A blueprint for 11,600 new homes in North Hertfordshire has been agreed by senior councillors.

After a consultation process which began nine years ago in 2013, the cabinet at North Herts Council met in Letchworth last night (Wednesday, November 2) where they agreed to support a plan to help the district meet its housing needs.

Cross-party councillors will have a chance to vote on the blueprint – which sets out where new homes, retail or office space, GP surgeries and schools should go between now and 2031 – at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday, November 8.

The North Hertfordshire Local Plan document sets out that approximately 5,100 of the required homes have been accounted for since the beginning of the plan period in 2011.

In a "vision" statement, the document reads: "By 2031, North Hertfordshire will be an attractive and vibrant place where people will want to live, work and spend their leisure time.

"New development will have contributed to the creation of sustainable communities.

"These are safe, attractive and inclusive, well integrated into settlements, respect local distinctiveness, raise the standards of sustainable design and architectural quality, make a positive contribution to the local area, and ensure protection, restoration and enhancement of valuable natural and historic resources."

Policies to protect the local economy and environment have been proposed in the document, among them that future developers must "protect, maintain and enhance the district's historic and natural environment", "provide a greater mix of skilled jobs as well as providing opportunities for further education and skills training", and "maintain and enhance the vitality and viability of our town, neighbourhood and village centres".

The local plan adds: "Infrastructure that may be needed to accommodate this growth across the district includes: schools, surgeries, community buildings and sports facilities, as well as roads, energy and sewerage.

"This is likely to require considerable inward investment to overcome issues related to transportation, education and the position of new homes."

Some of the largest new development would be allowed to take place north of Baldock, where land would be set aside for a new neighbourhood featuring approximately 2,800 homes.

The council and developers would support a new community hall, GP and secondary school if development were to go ahead, and would look to address flooding to the south of Ashwell Road through "sustainable urban drainage".

Land north of Letchworth would be set aside for smaller development of 900 homes, while builders would be allowed to construct a new neighbourhood of approximately 700 homes at Highover Farm, Hitchin.

In the Stevenage area, land would be set aside for approximately 775 homes by 2031 in the Graveley area, and 600 homes north-east of Great Ashby in the Weston parish.

East of Luton, a Strategic Housing Site for up to 2,100 homes would be earmarked, and in Royston to the east of the district, sites to accommodate 478 new homes would be allocated.

At the November 2 meeting, cabinet members heard how the government's Planning Inspectorate, which studied the North Hertfordshire Local Plan, had reduced the plan's requirement for new housing from 14,000 to 11,600.

Cllrs Ian Albert (Lab, Hitchin Bearton) and David Levett (Con, Letchworth South East) both asked for their praise for council staff and officers' "hard work" to be included in the meeting minutes after a "long process" lasting several years.

Councillor Ruth Brown (LD, Royston Heath), North Herts Council's cabinet member for planning, said a review of the plan would begin before the end of 2023.

She said: "This plan's not perfect, but we don't have another one.

"Adopting this local plan gives us significantly more control over development in our local area, specifically in relation to design, standards, sustainability and affordable housing."

The cabinet unanimously agreed to the final draft of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan, and to present the document to cross-party councillors for a vote.