75 properties for first time buyers cut from 600-home plan
75 properties for first time buyers cut from 600-home plan
07/01/2026 18:33
Planned discounted homes for first time buyers have been removed from a 600-home scheme near Whippendell Wood.
Outline plans for the large estate to the north of Little Green Lane, Croxley Green, also providing a primary school, business units and a medical centre, were submitted in December 2024.
The 600 properties included 75 designated ‘first homes’, which would have been offered with at least a 30 per cent discount for first time buyers when put on the market.
However, an addendum uploaded to the planning portal on behalf of the applicant now states this will no longer be delivered.
It explains that the government’s revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework removed the requirement that a quarter of affordable housing units be ‘first homes’ and “we are therefore proposing to remove this provision”.
Half of the homes are still proposed as affordable, but the 75 ‘first homes’ have been swapped for 90 designated as ‘affordable home ownership’ properties.
‘Affordable home ownership’ is a broader definition which also includes shared ownership and other similar schemes, rather than solely outright discounts for first time buyers to fully own their own homes.
The rest of the affordable homes will be for social or affordable rent, in-line with the original mix.
The applicant had previously said the proposed neighbourhood is “high-quality, well-connected, and sustainable”.
“There is a chronic shortage of affordable housing in the Croxley Green area and this application responds to this need,” it added.
“Taking cues from some of older parts of Croxley Green and the surrounding local villages, our vision aims to create a lasting legacy and place to be proud of, comprising a variety of well-designed homes suitable for people at every stage of life.”
The proposal includes money for a new bus service through the development.
It remains pending consideration, with the consultation period currently set to end on Thursday (January 8).
This has been extended multiple times during a process which appears to have stalled over Hertfordshire Highways’ claims that insufficient information had been submitted on traffic matters.
So far, 667 objections and 32 supporting comments have been submitted by members of the public.