More social-rent housing planned for St Albans
Residents are asked to give their views about the proposed designs for a new housing development in the Batchwood area of St Albans.
St Albans City and District Council intends to develop a site off Woollam Crescent that was previously known as The Hedges.
The plan is to create 14 new social-rent housing properties for people on the Council’s housing register who are waiting for a permanent home.
There will be six family-sized, semi-detached houses at the front of the plot, each with three bedrooms and a back garden.
It is intended that they will blend in with existing properties on Woollam Crescent with the design and building materials in keeping with nearby homes.
To the rear of the site, the plan is to build a new apartment building that will include four one-bedroom flats and four two-bedroom ones.
Each ground floor flat will have its own outdoor space while there will also be a communal garden for all to enjoy.
In keeping with the Council’s commitment to tackling climate change and reducing harmful emissions, the houses and flats will be fitted with solar panels to provide renewable energy.
Local residents are being asked by the Council to take a look at the proposals online here: www.stalbans.gov.uk/the-hedges.
They can then give their views by sending an email to thehedges@stalbans.gov.uk by Wednesday 13 May.
Council officers will then analyse the feedback and decide if any changes should be made before submitting a planning application this summer.
Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Inclusion and Protection, said:
One of our top priorities is to provide new social-rent housing for the District.
This proposed development is a further demonstration of our determination to fulfil that goal and comes on top of other ambitious plans we have for social housing in the City Centre and elsewhere.
I would ask for residents, particularly in the Batchwood area, to look at our plans and let us know what they think of them. We will take all views into account before submitting a planning application later this year.
The site currently consists of ten single-storey temporary accommodation properties that were for people on the housing register waiting for a permanent home.
The Council has made it a priority to improve the quality of the accommodation it offers. These are no longer fit for purpose and are now empty.
They will be demolished to make way for the new modern homes that will provide permanent accommodation.
Picture: How the new homes, facing onto Woollam Crescent, might look.
Councillor Contact: Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Inclusion and Protection for St Albans City and District Council: cllr.j.taylor@stalbans.gov.uk; 07971 906343.
Media contact:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City and District Council: 01727- 819533; john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.