We will use these to keep you up to date with development news and progress, the latest planning information and community updates.
St James’ Park
St James’ Park is an exciting new residential development by award-winning developer, Countryside. Bringing approximately 750 new homes, the development will be a sensitive extension to Bishop’s Stortford and will also provide extensive new facilities for sports and recreation, along with a local centre with shops and community facilities. Families in particular will benefit from the new primary and secondary schools to be built at St James’ Park.
The indicative masterplan below shows what the development will provide.
Recent Activity
The team is making good progress on site, with the infrastructure due to be completed by Autumn 2021.
The primary access road to the north of the site, connecting St James’ Park to Whittington Way, was completed on schedule at the start of May. This area has recently been landscaped with trees, mostly native species, and a variety of bulbs have been planted to bring colour to the new road.
At the other end of site, towards St James’ Way, the roundabout is due to be completed in September – and can be seen in the image below. The team has focused on minimising the impact of these works throughout construction. In the final week, work will take place at off-peak times only to further minimise disruption as much as possible. This roundabout opens up access to the south of the development and will soon become the main entrance for construction vehicles, which will continue to minimise disruption to road users.
Looking ahead
The spine road connecting the two roundabouts will be completed by the end of July, ahead of opening to traffic in autumn. Once the road is open, it will provide additional construction access across the site.
You may have also noticed our new show homes near the Whittington Way roundabout. These are nearly complete, and we are looking forward to welcoming the first new residents later this year.
Finally, we are pleased to share that a new 4-metre shared cycleway and pathway is set for completion by the end of the year. The route will head westwards from Whittington Way to Obrey Way, and will provide a safe connection for pedestrians and cyclists between St James’ Park and Bishop’s Stortford.
Archaeology
The team has undertaken archaeological digs across the site. These digs are carried out before construction work gets fully underway, to ensure that nothing of historical or cultural value is lost. Some of these digs are shown in the image below.
During the construction of St James’ Way in the 1990’s, a prehistoric settlement site was discovered and our own investigations have found further evidence of the settlement. So far, our excavations have identified possible fence lines and structures – including one four-post built structure – in a similar style to others across the development site indicating a larger settlement area.
There are enclosures across the site marking out settlement and agricultural areas, plus a possible trackway running across the natural slope has been identified. Prehistoric pottery and discarded animal bone show that rubbish was being disposed of in the boundary ditches, and several pits have also been recorded. As excavation continues we hope to learn more about the prehistoric occupation of the areas, the work shall be continuing until September and we look forward to sharing more information on the finds as we progress the dig.
Bishop’s Stortford High School
Work has commenced on the new secondary school site, which will facilitate the relocation and expansion of The Bishop’s Stortford High School. The secondary school is set to include six class groups per year, with scope to increase this to eight – up to 240 pupils per year – if needed. The secondary school will be complemented by a primary school which will include three classes and up to 90 pupils per year group.
We will bring you more information on plans and progress at the school site in our future updates.
Introducing the Community Liaison Team
We are working in close partnership with the team delivering St James’ Park and are here to help answer your questions and keep you up to date as plans progress. You can get in touch with us any time with comments, queries, ideas or suggestions via community@st-jamespark.com or by calling 07578 618 755.
