Average               71%
parking structures, as well as flats and shops structured around walk-
able streets, squares and public gardens.
                                                                                                                                                     Overall ranking                  1st

                                                                                                                                                                                                    19
Scenario 4
SETTLEMENT EXTENSIONS
                                                                                                 Settlement Extensions are large                       Resort to settlement extensions should take place
                                                                                                 and small sites developed at the                      after available infill sites (brownfields, greyfields
                                                                                                                                                       and T.O.D.s) have been developed. However, it
                                                                                                 edges of existing settlements, most
                                                                                                                                                       should be clear that some settlement extensions
                                                                                                 likely attached to suburban hous-                     will be necessary as the housing allocation can-
                                                                                                 ing estates, office parks or shop-                    not be wholly absorbed with infill sites.
                                                                                                 ping centres. All of these types of
                                                                                                 sites would benefit from re-balanc-                   Note that the designation of “Green Belt” does
                                                                                                 ing to mixed-use with the addition                    not necessarily guarantee that the land is not
                                                                                                                                                       legally available for development. (See the map
                                                                                                 of shops, employment, and housing
                                                                                                                                                       on pages 6, which shows only the green areas
                                                                                                 diversity as required. The optimal                    that are legally preserved in perpetuity.)
                                                                                                 sites should be of an increment and
                                                                                                 located so that one full neighbour-                    Another disadvantage of extensions is that the
                                                                                                 hood, or urban village, may be                        existing roadway system is unlikely to provide
                                                                                                 provided or completed.                                efficient access. One marked advantage for vil-
                                                                                                                                                       lages and hamlets is that additional housing may
                                                                                                 Extensions, by definition will take place in open     provide the population to support “third places”
                                                                                                 land or Green Belts. They thus have the disad-        as well as shops, churches, and civic institutions.

Some of the housing allocation is attached to the edges of existing settlements.
                                                                                                 vantage of blocking the “vested” open space
                                                                                                 views of immediately adjacent residents, and of
                                                                                                 increasing the walking distance of all residents to
                                                                                                 the open space.

        advantages                                     disadvantages
        • Equitable distribution of growth             • Not integrated with transportation
        • Sustains community facilities                • Could block existing greenfield views
                                                       • Blocks access to Green Belt
                                                       • Impacts all communities

20
GREENPRINT ASSESSMENT: Scenario 4                                                                                    Reso
                                                                                                                                                               a te                                urce
                                                                                                                                                           Clim                                         s

                                                                         In this Scenario, extensions would be built onto the edges
                                                                         of many of the existing settlements. They would be in the
                                                                         form of either a complete new urban village or an exten-

                                                                                                                                                 s

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Tran
                                                                                                                                             ding
                                                                         sion of an existing condition that results in the creation                                       27%           25%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  spor
                                                                                                                                         Buil
                                                                         of a complete one. This Scenario is in the middle scoring

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       t
                                                                         segment, performing fourth best. It scores slightly better

                                                                                                                                                                                                 25%
                                                                                                                                                                  0%
                                                                         than re-using brownfield and greyfield sites (Scenario 2)
                                                                         because it improves existing neighbourhoods. However,
                                                                         developments under this Scenario would extend into

                                                                                                                                                                                                   33%
                                                                                                                                                         40%
                                                                         the Green Belt, therefore there is little potential to re-use

                                                                                                                                         Com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     y og
                                                                         buildings or land, or remediate contaminated land.                                                             22%

                                                                                                                                            mun

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Ecol
                                                                                                                                                                          33%

                                                                                                                                               it y
                                                                         Each existing settlement would benefit from a gain of
                                                                         critical mass, though it may not be of a large enough
                                                                         scale to create benefits relating to placemaking and
                                                                         generation of renewable energy.                                                Plac                                             s
                                                                                                                                                            ema                                   ines
                                                                                                                                                                kin   g                        Bus
                                                                         Developing at the edges provides little opportunity to
                                                                         deal with issues that occur within the core of existing
                                                                         settlements, and extensions may inherit conditions                           Category                  Score            Rank
                                                                         already present at the edges. The opportunity to improve                     Climate                   60%              5th
                                                                         existing public transport is unlikely, even as extensions to
                                                                         existing bus routes will need to be provided. Indeed, the                    Resources                 25%              jt 4th
                                                                         peripheral location of the new developments suggests
                                                                         they would be more car based.                                                Transport                 67%              4th
                                                                                                                                                      Ecology                   56%              3rd
                                                                         Best case: The extension is sensitively added to the ex-
                                                                         isting settlement. A careful audit enables the new devel-                    Business                  67%              jt 3rd
                                                                         opment to add the facilities needed to create a complete,
                                                                         walkable neighbourhood. The existing area is respected,                      Community                 67%              jt 3rd
                                                                         leading to a feel of a single “place.” This is best achieved
                                                                         by single ownership and comprehensive planning.                              Placemaking               47%              3rd
                                                                         Permeability and connectivity are enhanced, enabling
                                                                         walking and cycling routes. Public transport is enhanced                     Buildings                 22%              jt 5th
                                                                         as the number of residents increases. Dwellings formerly
The images above illustrate a Settlement Extension designed to           adjacent to green fields, but now bordered by the new                        Average                   55%
complete an existing housing estate in a manner compatible with the      development, retain easy routes to green space. The
scale and precedents of the adjacent development. Such a settlement
should be designed to ‘re-balance’ the existing area with buildings of   greater the increment of a settlement extension the more                     Overall ranking                            4th
complementary size and cost.                                             prospect to improve the sustainability, especially if it can
                                                                         rebalance a business area.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             21
Scenario 5
SATELLITE (GARDEN) VILLAGES
                                                                                                  A satellite village is a settlement                      be accessible by walking, bicycling or very short
                                                                                                  which is dependent on an ap-                             car trips. Together, the satellite village and the
                                                                                                                                                           existing edge settlement should be large enough
                                                                                                  proximate town or village but does
                                                                                                                                                           to be equipped with infrastructure relatively
                                                                                                  not infringe on the vested views of                      efficiently, and to provide for a minimum of the
                                                                                                  Green Belt land. Ideally, these vil-                     daily needs of the residents of both.
                                                                                                  lages should be located along prin-
                                                                                                  cipal roads that may be serviced by                      If the satellite village is designed as a garden
                                                                                                  a network of buses.                                      village, it may increase the economic productivity
                                                                                                                                                           of the agriculture to more than compensate for
                                                                                                  Each satellite village should be of sufficient size      the loss of farm land.
                                                                                                  to support a range of residents as well as shops,
                                                                                                  offices, and the other amenities they require.           The disadvantage of this type is that the addition-
                                                                                                                                                           al distance created by the green wedge extends
                                                                                                  The buffer separating a satellite village from           the run of utilities and transportation. Also, like
                                                                                                  an existing settlement is sometimes referred to          any edge settlement, including the settlement
                                                                                                  as the “green wedge,” an area of open space              extension (Scenario 4), it is too small to achieve
                                                                                                  retained for the purpose of physically distinguish-      a balance of jobs and housing. Creating a balance
                                                                                                  ing settlements from one another, whilst allowing        and having jobs and public transport is key to the
                                                                                                  them to be close enough for non-motorised                ultimate performance of the option.
Some of the housing allocation is assigned to new villages independent of existing settlements.
                                                                                                  transport between the two. To this end, 500-
                                                                                                  1000 meters is ideal.

                                                                                                  If local soil is of sufficient quality, satellite vil-
                                                                                                  lages can be designed as “garden villages” which
        advantages                                    disadvantages                               encourage locally sourced farming. Satellite
                                                                                                  villages are alternatives to settlement extensions
        • Minimal impact to neighbours                • Extends utilities network
                                                                                                  (Scenario 4), reducing the visual impact from the
        • Rational provision of infrastructure        • Poor jobs / housing balance
                                                                                                  existing edge while remaining close enough to
        • Can enhance small scale agriculture         • Tends to generate excess traffic

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GREENPRINT ASSESSMENT: Scenario 5                                                                                 Reso
                                                                                                                                                               a te                            urce
                                                                                                                                                           Clim                                     s
                                                                                                                                                                  80%
                                                                        This Scenario performs third best of those assessed,
                                                                        largely because building completely new develop-
                                                                        ments enables design and construction techniques

                                                                                                                                           s

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Tran
                                                                                                                                       ding
                                                                        which meet current priorities. Good design would                                                            25%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                spor
                                                                                                                                   Buil
                                                                        create a sense of place and identity, however these

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     t
                                                                        villages would not provide the scale opportunities of

                                                                                                                                                                22%

                                                                                                                                                                                              25%
                                                                        stand-alone garden cities (Scenario 6) nor the occa-
                                                                        sion to bring buildings or brownfields back into use.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 33%
                                                                        Existing towns and villages would be unchanged,

                                                                                                                                   Com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   y
                                                                                                                                                80%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     og
                                                                        but issues in existing settlements would not be

                                                                                                                                      mun

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Ecol
                                                                        addressed, and existing community facilities would                                            40%

                                                                                                                                         it y
                                                                        not be supported. The new villages would not be self-
                                                                        sufficient, but would be large enough to have their                                                                67%
                                                                        own facilities and bus links to nearby settlements,
                                                                        therefore being less car-dependent.                                             Plac                                           s
                                                                                                                                                            ema                               ines
                                                                                                                                                                kin   g                    Bus
                                                                        Satellite villages would be located on greenfield sites,
                                                                        usually providing space to grow food and enabling
                                                                        continuous green infrastructure. Rainwater and grey                           Category              Score            Rank
                                                                        water could be captured and used. Villages of this
                                                                        size present opportunities to incorporate designs                             Climate               80%              jt 1st
                                                                        and technologies which reduce or eliminate carbon                             Resources             25%              jt 4th
                                                                        production and allow for community management
                                                                        of infrastructure, similar to the garden cities of                            Transport             25%              2nd
                                                                        Letchworth and Welwyn. The scale would also allow
                                                                        the integration of a significant number of affordable                         Ecology               33%              jt 1st
                                                                        homes.
                                                                                                                                                      Business              67%              3rd
                                                                        Best case: The new village has good public transport
                                                                                                                                                      Community             80%              jt 1st
                                                                        connecting directly to a major transport hub in a
                                                                        neighbouring settlement. The village uses locally                             Placemaking           40%              jt 4th
                                                                        produced, locally managed, renewable energy. Water
                                                                        is sustainably managed. Residents grow some of their
                                                                                                                                                      Buildings             22%              jt 5th
                                                                        own food. The village has community facilities.
The Satellite Villages proposed in Scenario 5 offer an alternative to
Settlement Extensions (compare with page 21), which can occasion-                                                                                     Average               63%
ally block access--both visual and walkable--to the Green Belt.
                                                                                                                                                      Overall ranking                        3rd

                                                                                                                                                                                                           23
Scenario 6
STAND-ALONE GARDEN CITY
                                                                                                          A stand-alone garden city is the                     There is a long history of New Towns in Hertford-
                                                                                                          only type of Scenario which could                    shire. The County is home to the first and best-
                                                                                                                                                               known garden cities in the world, Letchworth and
                                                                                                          accommodate the entirety of the
                                                                                                                                                               Welwyn, as well as several of the most important
                                                                                                          housing allocation and the neces-                    New Towns from the postwar period. Whilst
                                                                                                          sary amenities. The development                      the garden cities have been judged successful,
                                                                                                          would require a large, well-                         the New Towns are not necessarily considered
                                                                                                          drained, relatively uninhabited                      to be so, and have damaged the reputation of
                                                                                                          area of Green Belt, with the poten-                  New Towns as desirable Scenarios for growth.
                                                                                                                                                               Nevertheless a new town on a revised model,
                                                                                                          tial for, or a pre-existing, railway
                                                                                                                                                               incorporating all that has been learned, should
                                                                                                          station.                                             be considered as it would have many positive
                                                                                                                                                               consequences.
                                                                                                          There is at least one such site available in
                                                                                                          the County. While a New Town could not be
                                                                                                          realistically designed and constructed by the
                                                                                                          2021 deadline of the current allocation, it
                                                                                                          could still provide the best ultimate solution
                                                                                                          for the continual allocations that will follow the
                                                                                                          present one. Indeed, a New Town of 100,000-
The majority of the housing allocation is assigned to one new Garden City on the existing rail network.   140,000 dwellings could absorb the growth of
                                                                                                          Hertfordshire well into the mid-century.

        advantages                                        disadvantages
        • Minimal impact to neighbours                    • Diminishing of greenfield
        • Rational provision of infrastructure            • Complex planning process
        • High traffic capture
        • Economies of scale
        • Excellent  jobs & housing balance
        • Decreased trip generation
        • Rational provision of facilities

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