ACRE has submitted proposals for an 84-home development in Sandridge near St Albans.
The Hertfordshire-based developer’s plans for its four-acre Shottfield Close scheme include a 50 per cent proportion of affordable homes.
The design of the proposal is ‘outward looking’ according to South London architects Dowen Farmer, since homes will be arranged around new public realm in a cul-de-sac format which is accessible to vehicles
A spokesperson for ACRE told Architects’ Journal: “The central aspiration for the development is to connect people and nature across the site. Our masterplan brings forward a new neighbourhood that balances contemporary living with the character of its rural surroundings, placing landscape, ecology and community at the heart of its design.”
While the project team believes the site to constitute Grey Belt development under the current National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) definition, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) disagrees. CPRE has launched a campaign to oppose ACRE’s development on the basis that the site is designated as London Metropolitan Green Belt Land, being adjacent to Heartwood Forest.
The planning application reference on the St Albans City & District Council planning portal is 5/2025/1556.
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