Speak Up Hertfordshire!

What is the East of England Plan to 2021?

The East of England Plan sets out a strategy for planning and development in the East of England Region until 2021. It sets out policies for economic development, housing, the environment, transport, waste management, culture, sport and recreation and mineral extraction.

The plan includes a requirement to build a minimum of 508,000 new homes in the region by 2021, including at least 83,200 in Hertfordshire.

It was drafted by EERA, and a public consultation took place between 8 December 2004 and 16 March 2005. The plan was then developed further by the government and a final version was published by the Secretary of State in May 2008.

Hertfordshire County Council has launched a legal challenge to the plan. The county council believes that the government failed to consider alternatives to the proposed growth areas and failed to carry out adequate environmental assessments under the relevant regulations and directives. In addition, the council believes that the rationale for the major development in Hertfordshire, north of Harlow, is flawed and the plan fails to address transport and sewerage infrastructure needed to support this scale of growth.

What does this mean for Hertfordshire

The plan requires a minimum of 83,200 news homes to be built in Hertfordshire by 2021. This breaks down to the following numbers in each district.

This breaks down into the following numbers of new dwellings for each district:

• Broxbourne: 5,600
• Dacorum: 12,000
• East Hertfordshire: 12,000 (plus a further 10,000 north of Harlow not included in the plan)
• Hertsmere: 5,000
• North Hertfordshire: 6,200 (plus further housing from the Luton/Dunstable Growth Area)
• St Albans: 7,200
• Stevenage: 16,000
• Three Rivers: 4,000
• Watford: 5,200
• Welwyn Hatfield: 10,000