Planning submitted for Westwick Row.

The proposals include 75 timber-framed, all-electric homes, made up of a cohousing community and a mix of new homes for rent. They are arranged in small clusters around shared gardens, play areas, green routes and a central public square.

Homes are designed to meet ambitious sustainability targets, with embodied carbon under 300 kgCO₂/m² and operational energy use below 35 kWh/m²/yr, aligned with LETI 2030 standards. The landscape plan strengthens existing hedgerows, introduces more than 125 new trees and sets aside around 30% of the site for green and blue infrastructure, including rain gardens and space for growing food.

A key part of the project has been the involvement of local people and future residents. More than 30 hours of structured codesign workshops – alongside thorough public consultation – brought together a wide range of voices from Leverstock Green, the Westwick Row Cohousing Group and renters who formed a dedicated panel to inform the rental element. Their ideas shaped everything from street layouts and access routes to the design of shared buildings and the character of public space. The aim of the scheme test a new model for how neighbourhoods can be created and stewarded in the long term.

Subject to approval, the scheme will provide 75 dual-aspect homes, a community hub, generous public space and new walking and cycling links connecting Leverstock Green with future neighbourhoods to the east of Hemel Hempstead.