REVISED HATFIELD PLANNING APPLICATION SUBMITTED
A planning application for the revised Hatfield Town Centre scheme has now been submitted by St. Modwen to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and is live to view and for comment at: www.welhat.gov.uk/hatfieldtowncentre.
An exhibition on the revised scheme will take place over three days, where interested parties are invited to come along to view the revised plans. Presentation boards and plans will be on display to clearly explain the scheme and how it will look. Representatives will also be available throughout the exhibition to discuss the proposals and answer questions.
The exhibition will be held in the old Pizza Hut unit, 1 Hatfield Town Centre:
Ìø‰Û_å¤ Thursday 11 February, 10am – 5pm
Ìø‰Û_å¤ Friday 12 February, 10am – 5pm
Ìø‰Û_å¤ Saturday 13 February, 10am – 2pm
The revised scheme incorporates five new buildings and provides modern shopping and living, together with improved public space and amenities centred on a new Town Square. The design seeks to introduce a centre which is more aligned to a High Street concept offering a variety of shopping uses as a thoroughfare between the town centre anchor stores; Asda to the west and a new anchor store within the new scheme.
The new retail units provide around 80,000 sq ft of space which will accommodate up to 25 retail units, with opportunities for cafés and restaurants.
The residential element is proposed at upper levels above the retail and would provide 97 units ranging from 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. The residential units will be accessed from a number of entrances off the new Town Square.
Other elements of the scheme include a new bus interchange, community and public toilet facilities and a new taxi rank.
Rupert Wood, Regional Director at St. Modwen explained some of the rationale behind the designs, he said: “When we started looking at how to revise the original scheme, we reviewed feedback from the previous consultation and also talked to local businesses, councillors and stakeholders about what they wanted from the town.
“In the design, we’ve taken on board a lot of these comments, including the need for enhanced safety, for a modern retail offer, for life to be brought back to the town and for improved public transport access. Taking this into account, the partners think this scheme, when delivered, will provide the improvements that the town deserves.”
All comments on the proposals should be made in writing to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council by 28 February 2010, to ensure these can be fully considered in the determination of the application.
