15,332 New Homes for Dacorum Including Berkhamsted and Tring

New homes

Dacorum Borough Council has approved steps to build 15,332 homes between 2026 and 2041, covering areas including Berkhamsted and Tring. Approved on 15 October, the local plan will now undergo a Regulation 19 consultation.

Controversy surrounds the addition of sites such as Marshcroft and the British Film Institute (BFI), with a great deal of concern from residents, many of whom attended last week’s meeting. Objections were made by residents and some of the counsillors about the lack of infrastructure, decimation of the countryside and green belt land, alongside the population crisis (rather than housing crisis) and that talk of affordable homes is unlikely to apply to Berkhamsted and Tring.

Changes made since the initial consultation include adding:

  • 2,291 new homes in Tring (made up of Marshcroft and New Mill)
  • 1,314 new homes in Berkhamsted (including the BFI site and Haslam Playing Fields)

At the meeting it was mentioned that the plan had been hastily pulled together, yet the council is keen to stress that it is essential to prevent uncontrolled development in the area, while opponents argue for fewer homes.

It will now go to a Regulation 19 consultation to consider its legality and planning soundness before an expected submission for examination by the National Planning Inspectorate in the new year.

During the meeting Council leader Cllr Adrian England (Lib Dem) said the plan would protect Dacorum from uncontrolled development, and that the previous plan with a lower number of homes would fail.

The government has apparently warned councils it will intervene with any authorities that it believes are not identifying sites for enough homes.

Cllr England said: ‘It does feel like we’ve got a gun to our heads and there’s no point denying that. If there’s a gun to your head, there’s a gun to your head and it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not.’

The Regulation 19 consultation will run from midday on Monday 4 November until midday on Tuesday 17 December. We will share more once we understand how residents can get involved.