Hayfield land deal brings £31m Toddington development one step closer

Award-winning housebuilder Hayfield is a step closer to starting work on a 60-home development in the Bedfordshire village of Toddington, after recently completing on their purchase through promotor Peter Barnett of Landcrest Developments.

The news follows Hayfield submitting a Reserved Matters application for the 7-acre site, off Russell Road, in December 2022. The site is allocated for residential development in the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan and has previously received outline planning permission.

Subject to receiving the green light, Hayfield expects to start on-site in July and complete the £31m development by 2025.

All of the homes, including the 18 affordable properties, will be zero carbon ready, with the 42 private homes achieving an EPC A rating, which only 2% of the UK’s new homes are currently achieve.

All new Hayfield homes are zero carbon ready and exceed the government’s Future Homes Standard – which will be mandatory from 2025. The company is committed to being a sustainable developer and has pledged to be net zero by 2030.

Hayfield’s Toddington scheme will deliver homes that offer a greener way of living, with solar PV panels, air source heat pumps, energy-efficient underfloor heating, EV fast-charging points, 100% renewable energy, and fibre optic broadband.

To generate enhancements to biodiversity, the Toddington scheme will also incorporate Public Open Space, new habitats for wildlife, native tree planting, an attenuation pond to be planted with wetland wildflowers, and the vast majority of existing trees and hedgerows will also be retained and enhanced.

The proposed tenure-blind homes will provide all residents with designated parking, with many benefiting from garages, and visitor parking spaces will also be widely available. A new access road and a network of footpaths to adoptable standards will also be created from Russell Road.

Ben Adams, Land Director of Hayfield, said: “This will be our fifth development in Bedfordshire, and subject to planning, will deliver a high-quality range of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes in a variety of designs to suit the needs of the local community.

“All of the homes will be fossil-fuel-free because we are committed to creating truly exceptional homes of character that meet the highest standards of energy efficiency. Toddington is an example of how we are creating EPC A-rated homes that are fit for the future; packed with innovative sustainable technologies that support green communities and low-impact living. Securing this deal takes us one step closer to getting these fantastic new homes underway.” 

Hayfield builds homes across the south of England and the Midlands. Earlier this year the Home Builders Federation announced that Hayfield had been awarded its top-rated five-star housebuilder status.