Planning permission secured for Westwick Row, Hemel Hempstead
David Lock Associates is delighted to have supported The Crown Estate and TOWN. in securing planning permission for Westwick Row, an innovative new neighbourhood of 75 homes at Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead. The development, now approved by Dacorum Borough Council, showcases how new housing models and community participation can support more sustainable and socially connected neighbourhoods.
The proposals bring together two distinctive housing offers: a 31-home cohousing community and 44 Build to Rent homes, including affordable housing and a tiered discounted market offer. Plans for the cohousing community have been shaped through close collaboration with current and future residents. The concept centres around individual private homes that have access to shared gardens and a communal Common House, providing spaces for residents to meet, share resources and participate in community life. The wider neighbourhood has been designed around similar principles, with homes arranged around shared gardens, play spaces and green routes. Westwick Row will be managed under a long-term stewardship model designed to ensure a well-maintained, cohesive, and participatory neighbourhood, responding to the unique mix of tenures and landscape led design.
Our team led the preparation of the original Planning Strategy, the delivery of a programme of highly effective pre-application engagement, which established a positive and collaborative working relationship with Dacorum Borough Council and wider stakeholders, as well as submission and negotiation of the planning application. Securing planning permission for the development is critical milestone for the project and we are proud to have supported The Crown Estate, TOWN. and the wider project team including Periscope, Mole and Archio, in bringing forward the proposals and securing this positive outcome.
