Work is underway on a new affordable housing scheme in Hatfield Heath, Essex, to create 10 new homes to be prioritised for local people.
The 10 homes, located in Cox Ley, Hatfield Heath, are being built by Hastoe Housing Association in partnership with Hatfield Heath Parish Council, Uttlesford District Council and Homes England. There will be 2 x one-bed homes for affordable rent; 4 x two-bed homes for affordable rent; 1 x 3-bed home for affordable rent; 2 x two-bed homes for shared ownership; and 1 x 3-bed home for shared ownership.
The homes, which are due to be ready in December 2026, are being built on a rural exception site – a small site used for affordable housing in perpetuity, where sites would not normally be used for housing. Rural exception sites seek to address the needs of the local community by accommodating households who are either current residents or have an existing family or employment connection. These new homes will therefore be prioritised for people with a local connection to Hatfield Heath, such as those working in the village, those with close family in the area, or those who previously lived there but had to move out because of a lack of affordable housing.
You can find out more about the development here.
"We are pleased to support the invaluable work that housing associations such as Hastoe do providing rural affordable housing in perpetuity for local people. This development in Hatfield Heath is another excellent example of what can be achieved for the benefit of local communities".
Representatives from a wide range of partners gathered on site last week to celebrate the start of construction, alongside Hastoe’s development partners: contractor Marfleet & Bradshaw, employer’s agent Potter Raper and architects The Design Partnership.
This is Hastoe's second scheme in Hatfield Heath, with the first development completed in 2015 and comprising 14 homes – 13 for affordable rent and 1 for shared ownership. For both developments, the land has been made available by local landowner David Milne.
While the first set of homes helped to provide much-needed allotments that are still well used by the community, the second development will make provision for formalised car parking spaces for the adjacent football pitch, also providing community benefit.
All homes are being built to Hastoe’s New Build Standard, which substantially exceeds Building Regulation Standard. The homes include Future Homes Standard construction elements to reduce carbon emissions, and will feature air source heat pumps, double glazing, LED lighting, increased insulation levels and electric vehicle charging points for every home.
From left: Hastoe Board Member, John Bruton; Uttlesford District Council Housing Enabling & Development Officer, Peter Lock; Hatfield Heath Parish Council's Cllr Sandra Saban; Hastoe Development Director, Ulrike Maccariello; Uttlesford District Council's Hatfield Heath Ward Councillor, Cllr Mark Lemon; and Homes England Manager of Affordable Housing Delivery, James Hick
“As the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, increasing the supply of quality affordable homes remains one of our key objectives and we are committed to supporting stakeholders of all sizes to achieve their ambitions. It is great to see that funding from the Affordable Homes Programme has enabled the development of a new rural scheme at Hatfield Heath and will provide much-needed new homes.”
“It was great to bring together all the partners involved and celebrate kicking off the build of these much-needed rural affordable homes. Hatfield Heath is a village we are very familiar with, having opened our first affordable homes here in 2015. I’d like to give particular thanks to the landowner David Milne. Without landowners like David, we would not be able to bring forward these much-needed affordable homes for local people. We are look forward to seeing the homes complete at the end of 2026 and are delighted to continue our partnership with the community of Hatfield Heath.”
Anyone keen to rent one of the new homes and who meets the local connection criteria can apply online when they become available via Uttlesford District Council. For those interested in Shared Ownership, please visit Hastoe's shared ownership webpage to find out more.
The overall total cost of the project is £3.27 million, including an £851,000 Affordable Housing Grant provided by Homes England, as well as additional grant funding of c.£100,000 from Uttlesford District Council.