Harpenden Public Halls

MICA is working with St Albans City & District Council to redevelop the site of the Harpenden Public Halls performance venue in Harpenden.

The project is linked to the construction of the Eric Morecambe Centre, the new Arts and Cultural Centre located in Rothamsted Park. The Public Halls will be redeveloped to provide new mixed tenure housing, commercial space and a public garden for the town.

Located at the southern entry into the town centre, the site has an enviable position overlooking Harpenden Common and sits within the Harpenden Conservation Area. The new development will respect the setting and scale of the two listed buildings adjacent to the site; the Grade II* Listed Harpenden Hall and the Grade II Listed No.2 Southdown Road.

The scheme will provide 29 dwellings of which 34% will be affordable housing. Incorporating shared and public open space it will provide new commercial floorspace and improve connections to the town’s high street. The scheme is being designed to meet ambitious sustainability targets, adopting a fabric first approach the design is focussing on reducing operational energy, embodied carbon and water usage and improving the health and wellbeing of residents.

A planning application is due to be submitted October 2022.