West of St Albans, tucked beneath the central belt of Hemel Hempstead, sits the neighbourhood of Bennetts End. Almost entirely comprised of social housing following the construction of the mid-century new town in Hemel Hempstead, Bennetts End was the second neighbourhood constructed following the success of Adeyfield in 1950. Mainly consisting of terraced and detached suburban mid-century housing, the average property price in Bennetts End ranges from around £300,000 - £500,000, with a few high-end outliers!

Bennetts End is most famous for its origins as an essential part of Hemel Hempstead’s new town - however its history stretches much farther back than this. Originally swathes of farmland, Bennetts End was once home to a manorial property dated from the 13th century. Although with this long history, only this manor property and Bennetts End farm existed in this area until well into the 19th century. This is why the decision was made to transform Bennetts End into a vital component of Hemel Hempstead’s regeneration in the 1950s!

After its designation as a new town in 1947, the principal design construction was helmed by architect and town planner Geoffrey Jellicoe. However, the core of Bennetts End’s design was spearheaded by Judith Ledeboer. Ledeboer was one of the key members of the Dudley Committee of Social Housing, and the construction of Bennetts End configures her core design principles of thoughtful social housing perfectly. By the Autumn of 1952, just a year after construction began, Ledeboer had overseen the establishment of over 300 new homes in the area!

As a neighbourhood in Hemel Hempstead, Bennetts End falls into the Dacorum Borough of Hertfordshire - which also oversees St Albans. The Dacorum Borough has recently released their local development plan, which reveals their housing and infrastructural developmental plan for the period up to 2040. Whilst the plan is ambitious in scope - there has been no site allocations made towards Bennetts End. The plan has revealed that 11,696 homes will be constructed across Hemel Hempstead, with the first phase hoping to implement over 2,000 social housing units throughout the proposed sites at Grovehill and beyond!