Broxbourne Borough and Hertfordshire County Councils, along with their development partner, Sovereign Peveril, are delighted to announce that it has been agreed to grant planning permission for the Brookfield Riverside and Brookfield Garden Village developments.

At a meeting of the Planning and Regulatory Committee on Tuesday 20 June, it was agreed to approve the proposals.

The site was allocated in the Broxbourne Local Plan 2018-2033, which was approved in 2020 by an independent Planning Inspector following a public examination.

The £500 million Brookfield Riverside development in Cheshunt, will create a new town centre for the Borough which is envisaged to include up to 315,000 sq ft of retail, 250,000 sq ft of leisure, restaurants and a cinema, 160,000 sq ft of offices including a new civic hub, approximately 250 homes and 100 assisted living units, a 2,000-space car park and major public realm improvements. It will also generate 2,000 jobs during construction and 2,500 new jobs after its development.

The Garden Village will provide 1,250 new homes, neighbourhood facilities, a three form entry primary school and possibly a ‘blue light’ hub for police, fire and ambulance services. In addition there will be more than 14km of new walking and cycling routes across the whole development, as well as bus services to connect the site to other parts of the Borough and beyond.

The developments are also targeting an increase in biodiversity of 10%, with more than 15,000 trees to be planted across the sites and extensive planting of shrubs, flowers and grassland enhancements.

Councillor Lewis Cocking, Leader of Borough of Broxbourne said:

I am delighted that the Brookfield Riverside and Garden Village developments have been given planning approval after several decades of planning. This is testament to the hard work of all those involved in shaping the proposals to maximise the social and economic benefits to those that live in the Borough.  

“The developments will create much-needed housing and affordable homes, a variety of leisure and retail facilities, including a new cinema and up to 2,500 permanent new jobs.  This will not only be good for the local economy, but will also have environmental benefits; the new town centre will be fully integrated with the public transport, cycling and walking networks and local people will no longer have to travel outside of the area for their shopping and leisure needs.

Chris Geaves, Chief Executive of Sovereign Centros, said:

We, alongside our development partners Borough of Broxbourne and Hertfordshire County Councils, are delighted to receive the go ahead for Brookfield Riverside, part of the wider Brookfield masterplan. This is a transformative urban regeneration project that will boost employment and economic opportunities in the region. It is one of London and the south east’s last regeneration opportunities on this scale and will create a new heart for shopping and leisure in this superb location. The local community’s feedback has been vital in shaping our plans for the new town centre and we are excited about the next phase in delivering the scheme.

Ralph Jones, managing Director of Peveril Securities commented:

We are delighted to be associated with this development which is in a unique location on the edge of London and we very much look forward to bringing it to fruition.

Richard Roberts, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council and Chair of Hertfordshire Growth Board, said:

It’s great news that the Brookfield Riverside and Garden Village developments have been given the go ahead. These innovative and important projects will help us make sure that Hertfordshire remains a wonderful place for families to live, work and learn.

We are committed to making sure that our county is home to well-designed, sustainable and thriving communities, and the Brookfield developments are excellent examples of how collaborative working can bring new places forward to make our residents’ lives even better.