Planning officers have recommended that a 157 home development in Letchworth should be given planning permission.

A final decision on the application, for homes off Campfield Way and Highover Way, will be made by North Herts Council's planning committee this Thursday (April 16).

The application, from Settle, would involve demolishing 60 Hawksley bungalows – made out of surplus metal from Second World War aircraft – and 28 flats dating back to the 1930s.

All the new homes would be affordable, according to the Government definition of the term, with more than half available for social rent.

They would include 40 one-bedroom flats, 91 two-bedroom homes, 21 three-bedroom homes and five four-bedroom properties.

Currently, North Herts only has a 2.6-year supply of deliverable housing sites, well below the required minimum of five years.

It means it is significantly harder for the council to block new developments.

Planning officers found that the development would make a "very significant contribution" to providing affordable homes in North Herts.

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Documents submitted as part of Settle's planning application said the developer wanted to "re-provide homes for the existing residents that meet their individual needs, improving their quality of life with improved accessibility, adequate space and bedrooms for each family, and to a quality that would mitigate fuel poverty and address the climate emergency".