Hertsmere Borough Council
Hertsmere Local Plan Draft Regulation 18 Consultation Document
Chapter 15 Hertsmere Bushey Area
Context and Character
15.1 Bushey is one of Hertsmere’s principal settlements and plays an important role within the Borough’s settlement hierarchy as a well-established residential community with a strong local identity. Located in the south-west of the borough, close to the boundary with Watford and the London Borough of Harrow, Bushey forms part of a wider urban area while retaining a distinctive character shaped by its historic village core, suburban neighbourhoods and surrounding countryside.
15.2 The town is characterised by several distinct neighbourhoods, including Bushey Village, Bushey Heath and North Bushey, each with its own identity, heritage and pattern of development. These areas together form a network of communities with strong local character and a long-established sense of place. Bushey Village contains a significant concentration of historic buildings and forms an important conservation area, reflecting the town’s historic origins and its well-known association with the arts and crafts movement.
15.3 Bushey benefits from good connectivity with surrounding places and areas. Bushey railway station, located to the west of the settlement, provides direct rail services to London Euston and other destinations along the West Coast Main Line. The town is also served by several bus routes connecting Bushey with Watford, Stanmore and other neighbouring centres. While car travel remains an important means of movement, there are opportunities to enhance walking and cycling routes between neighbourhoods, town centres, public transport hubs and open spaces.
15.4 Bushey contains several local centres which provide shops, services and community facilities for residents. These include the historic Bushey Village centre and the more modern Bushey Heath centre, both of which support a
Hertsmere Borough Council
Hertsmere Local Plan Draft Regulation 18 Consultation Document
range of independent businesses, cafés and local services. Strengthening the vitality and quality of these centres, while respecting their distinct character, represents an important opportunity for the future of the town.
15.5 The settlement is predominantly residential in character, with a mix of suburban neighbourhoods developed throughout the twentieth century. Housing ranges from historic properties within the village to later suburban development and more recent residential schemes. Bushey is also closely associated with several parks, recreation grounds and green spaces that contribute significantly to the town’s character and quality of life.
15.6 Bushey is surrounded by areas of countryside that form an important landscape setting for the town and help maintain separation from neighbouring settlements. The relationship between the built-up area and surrounding open countryside is a defining feature of Bushey’s identity and contributes to its distinctive character.
15.7 Bushey also maintains strong functional relationships with nearby settlements including Watford, Stanmore and other neighbouring communities, with residents often accessing employment, education and services across a wider area. These relationships mean Bushey forms part of a broader network of settlements across south Hertfordshire and northwest London.
15.8 In accordance with the spatial strategy of the Local Plan, Bushey will continue to play an important role in accommodating development within Hertsmere. Opportunities for growth are expected to focus primarily on previously developed land, regeneration sites and appropriate opportunities for infill and intensification within the existing urban area. This approach will allow Bushey to continue evolving as a thriving community while maintaining its distinctive character and relationship with the surrounding countryside.
Emerging Vision
15.9 A vision for the Bushey area is being developed through further evidence gathering, community engagement and the ongoing Settlement Visions work. The emerging technical evidence that has supported the plan-making process in respect of the Borough’s four main settlements is set out under the visions for the four settlements. This will reflect Bushey’s role as one of Hertsmere’s principal residential communities, while recognising the distinctive character of its different neighbourhoods and centres.
15.10 The vision will consider how Bushey can accommodate an appropriate level of growth while protecting the historic character, landscape setting and community identity that define the town. New development is likely to focus primarily on opportunities within the existing urban area, including the redevelopment of previously developed land and appropriate opportunities for infill and intensification.
15.11 The vision will also explore how the town’s local centres, including Bushey Village and Bushey Heath, can be strengthened through improvements to public realm, investment in local infrastructure and the delivery of mixed-use development that supports shops, services and community facilities. Enhancing the quality and vitality of these centres will help ensure they remain attractive and accessible places for residents and visitors.
15.12 Improving connectivity across Bushey will also form an important component of the emerging vision. Opportunities to enhance walking, cycling and public transport connections between neighbourhoods, town centres, open spaces and Bushey railway station will help support more sustainable patterns of movement and improve access to key destinations.
15.13 The vision will also recognise the importance of Bushey’s network of parks, open spaces and surrounding countryside. Strengthening green infrastructure, improving access to open spaces and supporting biodiversity
Hertsmere Borough Council
Hertsmere Local Plan Draft Regulation 18 Consultation Document
will help ensure that Bushey remains a resilient and environmentally sustainable town.
15.14 Through this approach, the emerging vision for Bushey will seek to ensure that the town continues to evolve as a thriving and distinctive place, supporting homes, services and community life while respecting the character and heritage that make Bushey unique.
Key Spatial Objectives
15.15 A matrix that identifies the key spatial objectives for the Bushey Area is included below –
TO ACHIEVE THIS VISION OUR KEY SPATIAL OBJECTIVES (NOT LISTED IN ORDER OF PRIORITY) ARE TO:
1 Support the delivery of new homes in Bushey that contribute towards meeting Hertsmere’s housing needs. Development will optimise the use of suitable sites within the existing urban area, including opportunities for regeneration, brownfield redevelopment and appropriate infill development, while ensuring that proposals respect the town’s character, heritage and surrounding landscape.
2 Strengthen and enhance Bushey’s local centres, including Bushey Village and Bushey Heath, as attractive and vibrant destinations for residents and visitors. This will be achieved through improvements to public realm, the sensitive redevelopment of suitable sites, and the delivery of mixed-use development that supports local shops, services, employment and community activity.
3 Improve connectivity and accessibility across Bushey by enhancing walking, cycling and public transport links between residential neighbourhoods, town centres, Bushey railway station, open spaces and surrounding communities. These improvements will support more sustainable patterns of movement and improve access to key destinations and services.
4 Protect and enhance Bushey’s distinctive character, heritage assets and environmental setting by maintaining its strong relationship with surrounding countryside and open spaces. Development will be expected to contribute positively to the quality of the built and natural environment while ensuring that new growth is supported by appropriate infrastructure and community facilities.
Hertsmere Borough Council
Hertsmere Local Plan Draft Regulation 18 Consultation Document
15.16 The above key spatial objectives will be informed by the outputs from the settlement visions. The matrix included above provides an example of what is possible.
Policy HBUSA1 Bushey Local Centres
15.17 The emerging Local Plan will include a new strategic policy that will support the continued vitality and viability of these centres through the sensitive redevelopment of suitable sites, improvements to public realm and the delivery of mixed-use development that supports local businesses, services and community activity.
15.18 Future development will seek to enhance the quality and character of Bushey’s centres, improving public spaces, shopfronts and pedestrian connections while maintaining the distinctive character and heritage of each centre.
Policy HBUSA2 Movement and Connectivity in Bushey
15.19 A new strategic policy that will support improvements to walking, cycling and public transport connections between residential neighbourhoods, Bushey Village, Bushey Heath, Bushey railway station and surrounding open spaces. Development proposals will be expected to contribute towards improvements to movement and accessibility where appropriate.
15.20 Enhancing connectivity will help improve access to services and public transport while supporting more sustainable patterns of travel. The emerging Local Plan’s key diagram for Bushey will identify existing sustainable travel networks and the improvements that will be delivered through regeneration and new growth.
Hertsmere Borough Council
Hertsmere Local Plan Draft Regulation 18 Consultation Document
Chapter 15 Questions:
49. Question: Do you agree with the Council's recommended approach towards the delivery of the spatial strategy within the Bushey area? Yes/No.
50. Question: If you disagree with any of the content, with reference to specific sections, please provide detailed comments or suitable alternatives, and justify your answer with appropriate and proportionate evidence.