Latest news regarding the Baldock, Bygrave & Clothall Neighbourhood Plan Group
In Summer 2025, Urban&Civic intend to submit a Strategic Master Plan, and an Outline Planning Application to NHDC for approval
* December 2024 – U&C presented their latest plans for the Baldock area to the Baldock Committee
Paul Mumford of Urban&Civic gave an update of their plans to the Baldock Committee, including –
1. 3000 houses to be built over the next 10 Years, of which 40% should be affordable.
2. in Summer 2025, U&C will submit a Strategic Master Plan, and an Outline Planning application to NHDC for approval.
3. New builds may start in 2026/27, possibly on the BA2 land below the mobile homes.
4. It was mentioned that there is only Sewage Capacity for another 200 homes in Baldock, and a new Baldock to Letchworth sewage pumping installation would need to be built.
5. Similar presentations have been made to the local villages, including Ashwell
There are more Baldock planning details on the U&C website – growingbaldock.co.uk
* Summer 2024 – HCC / U&C presentation of revised plans for the Baldock area
– In Summer 2024, Herts County Council and Urban&Civic were intending to present revised plans for developments in the Baldock area, before submitting their plans to NHDC in 2025. The number of meetings and venues were still to be decided.
There are more Baldock details on the U&C website – growingbaldock.co.uk
U&C main website is – urbanandcivic.com
re Baldock – urbanandcivic.com/portfolio/strategic-sites/baldock
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For events prior to 2024, see History page
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* Request for more people to join BBPlan
– With future local developments planned, we would like to encourage more people within Baldock, Bygrave & Clothall to join the BBPlanning group – see the Join & Privacy page. Alternatively email info@bbplan.co.uk to let us know if you are interested, or would like further information.
Neighbourhood Plan ‘Made’ by NHDC Cabinet on Tues 29th June 2021
During the NHDC (North Herts District Council) Cabinet meeting on Tues 29th June, the Neighbourhood plan was formally adopted (Made) and will now come into force. It should be considered during future Planning activities in the area.
Neighbourhood Plan approved by a referendum vote on Thur 6th May 2021
6th May 2021 – 88% (3101 votes) of Referendum respondents voted in favour of NHDC adopting the Plan. It will come into force as soon as the NHDC Cabinet formally adopt (Make) the Plan.
The Jan 2021 version of the Neighbourhood Plan was approved by NHDC as ready for a referendum vote in Jan 2021. The referendum vote took place on Thurs 6 May 2021, when 88% (3101) residents voted in favour of NHDC adopting the Plan.
Further details of the Referendum vote and associated documents may be found on the History page.
We have got to this stage following an enormous amount of work by many people in the local community, and most recently following a vote by NHDC’s Cabinet to ‘make’ the Neighbourhood Plan.
A very small number of changes were made to the Jan 2021 version of the Neighbourhood Plan following the Examiner’s report, but he endorsed the vast majority of the plan, including the importance of keeping a gap between Baldock and Bygrave, requirements for improved facilities and for well designed and sustainable development.
Baldock’s Urban Extension Programme
The local paper, the Comet reported on 24th June 2021 that Herts County Council (HCC) have appointed Urban&Civic as the master developer for the Baldock area. This is to progress HCC’s plans for the new developments around Baldock, once the revised version of the NHDC Local Plan is made available by the Inspector (in 2022).
HCC expect to submit a new planning application, for the whole of Baldock, after the Local Plan hearings conclude. In the meantime, focus will be on the land marked as B4 in the Local Plan. As this land is not part of the Green Belt it is not subject to Local Plan approval and timetable.
The article in the Comet reports that the changes suggested by the Inspector, Simon Berkeley, would see Baldock’s Local Plan housing contribution reduce from 3,386 to 2198 (within the Plan period to 2031). These changes were proposed as part of a HCC / NHDC consultation, which ended on June 24th 2021.
In the consultation document, the proposed modifications for Baldock are given in MM205, MM207 (BA3) & MM210 (which proposes BA1 houses reduced from 2800 to 2500, with 1400 completed within the Plan period to 2031). FM117 gives the details for Bygrave.