Places for People reveals joint venture with major house builder to deliver 8,500-home ‘garden town’

Places for People also announced last month that its strategic landscape masterplan for the Gilston Area has been approved.

As well as new homes, the development will create eight new schools, 15km of heritage trails and 29,000 square metres of commercial space.

The 262,000-home landlord expects the development to generate over £6bn in economic impact, and it will invest £600m in transport and social infrastructure.

This new joint venture will “unlock the scale, pace and innovation required to bring forward homes, supporting infrastructure and green spaces at unprecedented speed” and will achieve “far more than either could alone”, Places for People said.

East Herts District Council first backed the scheme in March 2023 and granted it planning permission in January last year.

The 8,500-home development is part of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, which was designated by the government in 2017 and is set to deliver a total of 23,000 new homes.

Greg Reed, chief executive officer of Places for People, said the landlord’s vision of the development is “a new blueprint for modern garden towns”.

He continued: “By combining Places for People’s long-term stewardship and social value approach with Barratt Redrow’s exceptional capability to deliver homes at scale and like-minded approach to social value, we can accelerate one of the most significant new communities in the UK.

“This partnership unlocks delivery at a pace and scale that neither organisation could achieve alone and ensures we deliver the infrastructure, green space and high-quality homes that people deserve.”

David Thomas, chief executive at Barratt Redrow, said working with Places for People “offers the opportunity to show what large-scale, responsible, community-led development looks like”.

“This is a once-in-a-generation project where we can create a modern garden town, connecting people to nature and growing with the community,” he added.