6. Shaping the future

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Between now and 2050 SW Herts will grow and change. The Joint Strategic Plan will play a very important role in shaping the future of the area, identifying broad locations for sustainable growth, with the allocation of detailed site boundaries and the choice of smaller-scale sites being left to Local Plans to define.

No decision on either the scale or location of new development has been made yet.

We know it will be a challenge to decide on the best locations for the most sustainable growth, and specific local concerns will need to be considered alongside the need for new infrastructure, homes and jobs before any decisions are made.

The pattern of sustainable growth that is eventually chosen for the Joint Strategic Plan is unlikely to be based on just one of the growth types outlined here. Rather it will include a mix of types of growth that are best suited to the SW Herts area and reflect local constraints, opportunities and ambitions.


We are required by Government to ensure that we have maximised the use of land that has been previously built on (‘brownfield’ sites), before considering using any undeveloped land (‘greenfield’ sites).


We asked for your feedback on each of these growth types. When answering the questions that follow, we asked people to think about how the growth types might impact on the 6 pillars and objectives set out in section 5:


1. Living green in a healthy natural environment. 2. Growing opportunities to work locally. 3. Living in healthy, thriving local communities. 4. Moving easily in well connected places. 5. Building homes and places that people are proud of. 6. Delivering robust and sustainable infrastructure.


We have set out a number of different growth types below, and your feedback will help us develop these in more detail in the next stage of our plan.


A) Growth within existing large settlements. B) Outward growth of existing large settlements. C) New settlements. D) Growth of groups of settlements. E) Growth along sustainable transport corridors. F) Growing the best connected places. G) Scattered growth.


A high-level assessment of how each of these different growth types performs in terms of their social, economic and environmental impacts is set out in a Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report that accompanies this consultation. This has been prepared by independent specialist consultants and is available here. You are welcome to give your views on this assessment as part of your feedback.

There may also be other ways that you think the SW Herts area could accommodate sustainable growth that we haven’t mentioned and that you would like to put forward for consideration.

The potential levels of new homes and jobs that could be accommodated by each growth type will be assessed at the next stage of the plan-making process. The views received through this consultation will be taken into account when refining options.



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Between now and 2050 SW Herts will grow and change. The Joint Strategic Plan will play a very important role in shaping the future of the area, identifying broad locations for sustainable growth, with the allocation of detailed site boundaries and the choice of smaller-scale sites being left to Local Plans to define.

No decision on either the scale or location of new development has been made yet.

We know it will be a challenge to decide on the best locations for the most sustainable growth, and specific local concerns will need to be considered alongside the need for new infrastructure, homes and jobs before any decisions are made.

The pattern of sustainable growth that is eventually chosen for the Joint Strategic Plan is unlikely to be based on just one of the growth types outlined here. Rather it will include a mix of types of growth that are best suited to the SW Herts area and reflect local constraints, opportunities and ambitions.


We are required by Government to ensure that we have maximised the use of land that has been previously built on (‘brownfield’ sites), before considering using any undeveloped land (‘greenfield’ sites).


We asked for your feedback on each of these growth types. When answering the questions that follow, we asked people to think about how the growth types might impact on the 6 pillars and objectives set out in section 5:


1. Living green in a healthy natural environment. 2. Growing opportunities to work locally. 3. Living in healthy, thriving local communities. 4. Moving easily in well connected places. 5. Building homes and places that people are proud of. 6. Delivering robust and sustainable infrastructure.


We have set out a number of different growth types below, and your feedback will help us develop these in more detail in the next stage of our plan.


A) Growth within existing large settlements. B) Outward growth of existing large settlements. C) New settlements. D) Growth of groups of settlements. E) Growth along sustainable transport corridors. F) Growing the best connected places. G) Scattered growth.


A high-level assessment of how each of these different growth types performs in terms of their social, economic and environmental impacts is set out in a Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report that accompanies this consultation. This has been prepared by independent specialist consultants and is available here. You are welcome to give your views on this assessment as part of your feedback.

There may also be other ways that you think the SW Herts area could accommodate sustainable growth that we haven’t mentioned and that you would like to put forward for consideration.

The potential levels of new homes and jobs that could be accommodated by each growth type will be assessed at the next stage of the plan-making process. The views received through this consultation will be taken into account when refining options.



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  • CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

    Please send us any comments you may have on this topic below. We'd like to know which option or options you think is the most appropriate, and if there are other growth types that should be considered.

    If you want to upload any supporting material for this or any other question, please do so as part of any other comments you may have on Section 7. "Making it Happen'.

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