Plans to build 101 homes – including 35 affordable properties – on land close to the Buncefield oil depot have been drawn up.
Dacorum Borough Council has submitted an outline planning application for land on the corner of Buncefield Lane and Wood Lane End in Hemel Hempstead.
Under the Maylands Gateway Residential Development there would be a total of 34 two-bedroom houses, 35 with three bedrooms, 16 four-bed homes and 16 two-bedroom flats.
A total of 194 car parking spaces are included in the proposal, along with a public space within the centre of the development.
The application is part of wider growth and regeneration plans designed to create more variety in the area.
This will include more homes, places to shop, eat and socialise alongside businesses say council planning chiefs.
The Buncefield depot exploded in December 2005 when a storage tank overflowed, causing devastation to the surrounding area.
But council bosses say the proposed housing site is not within the Health and Safety Executive’s designated consultation zones around the oil terminal. These are areas where the HSE must be consulted on planning applications and may advise on restricting a development depending on its proximity to the depot.
A spokesman for the borough council said: “The Maylands Gateway area represents a key opportunity to provide much needed housing and commercial space for the needs of a growing Hemel Hempstead.
“This is an identified employment-led, mixed-use site within the Maylands Gateway Development brief.
“The new residential development complements already established housing at Hales Park, and will act as a catalyst for development in the area and enabling key infrastructure improvements to take place in the locality.”
Neighbours to the proposed development are currently being consulted. One respondent from Wood Lane End is concerned about traffic congestion during rush hour and the problem of speeding motorists.