Social enterprise Places for People has secured resolution to grant planning permission for its ambitious proposals for Gilston Park Estate from East Herts District Council.
The proposals will see the creation of six villages delivering 8,500 new homes in East Hertfordshire set over 1,000 hectares of land. The plans also include two new secondary schools and up to six primary schools, healthcare facilities, a leisure centre and sport facilities, a new community centre and 29,200 sq m of commercial and 25,100 sq m of retail and leisure space.
The site forms part of the wider Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, which has been earmarked by the government for the delivery of 23,000 new homes.
Adrian Bohr, CEO of Places for People Developments, said: “We are delighted to reach this significant planning milestone, getting the go-ahead for our 20-year plan to build an inclusive and attractive new village community in Gilston. Our proposals for Gilston Park Estate clearly demonstrate what sets Places for People apart.
“We’re not just another volume house builder, we are committed to adding lasting social value to the communities we build to make them the very best for the people who will live, work and visit them. It is a responsibility we do not take lightly.”
Places for People will now work in close collaboration with HGGT Partners to finalise the Section 106 legal agreement. Architects JTP and landscape architects Grant Associates, will also progress the masterplan for the first village, which will provide around 1,800 homes, and the strategic landscape masterplan.
