Land at Highover Farm, Hitchin

April 2025 Update - Planning Applications - current status

Applications submitted

Following the granting of outline consent for the site in November 2024, ref: 18/01154/OP, a series of planning applications have been submitted to the Council, these setting parameters for later development on site. The planning applications that have recently been submitted are:

• Strategic Infrastructure Reserved Matters – covering the main spine road from Stotfold Road to High Dane (The Avenue) and all strategic drainage including two ponds, various swales and drainage runs necessary to drain the spine road and most of the site. Submitted 23rd December 2024. Application number 24/02780/RM
  
• Discharge of Condition 5 of 18/01154/OP - phasing strategy. Submitted 20th December 2024. Application number 25/00076/DOC
  
• Discharge of Condition 6 of 18/01154/OP – Design Code. Submitted 20th December 2024. Application number 24/02906/DOC.
  
• Discharge of Condition 20 of 18/01154/OP – Site Investigation Phase 2, this provides a detailed overview of soil and groundwater conditions, alongside further review to identify the presence of any contamination on site. This was submitted and registered on the 1st April 2025 (application number 25/00916/DOC) although still awaiting validation.
  

Summary details of the above applications are included on the following board and can also be reviewed on the project website or by going to the Council’s planning pages, and entering the relevant reference details.

Future Applications

There are also a number of applications to discharge other planning conditions set within the outline consent in preparation, which will be submitted over the course of the next couple of months, including:

• Condition 12 – Sustainability Strategy
  
• Condition 13 - Open Space Management and Maintenance Scheme
  
• Condition 14 – Site Waste Management Plan
  
• Condition 15 – Drainage Detailed Design
  
• Condition 17 – Design and Operation of proposed bus gate
  
• Condition 18 – Construction Traffic Management Plan
  
• Condition 19 – On-site Fire Hydrant provision
  
• Condition 21 – Landscape and Ecological Management Plan
  

To prepare the site for development, other works including archaeological site investigation (as required by Condition 16) will take place, as will the erection of tree and hedge protection (as set out in the informative to Condition 26). The archaeological works will take in the region of 3 months. No start date for these or the tree/hedge works has yet been set, but this detail will be displayed on the project website in due course.

In line with S106 Legal Agreement requirements, a footpath link design between the site and Armour Drive, Collinson Close, Highover Way and High Dane is also being prepared.

Finally, details of the first residential phase are being prepared, this includes the Hitchin Meadows Open Space and Ecological Areas detail.