Consultation before submission of a planning application for Homeless Hostel
One YMCA is putting together a submission for a replacement hostel at 25 Nightingale Road, Hitchin. The existing hostel is owned by Helping Herts Homeless (HHH) and has been put to excellent use for many years by various charities to support homeless people. However, the building is no longer fit for purpose, is in poor condition and now One YMCA and HHH have exciting plans to create a new facility that will help even more local people get back on their feet and achieve independence. [cid:image001.png@01DA11CB.69D83020]
Figure 1: The existing hostel at the junction of Nightingale Road and Grove Road will be replaced with a new hostel One YMCA is working with North Herts District Council, Herts County Council, Hertfordshire Growth Board and the landowner, Helping Herts Homeless, to secure funding from Homes England and DLUHC to move forward with a new scheme. This new building will address issues of homelessness within Hitchin and provide high-quality supported accommodation to enable individuals to get back on their feet and move on in society. It is proposed to demolish the existing building and construct bespoke replacement accommodation which will include the following: INTERNALLY
* 23 ensuite bedrooms for local homeless people * Resident Lounge and break-out space * Counselling and support rooms on the ground floor * Kitchen * Laundry room EXTERNALLY
* Amenity space * Landscaping including new tree planting * Contained refuse storage area * Cycle parking [cid:image002.png@01DA11CB.69D83020]
Figure 2: Artist’s impression of what the new hostel may look like The building will be located on a similar footprint to the existing hostel and set back from the River Hiz. A previous proposal for a new three storey hostel secured planning consent in 2013, but was not implemented. The new scheme will be part three/part four storeys and our architects have designed a building which utilises a mix of materials including brick and render for the main frontage, with a standing seam metal roof which reflects the gable frontages of properties on Nightingale Road. We hope that you will be able to support the proposed planning application to allow us to help more local homeless people back into independent living in and around the town. In the meantime, part of a consultation period lasting until 21st November, we are holding a drop in public consultation event on Wednesday 15th November between 1pm and 7pm, at Hitchin Town Hall (small meeting room), Brand Street, Hitchin, SG5 1 JE However, as a key stakeholder, you are warmly invited to a smaller private gathering from 10-12 on the same day, but within the current hostel building itself – 25 Nightingale Road. Please reply to this calendar invitation to let us know whether you can attend. The car park will likely be full on the day, so please consider parking in appropriate side roads nearby. I hope that you will be able to attend, but further information will also shortly be available on our website at www.oneymca.org/HitchinSanctuary<http://www.oneymca.org/HitchinSanctuary>. Feedback on the proposals would be gratefully received via the following email address or on the day itself: feedback@oneymca.org<mailto:feedback@oneymca.org> We appreciate how busy everyone is, so if you are unable to attend and wish to discuss the proposal, please do not hesitate to contact the team via the email above.
