Local Plan 2026

This page contains a short summary about what’s at stake in Welwyn Parish if the new Local Plan proceeds in its current shape. It goes on to explain how residents can respond to the consultation to make their views known.

WHBC has begun a new Local Plan exercise. This follows hot on the heels of the seemingly neverending saga of the 2012 Local Plan, which was finally adopted in 2023. That plan was due to be “topped up” with more housing sites, but instead WHBC decided to restart a whole new plan – this one with a larger requirement for new housing than the previous one.

After a “call for sites” process in 2025, WHBC received bids from developers to put new homes on a large number of sites across the whole borough. After some assessment by the planning officers, a list of their preferred sites has been published for consultation.

The consultation is live, and runs until Thursday 26th March 2026.

The sites in this consultation are in addition to the sites previously approved under the old Local Plan. Those have not changed, and will still be developed at some stage.

Around Welwyn Parish, five new sites have either been proposed for development, or proposed as alternative development sites if the main proposals don’t get accepted:

1. PROPOSED SITE: Welwyn Village: site reference “HEL-73”

Formerly known as “WEL 1”, “WEL 2” and “WEL 15”

This site would completely fill the rural gap between Hawbush and Linces with 232 new homes, and a new road network – including a new road through Singlers Marsh. It would completely surround the cemetery and the evangelical church with a sea of new homes. 500 extra cars would flow down Fulling Mill Lane and join a traffic network at Codicote Road that is already paralysed by the additional traffic levels stemming from housing developments in Codicote and Knebworth.

2. ALTERNATIVE SITE: Welwyn Village: site reference “HEL-74″

Formerly known as “WEL 1” and “WEL 2”

This site would completely fill the rural gap between Hawbush and Linces with 240 new homes, and a new road network – including a new road through Singlers Marsh. It would completely surround the cemetery and the evangelical church with a sea of new homes. 500 extra cars would flow down Fulling Mill Lane and join a traffic network at Codicote Road that is already paralysed by the additional traffic levels stemming from housing developments in Codicote and Knebworth.

This site is the same as HEL-73, apart from the fallow field between the Evangelical Church and the Riverside houses which is excluded. This site is only to be considered if HEL-73 is not used. (HEL-73 above is effectively the result of combining this HEL-74 with HEL-20 below).

This site is listed by WHBC as an Alternative Site, in the event that their main proposals are not accepted.

3. ALTERNATIVE SITE: Welwyn Village: site reference “HEL-20“

Formerly known as “WEL 15”

This site would fill the fallow field between the Evangelical Church and the Riverside houses with between 14 and 25 new homes. Hertfordshire County Council has previously said that this would require an upgrading of Fulling Mill Lane and a new bridge over the Mimram.

This site is listed by WHBC as an Alternative Site, in the event that their main proposals are not accepted.

4. ALTERNATIVE SITE: Digswell: site reference “HEL-24”

Formerly known as “DIG 1”

This site would fill the open field to the East of New Road with 100 new homes, all joining New Road at its southern end where it joins Hertford Road – which is already a traffic bottleneck at rush hour.

This site is listed by WHBC as an Alternative Site, in the event that their main proposals are not accepted.

5. ALTERNATIVE SITE: Welwyn Village: site reference “HEL-40”

Formerly known as “WEL 16”

This site would fill the hillside south of School Lane with between 63 and 95 new homes. The traffic from these homes would gridlock School Lane as well as the High Street.

This site is listed by WHBC as an Alternative Site, in the event that their main proposals are not accepted.

*** WHAT WE ARE DOING ***

WPAG has convened a Local Plan Working Group along with Welwyn Parish Council and several local experts. We are assessing the overall strategy of the proposed new Local Plan with a view to submitting a detailed critique of the proposals and the process being followed by WHBC, as well as comments on the individual sites.

*** WHAT YOU CAN DO ***

We are encouraging residents of Welwyn Village, Digswell, Oaklands and Mardley Heath to respond to WHBC’s public consultation on the individual sites that have been proposed.

To do this, you will need to create a login on WHBC’s Local Plan consultation portal website at https://welwynhatfieldlocalplan.commonplace.is

The portal can be a little difficult to navigate initially. On the home page of the portal, if you scroll all the way down you will find a section called “REGULATION 18 – SITE ALLOCATIONS” (on other pages, this might be under “DISCOVER MORE“).

  • HEL-73 (Welwyn, Fulling Mill Lane – 232 homes) can be found in the “Current and Proposed Site Allocations in Tier 2 Settlements” section
  • HEL-74 (Welwyn, Fulling Mill Lane – 240 homes) can be found in the “Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations” section
  • HEL-20 (Welwyn, Fulling Mill Lane – 14-25 homes) can be found in the “Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations” section
  • HEL-24 (Digswell, New Road – 100 homes) can be found in the “Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations” section
  • HEL-40 (Welwyn, School Lane – 63-95 homes) can be found in the “Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations” section

Each of these sections has an interactive map that lets you find the area of interest and see the proposed sites. If you see a site in Welwyn that is not listed on this page, those sites have already been allocated under the previous Local Plan and are not up for engagement at this time.

You can enter comments one site at a time.

After you enter your comments, you will be asked for anonymous information about yourself, so that WHBC can understand which part of the population you represent. It seems that this information is all optional.

If you wish to comment on another site, you have to navigate back to the section as before.

If you encounter any problems or need advice filling out the consultation, the easiest way to ask for help is to leave a comment on our Facebook post about this.

*** ALTERNATIVE FEEDBACK SUBMISSION METHOD ***

The overall Local Plan document can be downloaded in its entirety from this link. Comments can then be emailed directly to WHBC using email address .

Here are some comments that have been suggested for the sites around Welwyn Parish:

HEL-73 (Welwyn, Fulling Mill Lane – 232 homes)

  • Current and Proposed Site Allocations in Tier 2 Settlements section
  • Major overcrowding of the road network, which is already struggling with current levels of traffic, before the housing estates currently being built in Codicote and Knebworth are occupied
  • Complete change of character for the hillside cemetery, which will change from a tranquil rural setting to one completely surrounded by noisy homes
  • Complete change of character of Singlers Marsh, with its countryside character changed into an urban setting
  • Effect of the new road on the environment at Singlers Marsh, causing road pollution that will flood into the river and air pollution from waiting traffic
  • Damage to the Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site at Singlers Marsh arising from building a road across its southern segment
  • Undeliverability of the proposed road network, given the unlikelihood of getting planning permission to build a road across Singlers Marsh (no statutory consultation has been undertaken as to the consequences of such a build – the Environment Agency, Herts Highways, Affinity Water, Thames Water, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust and Herts Archaeology are all likely to object to this)
  • Conversion of quiet country lanes suitable for walking, cycling and horseriding into major traffic through roads
  • Loss of the much-loved annual duck race due to the new road bridge
  • Swamping of local amenities that are already overstretched (local schools, GP surgery, village parking) by 200+ additional families
  • No public transport options for this site, being too far removed from the available bus routes
  • Unacceptable level of loss of Green Belt area
  • Welwyn has already grown substantially in the past 25 years, having contributed more to the growth in the borough’s housing supply than any other settlement, including Hatfield and WGC, when considered on a pro rata basis

HEL-74 (Welwyn, Fulling Mill Lane – 240 homes)

  • Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations section
  • Major overcrowding of the road network, which is already struggling with current levels of traffic, before the housing estates currently being built in Codicote and Knebworth are occupied
  • Complete change of character for the hillside cemetery, which will change from a tranquil rural setting to one completely surrounded by noisy homes
  • Complete change of character of Singlers Marsh, with its countryside character changed into an urban setting
  • Effect of the new road on the environment at Singlers Marsh, causing road pollution that will flood into the river and air pollution from waiting traffic
  • Damage to the Local Nature Reserve and Local Wildlife Site at Singlers Marsh arising from building a road across its southern segment
  • Undeliverability of the proposed road network, given the unlikelihood of getting planning permission to build a road across Singlers Marsh (no statutory consultation has been undertaken as to the consequences of such a build – the Environment Agency, Herts Highways, Affinity Water, Thames Water, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust and Herts Archaeology are all likely to object to this)
  • Conversion of quiet country lanes suitable for walking, cycling and horseriding into major traffic through roads
  • Loss of the much-loved annual duck race due to the new road bridge
  • Swamping of local amenities that are already overstretched (local schools, GP surgery, village parking) by 200+ additional families
  • No public transport options for this site, being too far removed from the available bus routes
  • Unacceptable level of loss of Green Belt area
  • Welwyn has already grown substantially in the past 25 years, having contributed more to the growth in the borough’s housing supply than any other settlement, including Hatfield and WGC, when considered on a pro rata basis

HEL-20 (Welwyn, Fulling Mill Lane – 14-25 homes)

  • Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations section
  • Effect of the new road on Singlers Marsh, causing road pollution that will flood into the river and air pollution from waiting traffic
  • The HEL-20 location is within an official Area of Archaeological Significance, as it contains the original Roman centre of the Welwyn settlement from 2000 years ago – it has never been dug up, but archaeologists believe it contains a rich trove of historical remains
  • Damage the rural surroundings of the cemetery and of Singlers Marsh
  • Effects of flooding from site run-off onto the road and Singlers Marsh

HEL-24 (Digswell, New Road – 100 homes)

  • Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations section
  • Substantial change to the rural character and heritage aspects of the site, spoiling the views of the viaduct and from the historic park and gardens of Tewin Water Park
  • Unacceptable level of loss of Green Belt area
  • Single access point for traffic to join New Road will lead to severe congestion on New Road and Hertford Road, as well as within the estate
  • Swamping the local primary school with 100 new families, affecting ability to support the established sibling policy
  • Digswell is already contributing to housing supply growth within WHBC due to all the ad hoc housing developments along New Road (known as “housing windfall”), currently standing at 62 extra homes

HEL-40 (Welwyn, School Lane – 63-95 homes)

  • Reasonable Alternative Site Allocations section
  • Major change to the character of that end of School Lane, which currently has a rural prospect
  • Substantial increase in traffic volumes on an already congested road
  • Congestion by the junction with the High Street, where the road narrows to a single lane and is manageable only at the currently low traffic levels
  • Congestion at the junction with the High Street, with complex traffic flows converging from Prospect Place, London Road and the High Street itself

Thank you for your engagement with the consultation.

To find out more about the work of Welwyn Planning and Amenity Group, please email . To be kept informed about our activities, sign up for our occasional newsletters and follow our Facebook page.