Unveiled - vision for future of Old Hatfield
Posted by Old Hatfield Residents Association on Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Under: Wewlyn Hatfield Times
By Ross logan, Welwyn Hatfield Times, Wednesday, 13th July, 2011
Provisional plans to reinvigorate an historic part of Hatfield with an £8.2m redevelopment scheme have been presented to Welwyn Hatfield Council.
Proposals to redevelop Salisbury Square, in Old Hatfield, were outlined during a development consultation forum held at Campus West on Thurday.
The scheme, drawn up by Gascoyne Cecil Estates, which manages nearby Hatfield House, would see a row of 1970s shops and maisonettes demolished and replaced by new shops, a new public space the reinstatement of the historic Great North Road route and increased car parking.
A terrace of five new dwellings would also be built opposite the Dunham's Yard housing development, creating a new residential street.
At the development forum presentation, Gascoyne Cecil chief executive Peter Clegg showed councillors and members of the public historic pictures of a bustling Salisbury Square, and said it was possible to make Old Hatfield a desirable shopping destination again.
"We were becoming concerned that Old Hatfield was getting run down, and was continuing to decline" Mr Clegg said.
"It (the scheme) is about quality in a fantastic location - it is not impossible to do good things in Old Hatfield"
The £8.2m scheme will, however, make an initial loss of around £1.5m, because the cost of the building work is higher than the initial commercial value of the land.
Councillors were largely impressed with the scheme.
Labour councillor Maureen Cook said the plans looked "very, very good", before adding she'd like to see public toilets included in the development.
A planning application is expected to be submitted this autumn. If approved, redevelopment would start in 2014/15.
The Salisbury Square scheme was the first of two large scale developments to go to a consultation forum in as many weeks.
Tonight (wednesday), a forum will be held on plans to redevelop the QE2 Hospital site. The meeting starts at Campus West, in WGC, at 7.30pm.
Provisional plans to reinvigorate an historic part of Hatfield with an £8.2m redevelopment scheme have been presented to Welwyn Hatfield Council.
Proposals to redevelop Salisbury Square, in Old Hatfield, were outlined during a development consultation forum held at Campus West on Thurday.
The scheme, drawn up by Gascoyne Cecil Estates, which manages nearby Hatfield House, would see a row of 1970s shops and maisonettes demolished and replaced by new shops, a new public space the reinstatement of the historic Great North Road route and increased car parking.
A terrace of five new dwellings would also be built opposite the Dunham's Yard housing development, creating a new residential street.
At the development forum presentation, Gascoyne Cecil chief executive Peter Clegg showed councillors and members of the public historic pictures of a bustling Salisbury Square, and said it was possible to make Old Hatfield a desirable shopping destination again.
"We were becoming concerned that Old Hatfield was getting run down, and was continuing to decline" Mr Clegg said.
"It (the scheme) is about quality in a fantastic location - it is not impossible to do good things in Old Hatfield"
The £8.2m scheme will, however, make an initial loss of around £1.5m, because the cost of the building work is higher than the initial commercial value of the land.
Councillors were largely impressed with the scheme.
Labour councillor Maureen Cook said the plans looked "very, very good", before adding she'd like to see public toilets included in the development.
A planning application is expected to be submitted this autumn. If approved, redevelopment would start in 2014/15.
The Salisbury Square scheme was the first of two large scale developments to go to a consultation forum in as many weeks.
Tonight (wednesday), a forum will be held on plans to redevelop the QE2 Hospital site. The meeting starts at Campus West, in WGC, at 7.30pm.