North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC) and Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation (LGCHF) have announced plans to redevelop Town Lodge and properties located on Gernon Road.

After some years of lying empty, the site is to be redeveloped by Croudace Homes Limited, who have been granted planning permission to build two detached buildings comprising of nine flats and one office building, following demolition of the existing buildings.

As part of the sale, NHDC has secured a pre-emption option allowing it first refusal to purchase those nine flats and add them to its property portfolio. Brotherhood Hall is not included.

Councillor Ian Albert, NHDC's Executive Member for Finance and IT, said: "This redevelopment heralds an exciting prospect for Letchworth Garden City through the provision of much needed quality new homes on this disused town centre site, together with yielding economic benefits associated with locating 60 or more Croudace staff to the office building."

Town Lodge - built in 1923 - is well-known for its iconic art deco features, and lies within the Letchworth Conservation Area - designated as having special architectural or historic interest.

Formerly used as a school and later as council offices, Town Lodge has been vacant since 2011, aside from its temporary use as council offices in 2017/18 while the district council offices were being refurbished.

The office element is expected to accommodate Croudace's regional headquarters.

Chair of the Heritage Foundation's Board, Pam Burn said: "As with many towns and cities around the country, Letchworth is facing an uncertain economic future as our town centre changes and the impact of global crises are felt in the wider business community.

"While we take very seriously the need to protect our built environment, we also have a responsibility to work with partners to support the creation of jobs, ensure local people have access to housing, and maintain the vibrancy of our town centre at a time when more and more buildings are becoming vacant.

"Retaining such a significant employer in our town centre at such a challenging time is good news for Letchworth."