Places for People secures planning for 660 hectares of green space at Gilston.

The UK’s leading social enterprise has today announced a landmark planning approval to deliver over 660 hectares of green space at their 10,000-home vision, Gilston. 

This once in a generation project puts the health and wellbeing of the community at the heart of its design. Before any home has been built this masterplan sets the framework for how the local community will have access to almost 15kilometresof heritage trails supplemented by local art and wayfinding, and over 410hectares of integrated green spaces for families to rest and play, as well as orchards and allotments.  

The project which forms part of Harlow & Gilston Garden Town (HGGT) initiative is set to become a blueprint in striking the perfect balance between town and country living through the delivery of a network of seven interconnected villages* delivered with a landscape led approach. 

In addition to the access to nature, the leading social enterprise, has also committed to sustainable transport, enabling the local communities to make greener transport choices and prioritise their health and wellbeing with over 48kilometres in cycle networks and footpaths. The network of interconnected villages will be centred around an overall village centre, providing a hive of activity, with education, leisure, retail and cultural facilities. 

As part of the planning masterplan, Places for People has also committed to creating multifunctional green spaces, enhancing biodiversity and making the community climate resilient through enriched grassland, meadows and wetlands. 

Following five years of community consultation, Places for People has introduced a stewardship model to ensure all local infrastructure will last the test of time. 

Sammie Steele, Regional Director for Greater London at Places for People commented: “Houses alone don’t build a sustainable and healthy community, nor does simply providing the infrastructure. A thriving, healthy community is built on the connections people make when they engage with their local natural habitats.

Gilston is not an easy development to deliver, but through collaboration with HGGT and East Herts District Council, we set out our vision to create something different, something that would act as a beacon of community housebuilding done right. 

“Through our extensive research, we know how important it is for people to have the infrastructure they need before considering buying a new home, and we also know how vital it is that people are encouraged and supported to make use of their natural spaces and green transport opportunities. 

“We’ve taken decades of experience and learning to bring forward a place that has nature at its core, building beauty that’s resilient to the future climate while respecting and enhancing the land we’ve promised to protect. 

“Developers have a massive role to play in safeguarding the health of our nation, and we know that schemes like Gilston, which promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle through that close contact to nature, will be the ones that succeed the test of time.”  

The Strategic Landscape Masterplan (SLMP) for the Gilston Area was developed by Grant Associates for Places for People. Commenting on the approval, Danny Nagle, Associate Director of Grant Associates commented: “What makes Gilston distinctive is its scale and ambition. This is 10,000 homes structured around a 660 hectare coherent green framework that responds to climate, heritage and local character. The landscape is designed to be beautiful and resilient, but also productive and adaptable — capable of evolving as the villages take shape over the next 20 years.”

Grant Associates worked alongside Quod, SLR Consulting, AECOM, Ecological Planning & Research and Montagu Evans. 

Phil Murphy, Senior Director at Quod added: “Securing approval for the Strategic Landscape Masterplan is a significant milestone for Places for People and reflects years of careful, collaborative planning. Gilston demonstrates how a landscape led, policy aligned approach can shape growth in a way that responds to climate change, respects heritage, and delivers genuine benefits for both existing and future communities. This approval provides a robust and flexible framework to guide the delivery of the wider landscape setting for the villages, as well as a range of supporting strategic green infrastructure, over the coming decades.”

Places for People will now submit the masterplan for village one, building on the principles of the strategic landscape masterplan to start bringing forward one of these unique villages to life.