Fresh plans for Bishop's Stortford's Goods Yard
Solum Regeneration has submitted a new planning application to continue its transformation of the Goods Yard site next to Bishop's Stortford railway station with around 740 new homes.
The developer has submitted a hybrid plan – part detailed and part outline – to East Herts Council to continue its vision for a "uniquely convenient address for rail commuters".
It refines the masterplan for the southern part of the site, bound by the River Stort, the railway, London Road and Station Road.
It follows the hybrid planning application for the whole of the brownfield site that was granted in July 2018. That included detailed permission for the north of the site where Solum is completing delivery of several elements of the scheme, including the new road that links London Road to Station Road, known as Sextons Road, and the first of two multi-storey car parks with 401 spaces on Anchor Street.
Two substantial plots of land containing the first two phases of residential blocks with retail units have been sold to Bellway Homes and the first of 323 apartments are already occupied.
Solum Regeneration is a partnership between Network Rail and Kier Property. Changes to the overall scheme have been driven by Network Rail's decision to retain part of the railway sidings rather than build on them.
The new proposals include up to 423 homes in all, including seven custom-built dwellings, 3,276 sq m of commercial space and the second multi-storey.
The application includes detailed plans for 178 homes comprising 88 one-bed flats, 85 two-bed apartments and five three-bed homes. The outline proposals are for 245 apartments, the seven custom-built properties and up to 565 spaces in the new car park, to be shared between residents and station users.
Solum Regeneration still envisages a hotel on the site, with commercial or community space on the ground floor, but this proposal is not part of the current planning application.
The developer says in evidence to the district council: "The Goods Yard will be a thriving residential and mixed-use community that is physically and socially integrated with the rest of Bishop's Stortford.
"It will be a much sought after place in which to live, offering a uniquely convenient address for rail commuters with a wide range of social, community and commercial facilities, all in an exceptional setting.
"Its layout and design will reflect its proximity to the high street and the River Stort. We expect it will also become a visitor destination in its own right, complementing the high street and thereby significantly increasing the attractiveness and prosperity of Bishop's Stortford.
"Visitors will be attracted by the new riverside and wharf side cafés and shops, by the new parks and by the continuous riverside walk."
