Community Garden for The Crown Estate

We are thrilled to announce that last week we secured planning permission for the Cherry Tree Lane Community Garden in Hemel Hempstead, on behalf of our client The Crown Estate (TCE). St Albans City & District Council approved the community garden which forms a part of the Hemel Garden Communities programme. The project will be run in partnership with the Sunnyside Rural Trust, a charity and social enterprise local to the area, which offers training and work experience for vulnerable people.

The community garden illustrates TCE’s approach and commitment to early investment in ‘transformation projects,’ and multiple community engagement events were run for local residents to gather feedback on the proposals and raise awareness of the potential benefits the project would create for the community and wildlife. Prepared in collaboration with Gillespies and Temple Ecology, the project will repurpose an arable field on the edge of the urban area to deliver an accessible and inclusive amenity space which provides opportunities for local residents to experience and get involved in nature, landscaping and gardening activities.

The community garden offers a safe and inclusive access to part of TCE’s landholding, and will provide a ‘place for pause’ in the local area. In addition, the garden will create species rich meadows, planting of new cherry trees and an accessible planting area, which will achieve an impressive 167% biodiversity net gain from its existing use. Visit the TCE website For more information and to check the sites progress.