Lovell to helm £45M Hatfield regeneration scheme

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has contracted regeneration specialist Lovell to carry out a comprehensive £45M redevelopment of the High View Neighbourhood Centre.

The mixed-use redevelopment – situated in Hatfield, Hertfordshire – will breath new life into the Neighbourhood Centre, which dates back to the 1950s. A tired shopping precinct will give way to high-quality retail and housing provision, and bring with it a raft of community benefits.

The regeneration is still in its infant stages however. Work now begins on a planning application to outline in detail exactly how the redevelopment will be phased. Crucially, these designs will look to preserve the existing character of central Hatfield.

It is thought that the regeneration will create 150 new homes, ranging from one-bedroom flats to three-bedroom houses. Around 1,980sq m of retail space will be made available to existing tenants and new businesses, while access to the nearby Jim McDonald Community Centre is to be greatly enhanced.

Roger Trigg, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s Executive Member for Corporate Property, said: “The absolute focus for us throughout this process has been finding the right partner to revive High View, recognising its history and place at the heart of the community.

“The redeveloped homes and business spaces will breathe new life into the area and we also hope to improve its accessibility, both locally and to other parts of the town. We are starting to develop more detailed plans and look forward to hearing what everyone thinks about the proposals later next year.”

Stephen Norton, Regional Regeneration Director at Lovell, added: “We’re very excited to have been selected to work in partnership with the local community and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council on this major regeneration programme for the High View neighbourhood centre.

“Our team has a strong record of delivering large-scale, community-focused regeneration schemes and we look forward to bringing that expertise to this important project for South Hatfield.”

Lovell has pledged to deliver significant job and training opportunities throughout the regeneration. Eight apprenticeships will be made available, in addition to a raft of construction-related skills courses for residents and various work experience placements.

A planning application for the regeneration is to be submitted in 2018 with construction set to complete by 2022.

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