Supporting our local community through ARISE

As part of our commitment to helping the communities in which we live, Gascoyne is a founding member of ARISE. Through ARISE, we award funds to charities and community organisations within Hatfield. This week, we awarded a total of £3,500 to five local groups, which...

Presentation to the OHRA BGM

On 20th November, Anthony Downs presented the latest plans for the redevelopment of Salisbury Square to the Old Hatfield Residents Association Biennial General Meeting. The meeting was well attended and involved a lively and positive discussion about the plans for the square. We would like...

Survey results published

Thank you to the 137 members of the Old Hatfield community who took part in our survey. Collecting and analysing responses to the 8th July exhibition has been enlightening and valuable. The analysis of the results can be found by clicking here, or through our literature...

Thank you for your response

Thank you to all members of the community who have given their views on our proposals. An estimated 250 people came through the doors of York House to talk to our team. The event was overwhelmingly positive in terms of the aim to regenerate this vital...

Salisbury Square – Tell us what you think

We look forward to receiving your views on proposals for Salisbury Square. We hope you are able to join us today in York House. Whether you can join us or not, you can find all the information about the proposals and how to respond to them here. This page includes...

Salisbury Square Exhibition – 8th July – York House

We will be holding an exhibition on Monday 8th July in York House to discuss the future of Salisbury Square. The exhibition will present several options for the future, and seek feedback from the community. There will also be opportunities to discuss the scheme with...

Essendonbury Farm wins 2019 RICS award

We are delighted to announce that our project at Essendonbury Farm has won the Commercial award at the RICS East of England ceremony, and was shortlisted for the Conservation award. Essendonbury Farm is now home to Nicholas Mee & Co., an Aston Martin specialist with over...

Historic landowners and their role in delivering sustainable development

Today, Anthony Downs joined a panel of experts in London to discuss the role of country estates in solving the housing crisis. The discussion was hosted by Planning Futures, a think-tank dedicated to creating innovative solutions to the problems facing developers, planners and communities. Anthony’s...

Advocating for estates with Planning Futures

On the 8th of May, Anthony Downs will be sharing Gascoyne’s development experience with Planning Futures. Planning Futures is a think tank dedicated to the improvement of the planning system in the UK, boasting a list of experienced and influential advisors. The event will focus...

Salisbury Square update

It is ten years since the original Old Hatfield charrette. A number of development projects and general enhancements have been successfully delivered. The heart of Old Hatfield, Salisbury Square, has proved more challenging. Gascoyne has recently announced a desire to revisit the original proposals. More information on...

York House renovations complete

  The refurbishment at York House has been successfully completed. We are delighted to have brought a new face to a landmark building within Salisbury Square - a key aspect of the Old Hatfield charrette in 2008. Work has been undertaken to the highest possible standards,...

East-West Integrated Transport Paper Published

Wednesday 10th April, 2019. Hosted at the Riding School in Hatfield Park during February, the sixth Infrastructure Charrette session returned a focus to Integrated Transport across the County. This provided a platform for the County Council to outline the A414 Corridor Strategy and their process...

Sharing our experience with the TCPA

Last week, Anthony Downs shared the successes of the Hatfield charrette series with a varied audience from the world of planning and local government, all seeking guidance on how to achieve greater public engagement. His presentation focussed on the iterative and developmental nature of a charrette....

Town and Country Planning Association – Getting Public Participation Right

On Thursday 21st March, Gascoyne's Director of Planning and Development, Anthony Downs, will be attending the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) seminar - Getting Public Participation Right. Anthony will speak about charrettes conducted over the past decade by Gascoyne, discussing the original Old Hatfield charrette...

Hertfordshire East-West: Integrated Transport

Wednesday 20th February. Stakeholders from across Hertfordshire came together in the Hatfield Park Riding School for a workshop on East-West transport across the county. Integrated Transport was the sixth workshop in the Infrastructure Charrette series hosted by Gascoyne Estates and the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. It...

The Digital Economy Charrette Paper Published

Wednesday 9th January, 2019. Hosted at Woodhouse Workspaces late last year, the fifth Infrastructure Charrette session focused on our digital futures in Hertfordshire and beyond. With compelling talks and a lively workshop, the session proved useful at bringing thoughts together once again at this vital...

Garden Cities of Tomorrow at Welwyn Hatfield Council

Monday 10th September, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will host a seminar facilitated by Place Services investigating Garden Cities of Tomorrow. Anthony Downs, Gascoyne Cecil Estates Director of Planning & Development, has been asked to talk on the Estates' approach to development as a historic landowner in...

Mill Green Planning Approved

Thursday 16th August, the Development Management Committee of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council unanimously approved the proposals at Mill Green. Gascoyne Cecil Estates and the Mill Green community first began to explore  what could be done to bring greater vitality to the hamlet and the derelict Green...

UH Heritage Hub Exhibition, 3rd May

Thursday 3rd May, the former barber shop at 1, Salisbury Square will host a University of Hertfordshire exhibition on the heritage of Old Hatfield. For the past three years, University of Hertfordshire students studying Architecture and Interior Architecture & Design have been working with the local...

A Second Infrastructure Charrette Paper Published

The second Infrastructure Charrette, late last year, once again brought together business and council officers and members from across Hertfordshire. It facilitated debate around different parties' motivations for working in this field, and asked participants to consider, discuss and rank the key building blocks of civilisation....

Building Blocks of Civilisation – A Second Infrastructure Charrette

"I want a world where my children have a future." On 23rd November last year, Gascoyne Cecil Estates and the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce hosted a further Infrastructure Charrette. This followed on from the inaugural event during the summer of 2017, once again bringing public and...

Minerals at Stanborough Consultation Monday 22 January 4-8pm

Green Lanes Primary School Monday 22nd January, 2017 4pm - 8pm On Monday 22nd January at Green Lanes Primary School, CEMEX UK and Gascoyne Cecil Estates will host an exhibition on proposals to extend existing mineral extraction from Symondshyde to Stanborough and Astwick. Hertfordshire County Council are our local...

Infrastructure Charrette Paper Published

The Infrastructure Charrette earlier this summer brought together local government, local business, transport experts and academics. It stimulated debate around the kind of infrastructure Hertfordshire might need to put in place to accommodate the growth projected over the years ahead. Over the summer, Gascoyne Cecil and...

ARISE for social change

At the beginning of August, the Hatfield Alliance to Reward Initiatives and Social Enterprise (ARISE) granted funding to worthwhile initiatives in Hatfield.             ARISE is a partnership between the Galleria, Ocado, Interserve and Gascoyne Cecil Estates which funds activities and initiatives committed to social change...

Hatfield Park hosts Central Herts. Infrastructure Charrette

On 13th July, Gascoyne Cecil Estates and the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce hosted an Infrastructure Charrette. This marked the launch of a series of events bringing business and the public sector together to discuss planning infrastructure across Hertfordshire. The event comprised quick-fire presentations followed by a...

Planning for the Future – Inaugural Infrastructure Charrette

      On 13th July, Gascoyne Cecil Estates and the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce hosted an Infrastructure Charrette. This marked the launch of a series of events bringing business and the public sector together to discuss planning infrastructure across Hertfordshire. The Charrette opened with presentations exploring...

Local Plan Inspector Appointed

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council submitted the Local Plan for examination on 15 May. The Secretary of State has subsequently appointed Planning Inspector Melvyn Middleton BA(Econ) DipTP DipMgmt MRTPI to carry out an independent examination in public and determine whether or not the Plan is sound. This...

“Are we learning from the past?”

On the Pros and Cons of the “Garden Villages”, the Environment Journal asks: “are we learning from the past?” As Founding Partners of the International Garden Cities Institute, Gascoyne Cecil Estates wholeheartedly agree with the Town and Country Planning Association that our aspiration must be for...

Full Council Votes in Support of the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan

Following a decade of public debate, technical studies and consultation, the decision to approve the draft Local Plan and proceed to examination is a significant moment. Once the Plan has been formally deposited with the Secretary of State, a Planning Inspector will be appointed and, following...

Building Work Begins at York House

A further phase in the regeneration of Old Hatfield commenced last month as work began on York House to the eastern end of Salisbury Square. The project aims to deliver a refurbished landmark building in the Square, a key component of the plans forged with...

Solar Energy

Git dolo magnis explicia nonem deribus simillu ptasse intur? Rae veri volor magnam, ipsantota dunt plabo. Et officiet qui dolor sequam quunt aliquis et quid qui dior sitior sin erum excestibus solut facepellecte inus. Ipsa eaquo maximpos et excea volupta quiataquam elique consequ aestrum la sam...

The Bees at Gascoyne Cecil Estate

Git dolo magnis explicia nonem deribus simillu ptasse intur? Rae veri volor magnam, ipsantota dunt plabo. Et officiet qui dolor sequam quunt aliquis et quid qui dior sitior sin erum excestibus solut facepellecte inus. Ipsa eaquo maximpos et excea volupta quiataquam elique consequ aestrum la sam...

Central Herts Green Corridor Group Public Meeting

Thursday February 23rd, 7pm The Riding School, Stable Yard, Hatfield, AL9 5NE   Central Hertfordshire Green Corridor Group have called a public meeting next Thursday, 23rd February to present, and discuss, their work over the past year since the inaugural meeting in early 2016.   With expertise in ecology, heritage and access, as...

Regulation 19 Consultation Period Exhibitions

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s Regulation 19 Consultation period has now ended, and the Council are in the process of collating responses on their draft Local Plan. To tie in with this process,  Gascoyne Cecil recently completed a consultation series on our sites within the draft...

Forthcoming Exhibitions

Earlier this summer, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council published the draft Local Plan – a planning framework for the Borough running until 2032. The week before last, the final (Regulation 19) Consultation period began, running from August 30th – October 24th. Among the sites allocated in the...

The Squared Village

  Sharp suggested several categories of village for simplicity, to aid understanding. Whilst his next category is the squared village, these groups capture only the core common understanding – in this case, of a village arranged roughly around a square – and in doing so leave...

The Roadside Village

In 1946, Thomas Sharp published a short book on The Anatomy of the Village. Arguing that the English village possesses “a remarkable beauty…a charm and a pleasantness and a whole character”, Sharp suggested a comprehensive approach to meet the pressures of postwar housing might seek...

Local Plan Consultation Dates

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council recently published the following circular: The Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan  has been published in draft form. The public consultation process begins at the end of this month. Running for eight weeks, from August 30th to October 24th, this is an important part...

Station Planting

Following the impressive redevelopment of the station, Gascoyne Cecil are keen to progress plans to ensure that the area becomes an attractive gateway to Hatfield. As part of its long term commitment to the neighbourhood, Gascoyne Cecil have signed up to a Station adoption agreement...

OHRA Picnic on 27 August

One of the many positive outcomes from the Old Hatfield Charrette, in 2008, was the formation of two residents groups: the Old Hatfield Community Forum and the Old Hatfield Residents Association. These two organisations consolidated into a single body during 2015. On Saturday 27 August the...