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A History of Preston in Hertfordshire
New home building at Preston 1911 - 2025
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This article reviews the history of new home building at Preston from 1911 until 2025, together with future approved plans. During this time, there have been occasional flurries of house building - some for workers; some for private buyers. However, when put into historical context, the housing footprint in the village today and in the immediate future has dramatically changed. This has taken place despite the conservation initiative of 1975 and the Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2018/9 - 2031.
House building at Preston 1911 - 1925.
The Inland Revenue survey of Preston (1909/10) brutally exposed the condition of many of its hovels as being in a ‘poor state’ of repair. Many were pulled down during the next decade. In 1913, Hitchin Rural District Council reported that ‘good, substantial, sanitary houses were urgently required’ in the village. There was a reaction to this recognised need. The following new homes were built between 1911 and 1925:
1 - 6 Chequers cottages, Chequers Lane. 1 - 8 Holly Cottages, Back Lane. Three bungalows, School Lane. 1 - 10 Council Houses on the north-east side of Chequers Lane. 1 & 2 and 5 - 7 Hitchwood Cottages Two cottages at Home Farm aka Minsden Farm. Crunnells Green House. 3 Crunnells Green. Kiln Wood Cottage. Keepers Cottage, Kings Walden Road
A total of thirty-eight new houses were constructed. The majority of them replaced demolished housing stock. Thirty-two at least were intended to be ‘affordable homes’, occupied by local workers and their families.
3 Council Houses, Chequers Lane, Preston nearing building completion.
New homes at Preston 1926 - 1939.
Few houses were erected in the village during the years from 1926 until the beginning of World War Two.
Preston House, The Green, replaced the dilapidated homes on the north side of Church Lane. Two pairs of new, semi-detached homes (11 & 12 and 13 (aka Farling) & 14 Council Houses) were built on either side of Chequers Lane. In addition, a detached bungalow, Greenfields, was constructed at Back Lane.
Post-war new homes at Preston 1945 - 1975
Following WW2, (and partly because of the war) in around 1950, ten ‘flat-pack’ Swedish Houses were built along Chequers Lane, Preston. At that time they were mainly occupied by local workers. Then, for two decades until about 1971, there was a mini-building boom of several detached houses and bungalows at Butchers Lane, Back Lane and Church Lane courtesy of local builder, Bert Waller, and his son, Dennis, who clearly saw ‘a business opportunity’.
The partially-completed Trebarweth, Back Lane, Preston and a ‘Waller’ truck.
How was the information that will now be presented collected? Details from eight electoral rolls at regular intervals from 1950 until 2012/13 were extracted. House name changes were noted. A map from the 1975 Conservation Initiative (see a section of this below) provided more information. Data of housing changes was found in the Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan and the online reports of PPC meetings from 2015 until October 2024. Older and present-day views of Preston were also studied using Google Maps.
A section of a map drawn in 1975 which shows the housing stock in the centre of Preston together with the homes (shaded blue) which remained from around 1915. It well demonstrates how much new building had taken place in the village during sixty years. Almost, every newer house is detached and was clearly ‘high-end’ as distinct from ‘affordable’ housing It also illustrates how dramatically the appearance of the village changed in sixty years. Preston Green and the group of cottages around the Chequers were the only parts of the village depicted on this map that would have been recognised by a person who was living before WW1.
Butchers Lane Ivajoy aka The Willows DH Pentlands DH Little Kendals aka HollyBush House DH Lang Cliffe aka Rosehill DH Pencroft DH Bymead DH Dynsley House aka Sligachan, Leahurst DH Latchetts DH Church Lane North side Wildwood DH The Hollies DH (shown right in the 1950s) Highways DH St Martins House DH Cheldene DB South side Thurstaston DH Westleigh DH Back Lane Windrush DH Rosebank DB Casa aka Cartref DB Tudor Cottage DB Greenfields DB Red Roofs DB Upsall DH Dungarven aka Cherry Trees, Brambles DB
Off Preston Green Applegarth DB West Wind aka Wild Wind DH Drift Acres DH School Lane Dinsley Field DH Chequers Lane North side Wayside DH South side 15 - 24 Chequers Lane aka Swedish Houses S/D Chequers Cottage DH Hedgerow DH The Spinney DH
Newly-built houses at Preston 1945 - 1975
Totals: 41 new houses 31 detached, high-cost homes 10 affordable semi-detached homes
New homes at Preston 1976 - 2011.
The speed at which new homes were built at Preston increased during the thirty-five years leading to 2011. The new homes included former farm buildings at Ladygrove which had been converted into private apartments.
Newly-built houses at Preston 1976 - 2011
Off Chequers Lane Glebe House DH Chequers House DH The Owl House DH Church House DH 1 - 6 Templars Lane B Chequers Lane Boundary House DH Wickets DH Back Lane The Cedars DB School Lane Dinsley Field (rebuild) DH Tilehouse DH School House DH Off The Green Pippins DB
Hitchin Road Hartings DH Wain Wood Edge DH Church Lane Wedelee DB Fairways DH Lychgate House DH Wood End DH Aysgarth DH Ladygrove 1 - 5 Cottages (conversions)
Totals: 28 new dwellings (net - less Dinsley Field) 17 detached, high-end homes 6 affordable bungalows 5 high-end apartments
Newly-built houses at Preston 2012 - 2019.
Crunnells Green Orchard House DH Ladygrove Mews Five new homes APTS Dower House Six new homes APTS
Back Lane Wilde House DB Castlefield Six affordable semi-detached homes Totals: 18 new homes: 11 apartments converted from older buildings (net increase 10) 2 detached, high-cost homes 6 affordable S-DH
The conversion to apartments of the listed building, The Dower House, in progress.
Wilde House, Back Lane. Part of the conversion of Ladygrove.
In 2012, The scheme for affordable homes at Castlefield , Templars Lane, off Chequers Lane, was first mooted when the need for such housing in the village was assessed and feedback from villagers was encouraged. Some homes would be rented; others would have shared ownership. The project was completed in 2015. The following photographs show an aerial view of the plot; work in progress and some of the completed homes.
At the time of writing (May 2025) two of the three-bedroomed, semi-detached houses at Castlefield were on the market for £317,500 (shared ownership) and £110,000 (25% share).
Preston Parish’s stance re: new housing, and local residents’ views.
It is informative to review Preston Parish and local residents’ views in 2015 concerning new housing, as recorded in the Parish minutes. For at least six years PPC, supported by many villagers, had been fighting against the building of new houses on thirty-nine acres (the equivalent of around twenty-four football pitches) at Preston. PPC appears to accept as inevitable the ‘on-going in-filling around the village’ of ‘small developments of one or two houses’. Yet PPC was also aware of the spectre of landowners and developers ‘pushing’ to open up two remaining small fields at Back Lane and Castlefield. The Parish Council wanted to retain these plots of land for the future benefit of the village - perhaps to be used as recreation areas, or an extension to the primary school or more affordable housing ‘as we have a clear shortage of smaller homes’. It was held that those fields were ‘very much part of the village character’. However, the North Herts District Council’s Local Plan called for thirty-six new houses at Preston between 2011 and 2031 (although those already built would count towards that figure). Many Preston residents raised objections to this proposal. Because a redrawing of the Preston’s boundary could allow building on the two fields, the idea of a Neighbourhood Plan was mooted which, while not blocking developments, meant that a Council could decide where and what development should happen in a village (or so it was thought). Developing this concept was unanimously adopted by councillors and villagers’ views were sought at a Village Meeting in June 2016. Meanwhile, the administrative goalposts were moved once again in 2017. From this year, Preston was ‘allocated twenty-one new homes with one identified site being the Chequers Lane field’ (ie Castlefield). Locally, it was still anticipated that this allocation could be achieved through ‘one-off and small developments as had been the pattern in the village for decades’. By now it was generally accepted by most that future housing developments were going to happen, but villagers railed against the cramming of so many houses into one area thinking that this conflicted with the character of the village. In 2019, PPC acknowledged the reality that it was the planning officers and committee of NHDC who made the final decisions, after consulting statutory consultees (including parish councils). This was NOT the belief expressed three years earlier when the Neighbourhood Plan was first discussed. Meanwhile, (after a lengthy paragraph apparently of justification ) it was reported that PPC had supported the planning application re: The Dower House on the Hitchin road. This had been empty for years and was looking somewhat sad and run down. It was to be converted into six new dwellings. This was despite the fact that the House was a listed building. With hindsight, this might be considered to have been a ‘dry run’ for what was to come. The Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan was formally completed in April 2020 and PPC began to monitor the part it played in NHDC’s planning process.
The Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan (PPNP) and village housing.
The Preston Parish Neighbourhood Plan is available to read online in its entirety (link: PPNP) Its stated objective was ‘to establish a vision for the whole Parish and to help deliver local community’s wishes and needs for the plan period, 2018 – 2031 (The book version is dated 2019 - 2031). The Neighbourhood Plan is a statutory document that will be incorporated into the District Planning Framework and must be used by N Herts District Council in determining planning applications.’ With regard to housing, the Plan’s objective was to ensure ‘that a sufficient number and range of homes can be provided to meet the needs of present and future generations’. It noted that, ‘Over half the houses currently in Preston are detached and owner occupied. Around a fifth, to a quarter, are rented’. Its vision was to support ‘measured, proportionate, timely and sustainable development’ to meet local requirements. Among its objectives, plans for twenty-one units near Templars Lane were mentioned. ‘There were 44 objections. Of these, 35 suggested alternative sites within the village or infilling. Only 7 wanted no development in Preston…Taking into account 24 completions and permissions since 2011 the parish is estimated to see 45 additional dwellings over the Plan period. Residents feel strongly that new development should not detract from the character of the parish and should provide local benefits.’ There were ten objectives (H1 to H10) under the heading of Housing and Development. They included, (H1) ‘To ensure that any development is sensitively planned and phased over the period of the Plan, protecting and enriching the landscape and built setting’; (H3) ‘To ensure that any development delivers a range of housing to buy or to rent to meet local needs including affordable housing’ and (H9) ‘to seek to ensure any new housing scheme or infill development is of an appropriate scale and maintains or enhances the character of the village’. A village survey in 2017 produced these comments re: housing development, ‘… there is a preference for: smaller developments of less than five houses (63%) rather than one big development; in multiple response format preference was for two (58%) and three (63%) bedroom houses; houses to be similar in style to neighbouring properties (37%) but with some variation of styles (28%); semi-detached (59%) and detached (50%) housing and bungalows (31%)… ‘new houses be available for each of: families (62%); local people (60%); and first-time buyers (60%). Additionally, there was support for houses suitable for the elderly (46%) and houses suitable for downsizing (42%). There is also support for a range of tenures: owner occupied (69%), affordable/social rented housing (36%) and shared ownership (30%)…’ Concerning the details contained in this section: ‘This is the approach proposed in the Plan and on the basis of this the Parish Council will look to engage positively with the statutory planning process to guide future development to provide for the housing needs and requirements of existing residents.’ ‘This plan is not anti-development and the community understands the need to accommodate housing growth. However, there is great concern that new development in Preston could erode the very qualities that make the village and parish special if it is not carefully managed in terms of its scale and design. This next layer of growth must create a development of quality, contributing to the character of the village and providing local benefit. It must be more than an exercise in meeting housing supply ‘numbers’ by the addition of inappropriate properties. Our objective, therefore, is to enable the provision of a choice of new homes to meet the needs of all sections of the community in a manner which respects the character of the village and wider parish’ ‘The general trend in recent years has been for new developments nationally to be built at high densities and on a large scale. There is a strong wish within the community to retain the village feel, which means plenty of green space and small-scale development. The preference of people living in the parish is for developments of less than 5 homes as this is felt to be more suited to the village environment and a number of smaller developments will tend to support incremental development over the period of the Plan’. I draw the reader’s attention to the following stated policies described in the Plan: HD1, HD3, HD4, HD6 and HD10 which summarise what has been noted here. Finally, Temple Dinsley/PHC, formerly Princess Helena College is mentioned in the Plan. A brief history of the house/estate is recorded on page ninety-two.
Newly-built homes at Preston 2020 - 2025.
For some years property developers, like red kites, had been circling two fields at Preston that they identified as suitable for ‘infilling’. The field pictured below had lain fallow for decades and was the next site for a development project, ‘Sadlers Court’:
‘California’ had once been Preston’s allotments. In the distance are the houses along School Lane
Sadlers Court/Oakfields
Back Lane
Originally the estate was to have been called, ‘Earls Walk’. Then, because that name had ‘no link to the area’, it was changed to ‘Oakfield’. It is also described by the builders as, ‘Sadlers Court’ - which also has no link to the area - unless, of course, something untoward has occurred here.
The houses are a mix of 1 x two bedroom, 3 x three bed, 3 x four bed and 2 x five bed homes. Their prices start from £1.695m. The house shown top left is the first house on the left as you enter the estate. Then, the views of houses rotate clockwise until they reach the last one which faces Back Lane. The ‘Oakfield’ street name is at the entrance to the estate on both sides of the road. At the time of writing (26 May 2025), nine homes had been sold and one was reserved.
The second infill site is a continuation of Castlefield called ‘Chiltern View’. It has been mentioned earlier. This comprised of twenty-one houses in assorted styles - a sample of them is shown below.
Entrance via Templars Lane
In May 2025, many of the homes were occupied and the road and pavements were being finished. There is still much work to be done on the nearby attenuated pond. The Preston Village website has the text of two letters written to the developers by PPC in September and December 2021. (Links: Letter 1, Letter 2) Among their objections were these comments, ‘To achieve a housing mix which meets the criteria of Policy HS3 on a site of 21 dwellings, there should be 13 (62%) larger properties and 8 (38%) smaller dwellings. As there are already enough large properties in Preston, the Parish Council suggests that the housing mix in the ELP should be adhered to.’ ‘The Parish Council appreciates that an attempt has been made to improve local distinctiveness and approves of the soft landscaping to replace brick walls between the dwellings and the replacement of buff bricks with red bricks. It is, however, of the view that the other amendments, particularly tile hanging and decorative barge-boards are not enough to ensure that the proposed development reflects the rural character of Preston.’ Summarizing the cumulative effects of the Sadlers Court and Chiltern View developments, PPC noted that in the ‘2011 census there were 158 dwellings in the Parish. By May 2021, there had been an increase of 29 dwellings, 18% either completed or with planning consent, so at the present time there are 187 dwellings in the Parish. If both of these applications are granted planning consent, there will be an increase of 31 dwellings across the Parish. This is an immediate increase of 16.6%, not a gradual increase over a ten-year period. PPC noted that these two projects with their large increase in dwellings would impact on traffic, the village infrastructure (ie broadband connectivity) and the quality of life of residents. Residents have also spoken of their surprise at how closely the homes at Chiltern View have been crammed together.
PPC wrote two letters to NHDC regarding this development which are available on the internet (Link: Letter A; Letter B). In part, their concerns were, ‘While acknowledging that a mix of housing has been included in this application, the Parish Council is of the view that the proposal is still not what is required in Preston. There is no requirement for large dwellings but there is a need for some smaller homes for younger members of the community who would like to get on to the housing ladder while remaining in the village in which they live. The Parish Council suggests that the 5 bed houses in this scheme should be removed and smaller homes provided in their place. The Parish Council notes that red bricks which predominate in Preston are planned but it is important that these bricks are a close match to those on existing dwellings. Some of the other materials are not those used on existing houses. It is vital that the conditions which will be placed on the materials to be used are strictly adhered to in order to ensure that any development enhances rather than detracts from this area of the village.’ Concerning the second paragraph, the reader is invited to view again the photographs of the homes.
Finally, attention is drawn to the final almost identical paragraph which was written by PPC to NHDC in its comments concerning both the Sadlers Court and the Chilterns View developments: ‘Preston Parish Council would like serious consideration to be given to the points raised here alongside those of its original submission to this application. Due consideration must also be given to the PPNP which is now part of the Statutory Development Plan for North Hertfordshire prior to planning consent being granted. It is vital that the correct decisions are made and appropriate conditions imposed to ensure that this site is developed in a way which is appropriate, proportionate and relevant for Preston and its Conservation Area so that it remains one of the most attractive and unspoilt villages in North Hertfordshire.’ The dust has now virtually settled at both sites. Some rhetorical questions: What guided NHDC’s decisions regarding the new housing at Preston? How effective has Preston’s Parish Neighbourhood Plan been in the decision-making process? Significantly, PPC has noted, ‘It is concerning that the Senior Planning Officer did not accept that HD3 and HD4 were policies. The Chairman (of PPC) has already started a record of whether Neighbourhood Plan Policies are adhered to by Planning Officers. If they aren’t, PPC will have to contact NHDC. It was noted that Pirton have had this issue since their Plan was made in 2018’. Finally, in our analysis of new homes at Preston 2020 to 2025, a special mention for Long Barn, Mike and Sue Kellard’s new abode at School Lane which was built on land beside Kiln Wood Cottage.
Now we move on to the 2024/25 planning process for Temple Dinsley. There is an online Planning Statement which sets out details of a complex project (Link: TDPlans) ‘The proposals are for the conversion of the main building to provide a total of 35 new apartments, comprising 10 no. one-bedroom units, 20 no. two-bedroom units, 4 no. three-bedroom units and 1 no. four-bedroom units. Owing to the historic nature and layout of the building, all of the proposed apartments are of unique and individual layouts and are of different sizes’ and are ‘single-level apartments.’ ‘It is proposed to convert the teaching block to provide a total of 8 no. new apartments, comprising 2 no. one-bedroom units, 5 no. two-bedroom units and 1 no. three-bedroom unit… (the Science Block will be demolished) and to replace this with five new buildings, which in total will provide 22 no. new- build houses and apartments. The form and layout of the new housing, as well as their design’ is to reflect a C19 model farm’ The Tank House would provide a single storey dwelling and The Pump House would provide a two-storey dwelling. Two new detached houses are proposed within the Summerhouse Plantation…The first, to be called ‘Summer House’…The second, called ‘Harwood House’, is proposed at the north-western corner of the plantation. Both dwellings would be two-storey, five-bedroom dwellings. This is a total of sixty-nine dwellings.’ The Planning Document quoted freely from the PPNP to evidently support its proposals and The North Herts Local Plan 2011 to 2031. In September 2024, the planning applications re: 24/01605/LBC & 24/01604/FP - Temple Dinsley were discussed by PPC and members agreed to support the application in principle but with objections made in regards to the two properties, Tank Barn and the Pumping Station. (Note: the applications described here can be viewed in their entirety on the North Herts planning website.) Three months later, in December, PPC members agreed their response to the changes made to the application and then agreed cto the changes. The Temple Dinsley application was granted consent by the North Herts Planning Committee on 30 January 2025. Then on 24 March 2025, both the planning and the listed building applications for Temple Dinsley were approved. There is a clear conflict between the stated objectives of the PPNP and these plans. It is no secret that before Covid, Princess Helena College had been attempting to deal with grave financial difficulties ‘for several years’. The writing was on the blackboard - inevitably, PHC would close. The effects of Covid delivered its death stroke. As the planning of Preston’s future was being discussed in detail in 2018/19, and given that Temple Dinsley/PHC has been the major part of Preston’s history for centuries, was the impending change of use of the estate considered by PPC or Preston’s Trust? There is no mention of the future of the PHC building/estate in the PPNP, nor in the available PPC minutes from 2015. Why were the plans passed by PPC when they appear to be contrary to their PPNP? The most likely answer is that the proposal was the best option available for this site. But unfortunately, it flew in the face of the Plan. In a similar vein, the PPNP states, (H3) ‘To ensure that any development delivers a range of housing to buy or to rent to meet local needs including affordable housing’. The Temple Dinsley Planning Statement (https://preston-np.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PLanning-Statement.pdf) after a list of considerations states, ‘7.10 It is also acknowledged that the proposals would not provide for any affordable housing. However, the proposals benefit from the ‘Vacant Buildings Credit’ policy within the NPPF, whichis there to encourage the re-use of existing buildings and the redevelopment of brown-field sites. This policy is also in place as incorporating affordable housing in heritage-led projects, such as this, is often very difficult in both practical terms (for example, the management of affordable units by a Registered Provider, when the building is also shared with private-market units) and also in terms of viability, given the significant financial investment required in the renovation and conversion of the listed buildings.’ It may also be noted that the viability of the project is not discussed or mentioned in the PPC minutes. There is no document with the heading, ‘Viability’ among the 300+ planning documents.
I passed this way when this area was a hive of activity and took some photographs. TAS Architects state that this is an award-winning, highly sustainable, single-storey dwelling formed of two off-site manufactured timber-framed barns arranged around a courtyard garden, with framed views of the beautiful mature gardens and trees beyond. Planning permission was granted in 2021, in collaboration with Nexus Planning who acted as planning consultant. ‘Working to AECB standards, the construction utilises the most sustainable techniques and materials possible; a principle driven by the client and integral to the design from day one. The timber frames were manufactured off site by Timber Innovations, reducing site time and wastage. The wall construction is a hybrid cavity filled with wood fibre insulation, achieving great insulation and air- tightness without the negative impacts of other manufactured insulations such as off-gassing.’
Sadlers Court Ten detached ‘High-end’ houses DH Chiltern View Twenty-one homes - a mix of detached houses, bungalows and a row of four. ‘High-end’ and affordable homes
Long Barn, School Lane High-end DB Wilde House, Back Lane high-end DB Total: 33 homes
Planning permission for sixty-nine dwellings at Temple Dinsley, Preston to be completed circa 2027.
Immediately before and after WW1 there was desperate need for houses for Preston’s labourers and their families. A substantial number of dilapidated, tumble-down homes were pulled down. Where were the village’s workers to live? Between 1911 and 1925, at least twenty-seven new home were built specifically for local labourers. There was a lull between 1926 and 1939 - only four council houses at Chequers Lane were built, together with Preston House beside the Green and Greenfields, at Back Lane. The latter bungalow was built by Bert Waller and after living probably in the Langley area, Bert and his wife, Phyllis, moved to Preston. This relocation was a fore-gleam of the Preston building boom from 1950. But first, WW2 had to be fought. During the war, Bert worked at Hatfield and Henlow airfields and also for a local builder in Hitchin. They built huts in Hitch Wood, which housed some of the soldiers preparing for the D-Day landings. Then came the peace. In 1945/46 the Swedish government sent 3,000 flat-pack houses to Britain - a gift which acknowledged Britain’s support of Sweden during the war. Ten of these were quickly assembled along Chequers Lane. They were much-needed ‘affordable homes’. Now Bert Waller and particularly his son, Dennis, swung into action. Between 1950 and 1975, twenty- one ‘high-end’, detached houses and bungalows were built in Preston. They were designed for middle class occupants. After the Wallers, this pattern of building continued between 1976 and 2011 - nineteen more ‘high-end’ detached homes were constructed in the village, in ones and twos. Six affordable bungalows at Templars Lane were also built. From 2012 to 2019, there was a change of direction. Two existing buildings, The Dower House and Lutyens’ Ladygrove were converted into sixteen new expensive apartments, and two ‘high-end’ detached homes were built at Back Lane and Crunnells Green From 2020 to 2025 thirty-two new homes were built, most were detached, most were ‘high-end’. Thirty-one were situated in two fields in the centre of Preston, effectively infilling the village. This brief synopsis reveals what has occurred to Preston’s housing stock over sixty-nine years from 1945 until 2025: with the exception of the affordable Swedish Houses, the Templars Lane bungalows, Castlefield and a small section of Chiltern View, all of the newly-built houses and bungalows have been detached and ‘high-end’ homes designed for the affluent middle classes. This is written as a fact, and not as a criticism.
Summary of new home building at Preston 1911 - 2025.
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(A study of the social implications and consequences of Preston’s housing decisions will be included in next month’s upload.)
(Note: DH - Detached house; DB - Detached bungalow)
(Note: APTS - Apartments; S-DH - semi-detached houses)
An observation re: how Preston’s infrastructure may groan when Temple Dinsley is completed
On Friday, 24 May 2025 I lunched at the Red Lion, Preston. It was a pleasant, sunny day. The garden was almost full; the dining area was crammed and it was difficult to move in the two serving areas (where a feline could not be swung), which were also overflow areas for drinkers. I waited a quarter of an hour in the crush to place my order. It took an hour for my lamb and rosemary pie to make an entrance in the garden. Fast forward say three years. Sixty-nine new households have appeared in the community, who are living 150 metres or so from the Red Lion. How on earth could the hostelry cope with the demand? And then factor in a cold, wet winter’s day when the garden cannot be used…