Lands Improvement has obtained planning consent for 196 homes on a former 47 acre brownfield site in Welwyn, Hertfordshire (UK), known as “The Frythe”.
The site is situated in an attractive parkland setting, surrounded by a mixture of pasture, arable fields and woodland.
The 29 acres of the overall site had previously contained vacant research and development facilities of 439,000 sq ft of space with a total footprint of 204,000 sq ft. These unused buildings have now been demolished, leaving the historic country house built in 1846 as a key focal point for the development.
Since the initial purchase Lands Improvement has also acquired the freehold of the land which was previously a 999 year leasehold.
Kevin Moriarty, managing director of Lands Improvement, says: “We are delighted to have obtained planning consent for this large development, which will breathe life into a brown field site. We see further opportunities across the UK to package land for development and we are encouraged by the Coalition’s determination to break the planning status quo. The country needs new homes to be built and LIH has specialist experience of working with local authorities and communities to bring land forward. We have a strong development pipeline and expect it to grow.”