East Hemel

Welcome to our exhibition

This exhibition is designed to provide you with information about our proposed masterplan for land East of and to hear your thoughts prior to the submission of a planning application. At East Hemel we want to create a brilliant place – a place where people live, work, shop and socialise together; a place that new and existing residents can be proud of. We were delighted to welcome over 600 people in October 2016 to view our initial ‘vision’ for East Hemel and give their feedback. This was a great opportunity for us to hear from residents and understand local issues. Over the past eight months, we have used this feedback to help inform our proposed masterplan. Please feel free to ask questions to members of the project team. Before leaving today, please fill out one of our feedback forms. These give us the opportunity to consider your thoughts prior to the submission of a planning application. About The Crown Estate The Crown Estate is an independent commercial business, established by an Act of Parliament. 100% of our annual profits are returned to the Treasury for the benefit of the public finances. Over the last 10 years, The Crown Estate has returned over £2.4bn to the Treasury.

Our portfolio includes: • All of Regent Street and much of St James’s in central London; • A UK leading portfolio of prime regional retail and leisure assets; • Major rural landholdings; • Seabed and around 50% of the foreshore around , Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Crown Estate’s history can be traced back to 1066. In the 21st century, we are a successful, commercial enterprise, established as a market leader in our key sectors. Delivering brilliant places across our portfolio, we are known for our progressive, sustainable approach that creates long term value, beyond financial return.

Across our rural land portfolio, one of our core activities involves promoting development opportunities which help meet local housing needs. In the last two years, we have secured planning consents for over 7,000 new homes across the UK. East Hemel Context

Redbourn East Hemel is located to the westSt Albansof the M 1. Site outline AlthoughDistrict it is adjacent Council to Hemelhas Hempstead to produce it Woodhall Farm M1 is actuallya Localsituated Plan within St Albansthat City sets & District out Council (SADC). The Maylands the number site has andbeen location allocated Hemel Hempstead in SADC’sof Strategicnew homes Local Junction 8 Plan (SLP)and to jobsdeliver 2,500 Leverstock Green homes andacross 55 hectares the of employmentDistrict space, for the creatingcoming 8,000 jobs years. by 2031.

The story so far...

The idea of East Hemel was first proposed by Government inspectors in 2006. In 2013 SADC undertook a Green Belt Review which identified land East of Hemel Hempstead as being suitable to be released from the Green Belt in order to deliver new homes and employment space. A year later, SADC’s SLP identified the need for 8,720 new homes to be built across the District by 2031, with East Hemel delivering 2,500 new homes and 55 hectares of employment space to help meet this need. SADC’s SLP was submitted to the Secretary of State for review last Autumn.

Your feedback

We consulted on our initial options and vision for East Hemel at three public consultation events in October last year. At those events, you raised a number of issues that we have sought to address through this scheme. Roads, transport and the impact the development would have on traffic in the area, specifically around Junction 8 and the M1. Healthcare provision: people felt local health provision is already at capacity. Many suggested either expanding existing healthcare facilities or providing new ones. Local authority involvement: given the location of the site, people wanted to understand the respective roles of St Albans and councils in the development of East Hemel. Other issues included the location of the two travellers sites, as required by SADC, and the number of affordable homes that would be delivered. Location-specific issues Leverstock Green residents were concerned about the impact of the development on the ‘village feel’ of Leverstock Green and how this will be preserved. : likewise concerns were raised regarding maintaining a sufficient gap between the new development and Redbourn. Woodhall Farm residents said there was limited local amenity in the area and would want our proposals to address this.

East Hemel

Proposed masterplan

We have developed a masterplan that reflects feedback from the previous public consultation. It also addresses feedback from SADC and other key consultees Our masterplan will such as the Highways Authority. Our proposed development area is larger than the site allocated in SADC’s SLP. deliver This is because our own technical work and the site’s constraints have shown that it would not be possible to deliver the required 2,500 homes — while also delivering a scheme which reflects the character and density of the surrounding area — in the area allocated by SADC.

M1 Three distinct areas 2,500 new homes, delivered as one scheme 1,000 of which will be affordable B487

Woodhall Farm

See Northern 55 hectares of new, A landscape-focused Residential Area flexible employment approach that seeks to Board space retain existing hedgerows, trees and Cherry Trees Lane field boundaries

Punchbowl Lane

Sensitivity to the different New primary and characters of Woodhall secondary schools Farm and Leverstock Green Hogg End Lane

Maylands See Central Commercial District Board

‘Local centres’ within Two new country each of the three areas parks that are easily Green Lane accessible

M1 Junction 8

A414 Breakspear Way Improved highways Pre-school and after and bus services, so school care either as See Southern the wider community part of the new schools Residential Area can benefit from or provided separately Board development at East Hemel

Leverstock Green

Westwick Row M1 A necklace of green spaces Two travellers sites as that connect each area required by the local together, enabling the wider authority community to walk or cycle A4147 through the development and access the country parks East Hemel

Northern Residential Area

The proposed Northern Residential Area will comprise up to 1,500 new homes, including 40% affordable housing. As well as providing Last time you said... a mix of housing that meets the needs of existing and future communities, the Northern Residential Area will include a ‘local At the last consultation in October centre’ for the neighbourhood and a new primary school. 2016, residents told us that restaurants in Woodhall Farm have There are a range of existing constraints that have been carefully closed and the community do not considered in the design of our masterplan for this area. These have access to quality dining in the include the Buncefield Consultation Zone, overhead power lines, immediate area. As part of our the need for an acoustic barrier along the M1 corridor, the Nickey proposals, we hope to convert Line and a number of heritage assets that we are keen to protect the Woodhall Farm building into a and enhance. pub/restaurant. County Council have asked us to include a new 8-form entry secondary school in the Northern Residential Area rather than in the south as this better reflects long term educational need from the surrounding community and East Hemel.

The Northern Residential Area will provide

Site issues

M1 Noise A minimum of 1,500 homes, most of which will Green buffer be delivered on Crown Estate land. This will Pylons include up to 40% affordable housing Topography 1 A new 3 form entry primary school on 3 hectares of land at the heart of the community

B487 2 A new 8 form entry secondary school on 12 hectares of land to meet the needs of existing and future residents

3 A new local centre with shops that do 6 5 not compete with the existing centre at 4 7 Woodhall Farm 4 A new restaurant/pub within the existing revitalised Woodhall Farm building (other viable 8 uses for this building would also be considered) Cherry Trees A new country park will provide a minimum of 7 Lane 5 1 2 hectares of open space for the wider community to enjoy

6 The potential for new community facilities 3 located alongside the Nickey Line and country park M1 In addition to the country park and sports 7 Punchbowl Line facilities we are looking to provide football, rugby and cricket grounds outside of the Red line indicates land under Crown Estate ownership school boundary 8 A tree lined residential boulevard from Hemel Hempstead Road (B487) to connect to Green Lane as a 30mph street that restricts HGV access East Hemel

Central Commercial District

The proposed Central Commercial District will deliver 55 hectares of employment space, creating up to 8,000 jobs, as well as a new gateway into Hemel Hempstead. It will include a modern business campus, new Last timeAt the youlast consultation, said... people raised concerns regarding traffic warehousing and logsitics units as well as supporting facilities. At the last consultation, people congestion along Green Lane and the raised concerns regarding traffic The Crown Estate has been working closely with Hertfordshire Local The current designs identify .A414 congestion along Green Lane and Enterprise Partnership to see how East Hemel can support the improvements along Green Lane the A414. The current designs establishment of Hertfordshire’s new EnviroTech Enterprise Zone. that do not just serve and the A414 identify improvements along Green the new development, but enhance Survey work undertaken since the last public consultation has also Lane and the A414 that do not just .transport capacity for the wider area identified badger setts and a bat flight path in the area. The masterplan serve the new development, but has been adjusted to protect these important species. enhance transport capacity for the wider area.

The Central Commercial District will provide Punchbowl Lane Site issues Buncefield Up to 195,000 square metres of flexible commercial 7 BPA pipeline space to cater to everything from small start-up Breakspear House businesses through to large, high-quality office space

1 Space for a modern business campus of three-storey offices supported by a hotel, leisure facilities, conference space and small scale shops and restaurants Hogg End Lane 2 Logistics and warehousing units up to 25 metres high 3 A new bridge link across A414 Breakspear Way to provide safe cycle and pedestrian crossing into the 2 heart of the commercial campus and to the wider area 8 4 An upgraded junction on A414 Breakspear Way that eases traffic and improves access to Green Lane and to the Northern and Southern residential areas 6 5 An attractive landscaped corridor either side of the A414 as part of a gateway arrival into Hemel Hempstead Green a Lane 1 6 An upgrade to Green Lane to continue the spine road 9 through the development for the wider business and

a M1 Junction 8 residential community to benefit from 7 A 15 pitch traveller site to the northern edge of 4 the Central Commercial District, as required by the 3 local authority 5 A414 Breakspear Way 8 Buncefield Consultation Zone requires a ‘green corridor’ at the middle of the Central Commercial District that cannot be built on. Further out, office buildings in this area are also required to be smaller, catering for a maximum of 100 employees per building Red line indicates land under Crown Estate ownership 9 Development area pushed back to protect Breakspear House East Hemel

Southern Residential Area

The proposed Southern Residential Area will comprise up to 1,000 new homes, including 40% affordable housing. It will also provide a mix of housing Last time you said... that reflects the character of Leverstock Green and meets the needs of the At the last consultation, residents told us local community, now and into the future. that local healthcare provision at Existing constraints have been carefully considered in the design of our Leverstock Green is at capacity. Our masterplan for the southern area. SADC’s Local Plan proposes a minimum of masterplan will provide space in the new 1,000 homes to be built in the Southern Residential Area. However, the land local centre to accommodate new local area allocated in the Plan is not sufficient to accommodate this number of healthcare provision, such as a GP’s homes due to several constraints including the BPA petrol pipeline and the surgery, that would support not only the need to improve the existing noise barrier along the M1. new community but Leverstock Green as a whole. Flooding along Green Lane was Our preferred option is to improve the existing barrier and we are talking with also raised and so new lakes have been Highways England about this. If we are not permitted to upgrade the existing integrated into the country park to help bund, an additional bund will be needed. This will mean the development will mitigate this issue. have to extend further than SADC have planned for.

The Southern Residential area will provide A414 Site issues Breakspear 5 Way M1 Noise BPA pipeline Up to 1,000 new homes including 40% Westwick Row affordable housing A new 2 form entry primary school that will be 2 1 capable of future expansion if needed

2 A new local centre, serving the new community 1 with space for healthcare provision, community hall and shops that do not compete with existing shops in Leverstock Green M1 3 A spine road through the development 7 comprising a tree lined boulevard from Breakspear Way (A414) to connect to Hemel Hempstead Road (A4147) as a 30mph street

4 4 A 4 hectare country park accessible to the 6 whole community Leverstock Green 5 A 15 pitch traveller site as required by SADC 3 6 Westwick Row will remain a quiet country lane Westwick Row and only be crossed once by the spine road 7 Upgrade the existing noise attenuation barrier

A4147 Hemel Hempstead Road

Red line indicates land under Crown Estate ownership East Hemel

Transport

The Crown Estate has worked closely Walking and Cycling Route Spine Road with Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Foot bridge M1 Partnership, Hertfordshire County Council, Highways England, and St A Albans and Dacorum councils to develop our transport strategy for East Hemel. Our improvements are designed to Punchbowl Lane support the transport growth that will result from the 8,720 new homes that need to be delivered across the area Hogg End Lane by 2031, and not just the 2,500 new homes at our site. B Our transport strategy will include a M1 Junction 8 new spine road running through the A414 Breakspear Way site from the A4147 to the B487 as well as new walking and cycling routes. We are also considering up to a dozen C offsite transport mitigation measures A1417 such as the introduction of signals at two junctions between Road and Redbourn Road.

Northern Junction and Nickey Line A new roundabout onto the B487 will act as a A northern gateway into East Hemel, enhanced B487 by new planting and water features. Following feedback, we have moved the location of the access westwards to ensure the country park remains undisturbed. Various options have been explored for crossing the Nickey Line. Our preferred option is an ‘at grade’ crossing which will be enhanced by gates, LED lighting and new cycle and footpaths.

Junction 8 and Breakspear The first phase of our works will replace B Breakspear Roundabout with traffic signals to better cater for traffic flows. In due course we will upgrade Junction Junction 8 8, creating a link from Maylands and the Northern and Central areas to the M1 southbound carriageway. This will remove a significant element of traffic from Breakspear junction, supporting transport growth in the wider area.

Junction 8 Southern Junction and Westwick Row Junction 8 C N A new landscaped roundabout onto the A4147 will act as a southern gateway to East Hemel. Westwick Row will remain separated from the new development to preserve its natural country lane status with only one crossing point. We are proposing stopping up Westwick Row to the A4147 LANGFORD LODGE 109 PEMBROKE ROAD CLIFTON, BRISTOL BS8 3EU T: 01179 064280 F: 01173 179535 www.slrconsulting.com north to stop it becoming a rat run but would THE CROWN ESTATE EAST HEMEL SOUTHERN AREA: WESTWICK ROW CROSSING AND SOUTHERN ROUNDABOUT (EXTRACT)

416.01771.00003.29.160.1 0 10 20 30 40m 60 80 100 Scale Date 1:1000@A2 JUNE 2017

416.01771.00003.29.160.1&161.0-SOUTHERN AREA- WESTWICK ROW 416.01771.00003.29.160.1&161.0-SOUTHERN CROSSING AREA- WESTWICK AND ROUNDABOUT-EXTRACT.dwg Metres 1:1000 welcome residents’ views on this. © This drawing and its content are the copyright of SLR Consulting Ltd and may not be reproduced or amended except by prior written permission. SLR Consulting Ltd accepts no liability for any amendments made by other persons. East Hemel

Journey Times

We have undertaken modelling to understand the impact of East Hemel on journey times for some typical journeys in the area. The comparison below is between current journey times and future journey times once East Hemel is fully built out, including with our proposed transport improvements. Nevertheless we recognise that other planned growth in Hemel over the next 15 years will also impact journey times. We are undertaking further modelling with local stakeholders to look at the cumulative impact of East Hemel and other planned developments in the area, on the local transport network.

Public transport, cycling and walking To support East Hemel, and growth in Hemel Hempstead more widely, new bus routes will be provided to serve all residential and commercial areas of the site. The routes will link to the town centre and Hemel Hempstead train station. Our masterplan is also designed to promote healthy living by encouraging walking and cycling. No residential area will be more than 600 metres away from a cycling route. A pedestrian and cycle route will also be created to run alongside the new spine road and a pedestrian/cycle bridge will be built across the A414 to link the northern and southern parts of the site together.

Proposed Route to North via Queensway Proposed Route to the South via St Albans Hill Proposed North South Link

Map showing new proposed bus routes East Hemel Landscaping and open spaces

Our proposals are landscape-focused and seek to retain existing hedgerows, trees and field boundaries where possible. We will create a necklace of green spaces that connect the three areas together and enable the community to walk and cycle through the site. To support this our masterplan will include:

More than 30 hectares of green, open space accommodating different recreational uses Structured planting to complement the existing vegetation framework and provide new wildlife habitats Landscaped noise attenuation along the M1 motorway corridor Sustainable drainage features designed as lakes and water features

A key feature of East Hemel will be the creation of two country parks in the northern and southern parts of the site. These parks will be open to all and will include a variety of uses that encourage different activities – from walking to birdwatching to football. The Northern Country Park will include:

A green northern gateway to East Hemel comprising trees and lakeland features A community orchard by B487 A 5 hectare meadow grassland managed as skylark habitat Information points, cycle routes and foothpaths incorporating fitness trails and natural play areas On-site tree nursery to grow ash dieback resistant seedlings Designed viewpoints Woodland planting to provide a backdrop to the park

The Southern Country Park will include:

Cycleways and footpaths running across the park and linking to areas beyond A community event space surrounded by attractive planting Attractive sheltered sitting spaces Sports pitches with car park and changing facilities Drainage ponds, surrounded by seating and attractive walks Extensive new tree planting Avenue tree planting along the boulevard, with views across the park East Hemel

Character and design

While our proposed masterplan does not confirm specific detail about things like the design of new homes or the feel of local centres, we want existing residents to be able to visualise the new community. At The Crown Estate we have a long history of creating brilliant places. As the principal landowner, we will oversee delivery of East Hemel from start to finish and have a direct interest in ensuring our development is the best it can possibly be. We will ensure our plans are of the highest quality by developing and implementing a strict Design Code. Below we have set out a number of our objectives for East Hemel when it comes to character and design as well as examples of similar developments that have influenced our thinking.

Living Our masterplan takes a varied approach to housing design, density and layout. Both the Northern and Southern residential areas will be sensitive to the character of the nearby area, as well as having their own distinct character. East Hemel will also offer a range of housing tenures to help meet local need and ensure the community that lives there is genuinely mixed.

Housing in East Hemel will be nearly all two storey, however constraints on the site means there is potential for the density of homes to vary. That means potentially detached and semi-detached homes and even apartment complexes, depending on the character of the surrounding area and whether the homes are for first time buyers, a large family or the elderly.

Working East Hemel’s commercial centre will accommodate the employment needs of local, regional and national businesses. As well as industrial and logistics warehousing, the site will feature a modern business campus of up to three storey office buildings, a hotel and other supporting restaurants and shops.

Relaxing We will deliver a ‘landscape-first’ masterplan that prioritises creating quality environments and supporting infrastructure. East Hemel will reflect the surrounding area, where homes and communities are built around open spaces, not the other way round. We want to create local centres in the north and the south where people can relax, that prioritise high quality public realm and have their own distinct characters. East Hemel

Technical reports In addition to our comprehensive transport study, to support our masterplan we have undertaken a number of studies on the site to minimise the impact from development.

STUDY MITIGATION

ECOLOGY AND WILDLIFE New planting will ensure habitat A suite of ecological surveys connectivity is retained for bats have been undertaken, and as a foraging resource for including species specific birds. Where required, badger surveys. Our development setts will be replaced by new, could impact local bat and bird artificial setts. New planting will populations and known badger increase the amount of high-value setts as a result of earthworks semi-natural habitat, including association with construction. around 20 hectares of woodland and 20 hectares of grassland.

ARCHAEOLOGY & HERITAGE We will retain existing vegetation A detailed heritage study and plant new vegetation in order identified potential impacts upon to provide screening of views to/ one Grade I Listed building, as from the Listed buildings. Should well as a number of other Grade II any buried archaeology be Listed buildings on the site. There encountered during construction, may also be an impact upon this will undergo preservation in buried archaeology as a result of situ or by record, as appropriate. ground disturbance associated with construction.

AIR QUALITY A Construction Environmental As well as the potential impact Management Plan (CEMP) will during construction, post include best practice working construction, increased traffic methods to prevent the creation volumes from new commercial of dust. Our masterplan also and residential traffic may also locates future residents away impact local air quality. from potential sources of air pollution.

NOISE Our CEMP will phase noisy There is potential that activity away from sensitive increased noise and vibration areas and limit working times levels during construction could for activities that could result in impact existing and future high noise/vibration levels. An residents. Beyond this, new acoustic bund along the eastern residents in East Hemel could side of the northern and southern be affected by the noise of sites will reduce noise levels from traffic from the M1. the M1.

DRAINAGE & FLOOD RISK SuDS attenuation features The development could cause including ponds and swales will a change in flood risk due restrict surface runoff to pre- to increased surface runoff development (Greenfield) runoff and pooling/standing water. rates. Sealed attenuation features Groundwater quality may also will prevent the mobilisation of be impacted by mobilisation of contaminated groundwater. contaminated groundwater. East Hemel

Sustainability

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It assumes the conservation of natural assets for future growth and development. At The Crown Estate, we integrate sustainability into all that we do, and it is no different at East Hemel. Our development will create value in five aspects of sustainability – natural, social, human, physical and economic – helping to establish a balanced, diverse and thriving community.

Natural By providing extensive green infrastructure, including two new country parks, East Hemel will make a net positive contribution to habitats, wildlife, green and blue spaces in the local area.

Social East Hemel will create a network of public spaces and community facilities to serve new and existing communities. From cafés and restaurants to cricket pitches, cycling routes and natural amphitheatres in our country parks, East Hemel will be designed with communities in mind.

Human Our masterplan will promote walking and cycling where possible to encourage healthier lifestyles. As well as a design which encourages physical activity, the extensive use of green space, new planting and landscaping, will also improve local air quality and help to mitigate the impact of noise from the M1.

Physical Our strict Design Code will ensure sustainability is integrated throughout the physical environment. We will seek to encourage the use of electric vehicles and renewable energy systems such as photovoltaics and solar thermal heating will ensure carbon emissions are kept low.

Economic During construction and once complete, the mix of uses and functions at East Hemel – from our business campus and warehousing to restaurants and shops – will provide a sustainable economic footing, not just for East Hemel but for the surrounding community as well. East Hemel

Next steps

Summer 2017 continue engaging with the local community as well as pre-application meetings with SADC and neighbouring Dacorum Autumn 2017 consider public consultation responses and finalise Masterplan Late 2017 submit planning application 2018 application determined

Late 2019 work starts on site

2021 first house completions and commercial occupancy

Your views are important to us We want to hear your views about our plans and we will consider all feedback received. We’d be grateful for comments by 4th August 2017.

Feedback forms are available here today, or alternatively you can leave feedback via our consultation website:

www.easthemel.co.uk

You can also get in touch with us via: Phone 020 7554 1898 Email [email protected]

Thank you for attending