Hertfordshire, St Albans
Bespoke home builders inSt Albans
Our home city, and where more of our completed homes stand than anywhere else.
Building in St Albans
What working in St Albans actually involves
Our studio is on Porters Wood, so St Albans is the city we know street by street. New builds, replacement dwellings, third storey additions and full renovations, most of them within ten minutes of the office.
The city's appeal is also its planning challenge: a dense historic core, wide conservation area coverage, mature street trees and neighbours who read planning portals. Schemes that succeed here are the ones designed around local policy rather than adjusted after a refusal.
Local detail
- Planning authority
- St Albans City and District Council
- County
- Hertfordshire
- Also covering
- Harpenden, Wheathampstead, Radlett, Redbourn, Hemel Hempstead
Planning
Planning policy in St Albans
The constraints we test before design begins, not after a refusal.
- St Albans City and District Council determines applications, with a large city centre conservation area plus separate conservation areas covering Fishpool Street, Romeland, Sopwell and others.
- Green Belt covers most land outside the built-up boundary, which pushes new homes towards replacement dwellings on existing plots.
- Roof extensions and third storeys are assessed on street rhythm, ridge heights and the relationship to neighbouring eaves.
- Mature tree cover means Tree Preservation Orders and root protection areas frequently shape foundation design.
- Article 4 directions apply in parts of the district, so permitted development rights cannot be assumed.
Guidance
Useful reading before you start
FAQs
St Albans questions, answered
Regularly. Several of our completed projects sit within conservation areas, where the design conversation starts with materials, window detail and roof form rather than floor area.
Nearby
Other towns we work in across Hertfordshire
Next step
Planning a project in St Albans?
Answer four questions and see an indicative range for your project. It takes under a minute and it is always step one.