One community; one future
The growth of Baldock will deliver significant benefits to the existing and new community: reinforcing the success of the High Street, providing new health and community facilities to meet additional needs and strengthening the prosperity and identity of the town.
Key principles
We have developed the following principles to support and strengthen Baldock Town Centre:
- Strengthening connectivity and routes between the development and Baldock High Street and town centre;
- Creating new community facilities within the new development, and health facilities between the new and existing homes for all;
- Supporting existing businesses to grow and new ventures to be brought to the town: providing jobs and opportunities;
- and Ensuring opportunities are timely, providing early benefits where possible.
You told us…
…new homes must be energy efficient
…housing affordability is a real issue for Baldock
…new healthcare provision needed urgently
…new facilities must be provided early on in the development
…important to support existing facilities in the town centre
Health update and process
Local Centre and the High Street
The development will deliver a new Local Centre in the area of housing north of the railway, next to one of the primary schools. This will be a small collection of shops along with community facilities that meet the day to day needs of residents, but importantly won’t compete with the High Street.
Housing
Around 3,000 new homes are planned. These will be a combination of market and affordable housing and could include homes for later living, extra care, supported living and self or custom build. New homes will cater for all age groups, backgrounds and stages of life.
Employment
Land between the railway and Royston Road is allocated in the Local Plan for employment development. This area could include a health and wellbeing hub, waste and recycling facilities (at the eastern end) and infrastructure to support low-carbon energy generation. Further work is being carried out to understand the demand for employment space following the pandemic. This will help us decide how this area could help grow Baldock sustainably and balance new homes with new job opportunities.
Sports and local food production
We recognise the importance of providing a range of outdoor spaces that encourage healthy lifestyles and activity. Spaces for sport and recreation as well as allotments, community orchards or community gardens, all dedicated to growing, will be a key part of the development.
Baldock community vision
Sustainability
The development will take an ambitious approach to sustainability, by targeting the following:
- New homes will be designed to maximise energy efficiency and minimise bills for future residents. This will include optimising solar gain, shading, and natural ventilation, and to mitigate overheating risk, to improve wellbeing, comfort and reduce energy needs;
- Land will also be set aside for stand-alone renewable energy infrastructure such as battery storage technology;
- ‘Innovation zones’ will be established to encourage innovation in each phase of the development, where a number of dwellings or buildings will target even higher sustainability standards and test new technologies.
Sustainable Baldock
The development will be all-electric allowing it to take advantage of the continued decarbonisation of the electricity grid.
Carbon emissions will be reduced beyond the requirements of the government’s 2025 Future Homes Standard.
All buildings delivered as part of the development will be Net Zero in operational carbon emissions.
Baldock
Net Zero
Carbon offset fund will be created to ensure support for off site investment in energy efficient initiatives, where needed.
Homes and buildings will be highly energy efficient and utilise reneweable heat and electricity generating technologies such as Air Source Heat Pumps, and Solar PV.
Net Zero in operation
