Homes and facilities
It is vital that new facilities and amenities are delivered alongside new homes to support both existing and future residents.
New Homes
Affordable Homes will include:
- Shared ownership, allowing residents to purchase a share and buy more over time.
- Affordable Rent, supporting those on the local housing list to access new homes.
Schools
The new homes will initially support filling places at existing primary schools. To accommodate long-term growth, two new primary schools are planned north of the railway.
Space is also being made available for a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school.
For secondary education, a flexible approach will be taken in partnership with local stakeholders, with a shared aspiration to deliver a larger, relocated Knights Templar School (KTS) within the new development.
As funding is not yet secured for this preferred option, the planning application will include three potential scenarios to ensure resilience:
- Relocate and expand KTS to a new site within the development (preferred option), shown on the plan above.
- Expand KTS on its existing site.
- Open a smaller new secondary school in the proposed location to work alongside KTS.
These options will continue to be explored in collaboration with Urban&Civic, the District and County Councils and the Department for Education over the coming years.
Health
A new Health Hub will be created to serve new and existing residents, in a central and accessible location.
The vision for the hub includes services provided by existing town healthcare providers, such as:
- GPs and nurses
- Community paramedics
- Social prescribing
- Preventive health advice
- Community health services.
The final design and scale will be confirmed through the planning process.
Town Centre and Local Centre
The new homes will be connected to Baldock town centre via safe and convenient walking, cycling and bus routes, supporting increased footfall and spending on the High Street.
A Local Centre will be established in the northern area of the development, offering doorstep amenities, including:
- A nursery
- Community centre
- Convenience store
- Café.
Details will be refined during the future planning stages.
Sports and Play
The development will include a wide range of play areas, sports facilities and green spaces, designed with sustainability, local heritage and nature in mind. Play areas will encourage children to learn about movement and develop confidence.
We are proposing two larger sports hubs (at Cambrai Fields and the Heritage Park), with smaller sports areas for informal activity within the other green spaces. This could include:
- Multi-Use Games Areas (MUGAs) with tennis and netball courts
- Grass pitches for adult and mini football
- All-weather pitches
- Potential cricket provision
- Sports pavilions with changing rooms and parking for cars and bikes
- Outdoor gym equipment in green spaces
All final designs will be shaped through ongoing dialogue with local sports clubs and the planning authority.
Growing Spaces
- Allotments at North Road will be enhanced and access to Clothall Road allotments improved.
- Community gardens, orchards and informal growing spaces will be introduced at Bygrave Common and Heritage Park.
- These will feature fruit and nut trees, herb plantings and opportunities to ‘pick on your way’ while walking through green corridors.
| Key document | What it will show |
|---|---|
| Parameter Plan | Location of schools, health centre, local centre, green spaces |
| Design and Access Statement | Placemaking and integration of new facilities |
| Environmental Statement (socio-economic) |
Socio-economic impacts and mitigation |
| Social Value Statement | Positive impacts on social value and community |