A new office hub has been approved by Hertsmere Borough Council to be built on farmland on the Aldenham Estate in Elstree, Hertfordshire.
The Home Farm Hub will be comprised of more than 15,000 sq ft of workspace, inspired by the hybrid work model which has emerged in the pandemic.
The plans include a range of different types of workspaces, including meeting rooms, offices, and single desks, as well as an on-site café, an exercise studio, a kitchen garden and outdoor spaces, with hopes that it will attract hybrid workers, being just half an hour by train from London Kings Cross.
Original Victorian structures will be restored, with low-quality post-war barns being replaced with timer structures built from locally sourced wood.
Though the scheme is in the green belt, due to it being used for employment purposes on previously a previously developed site, it meets all relevant green belt, commercial, rural and diversification policies set out in the Hertsmere Development Plan and the National Planning Policy.
Estate manager Humphrey Gibbs said “We can’t wait to restore and repurpose the farm for the benefit of the local business community and future generations. Home Farm was originally built as a “model farm” to showcase innovative farming practices, so it feels quite apt that it should now be used by ambitious local businesses.
This regeneration and landscaping work will preserve the ecological integrity of the farm and help it to thrive for years to come, and we hope to be able to attract residents with a similar passion for the great outdoors.”
Work is set to start in October, with completion scheduled for 2024.
Image source- Aldenham Estate
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