PLANS to build 357 new homes on the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead took a giant leap closer to being realised after Davorum Borough Council agreed to endorse them.
The planning application to build the homes on land owned by the Homes and Communites Agency (HCA) on Three Cherry Trees Lane went before Dacorum’s development control committee on Thursday evening.
Councillors voted to endorse the construction of the homes, but delegated powers to planning officers at the council to finalise the relevant Section 106 agreement.
This will set out what money which developers must pay towards community facilities, should be spent on.
The application was originally submitted to Dacorum Borough Council in November 2009.
But the 106 agreement was never finalised, and due to the application remaining dormant for so long, it had to go back before the planners for fresh scrutiny.
In the planning outline, four key areas have been identified that could be sold off to prospective developers under a ‘build now, pay later’ scheme.
It is hoped that this method, which enables developers to sell their homes before paying for the land, will encourage more companies to take advantage of the site.
Assistant director for planning, development and regeneration at the council James Doe said: “The 106 agreement will cover a lot of things, most of these will relate to highways improvements by the site and around Maylands.”
Adjacent land to the site has also been identified for housing the council’s emerging core strategy.
A total of 600 homes could eventually be built alongside Three Cherry Trees Lane.
This week’s planning
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