Hatfield Innovation Campus

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Introduction

Foreword by Lord Salisbury

02–03

Executive summary

04–05

The site

06–09

Hatfield

Timeline

10–11

The aerospace industry

12–13

Education and research

14–15

A centre for commerce

16–17

The wider innovation ecosystem

18–19

Local amenities and lifestyle

20–21

Investment in Hatfield and the future vision

22–23

Gascoyne Estates

26–27

The location

28–29

The Opportunity

The vision

30–31

Town planning position

32–33

The proposal

34–35

Market data

36–39

Further Information

Gascoyne is our family business.

In one form or another it has been

managing my family’s affairs for over

400 years. During that time, the business

has been overwhelmingly concerned

with land and property.

Any success we have had has been because

we have approached our task guided by a

number of criteria, all of which are mutually

dependent. We try to ensure that we apply those

same criteria today. I would express them like this.

We are in this for the long term. We do not feel

that quick fixes are compatible with our wish

to be around for another four hundred years.

Stewardship of what we own and manage

is therefore essential and conservation and

improvement of our land and buildings central

to what we do.

We cannot survive or prosper unless we engage

and cooperate with our neighbours. Communities

are the basis of successful human life, so part of

our job must be to contribute what we can to

sustaining and helping to build the communities

in which we live and operate.

Equally, the world has always changed, driven

by technology. It is changing more quickly now

than ever before. If we are to survive and prosper,

we must embrace innovation and show the

imagination and adaptability to thrive in a difficult

and unpredictable environment. This means

contributing to local debates about the future,

but it also means being willing to transform the way

we do things ourselves when it seems necessary.

Curiously, having a longer perspective helps us

to think constructively. I hope this document will

give its readers some idea of who we are and what

we do and the opportunities which exist for future

innovation at Hatfield. We would be delighted to

engage in discussions if you do not yet know us.

If you already know us, I nevertheless hope the

opportunities are of interest and that it will

encourage you to get to know us better.

Lord Salisbury

Foreword

Sainsbury Laboratory, The University of Cambridge

Image Credit: Hufton+Crow / Stanton Williams

Executive

summary

Gascoyne Estates are seeking

to secure interest from a partner

to deliver Hatfield Innovation

Campus on a site within their

freehold ownership.

Interest from potential partners, investors,

developers, operators and occupiers

is being explored.

The subject site comprises 33 acres

adjacent to Welham Green railway station

in south Hatfield, only 25 minutes away

from King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter.

The site is allocated for development

within the Local Plan, and a Supplementary

Planning Document is currently being

prepared to provide more detailed

guidance and smooth the way to

achieving the desired planning consent.

The proposal is to create a live-and-work

community of up to 435,000 sq ft

of commercial workspace (Class E(g))

and 100 linked residential units (Class C3)

to support those working at the site.

The intention is that the new campus

becomes a hub for science and technology

talent, a place where R&D companies can

scale up and be a driver of innovation in

the heart of the Golden Triangle.

Gascoyne Estates have been established for

over 400 years and have strong relationships

within the community. Gascoyne Estates

is an experienced developer and landlord,

founded on the principles of environmental

and social responsibility.

Interested parties are invited to engage

over the course of Q2 2024 with a view

to partnering with Gascoyne Estates

to take the project forward.

Hatﬁeld Innovation Campus

Executive summary

Hatfield Innovation Campus Sketch

The site

University of

Hertfordshire

Hatfield

Railway Station

Hatfield

Park

St Albans

Welham Green

Railway Station

Welham Green

Industrial Park

Hatfield

Business Park

9.1 Ha

4.2 Ha

Stevenage

Cambridge

A1 (M)

Hatfield Town

Centre

Hatﬁeld Innovation Campus

The site

Hatfield

Park

Hatfield

Innovation

Campus

Welham Green

Railway Station

Welham

Green

Industrial

Park

Welham

Green

Village

Site map

Marshmoor

Lane linking

North & South

parcels

Hatﬁeld Innovation Campus

A town founded

on technology

1086

Hatfield is recorded

in the Domesday

Book as the

property of the

Bishops of Ely.

1497

The Old Palace

is built by the

Archbishop of

Canterbury, Cardinal

Morton (previously

Bishop of Ely), on the

site where Hatfield

House stands today.

The only surviving

wing is still used for

conferences and

events. Hatfield

House forms the

nucleus of Old

Hatfield.

1611

Robert Cecil, 1st

Earl of Salisbury

and Chief Minister

to King James I,

builds Hatfield

House. It remains

a prime example

of Jacobean

architecture and

is still home to the

Cecil family. It is open

to the public in the

summer months.

1850

Hatfield railway

station opens as

the railway comes

to the town.

1850–1934

Development

gradually spreads

westwards from

the Old Town and

Hatfield House until

1934, when the

Barnet bypass is

completed.

The population

of Hatfield in 1934

is 4,500.

1916

Field tests of

the worlds first

operational tank

were carried out

in the grounds of

Hatfield Park.

1930

The de Havilland

Aircraft Company

comes to Hatfield

and quickly takes

over as the town’s

largest employer.

The company

was later taken

over by Hawker

Siddeley and BAE.

The vast majority

of de Havilland

employees lived in

Hatfield, in specially

built residential

communities.

1945

Blue Jay and

Blue Streak early

aircraft missiles

were produced.

1948

As part of a

nationwide post-

war programme of

building, Hatfield

is chosen as a new

town in partnership

with nearby Welwyn

Garden City.

1960

de Havilland

acquired by Hawker

Siddeley.

1940

The Mosquito took

off from Hatfield, and

proved to be one of

the most versatile

aircraft of WWII.

1949

First flight of

The Comet, the

World’s first turbojet-

powered airliner

designed and built at

Hatfield was flown.

1951

Building of the

new town begins

in Hatfield.

1962

First flight of the

HS-121 Trident.

1977

Hawker Siddeley

subsumed into

British Aerospace

as part of a

nationalisation

programme.

1993

British Aerospace

closes Hatfield

factory.

1986

Hatfield Tunnel

opens.

2001

The population of

Hatfield is 30,000.

1994–2020

Hatfield Aerodrome

redevelopment plans

first published and

built-out.

1981

British Aerospace

privatised.

The first BAe 146

was flown for the

first time.

1992

Hatfield Polytechnic

is granted university

status and is

subsequently

renamed University

of Hertfordshire.

1954

The population of

Hatfield swells to

25,000.

Hatﬁeld Innovation Campus

Hatfield

A pioneering

town

With the advent of the rail network in the

mid-18th century, development ensued

and the Victorian New Town was built.

Much of the housing was of a poor standard

with scant sanitation.

In 1930, the de Havilland airfield and factory opened

in Hatfield and was a significant employer to the area.

Pockets of housing were developed around this period

to house the increasing work force.

After the second world war, expansion increased

as Hatfield was included in the nationwide

development of new towns. Rather than continue

with the Welwyn Garden City principle as Howard

envisioned, the partially built project was taken over

by the development corporation and was designated

a New Town with Hatfield in 1948.

The de Havilland airfield and factory closed in the

1990s. The old site is now home to the University

of Hertfordshire and a significant residential

development alongside a successful business park.

The former buildings have been retained and hold

listed status, with the hangar now home to a

private gym and tennis club, and the factory home

to Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Hatfield has recently become one of the

region’s growth towns, with population

growth at the upper end of the scale within

the county of Hertfordshire, east of England

and England as a whole.

Growth in Hatfield is expected to continue with

a recent study projecting the population of

Hertfordshire as a whole to increase by at least

107,000 by 2031, but potentially closer to 175,000.

As of 2021, the borough of Welwyn Hatfield is

the 15th most densely populated of the east

of England’s 45 local authority areas.

A quarter of the population are students, giving

the town youthful vitality and economic vibrancy.

The cluster of blue-chip employers across a range of

industries is a major draw for graduates, professionals,

and skilled workers. This is enhanced by the attractive

offer of excellent parks, leisure, shopping, schools,

and transport connectivity.

Number of employees

4,500

1934

25,000

1954

30,000

2001

41,000

2021

Hatﬁeld Innovation Campus

Hatfield

Blue Streak manufactured at Hatfield

BAE 146 manufactured at Hatfield

de Havilland Aircraft Factory

de Havilland DH-106 Comet Over Hatfield, 1958

Education

and research

Hatfield benefits from two major higher education institutions,

creating the next generation of talent and strong economic potential.

University of Hertfordshire

The University of Hertfordshire is the UK’s

leading business-facing university and in

the top quartile among the UK for the

impact of its research.

Part of this impact comes in the form of start-ups

generated, with 80 student start-ups in 2021/21 –

17th highest number among 220 UK Higher

Education Institutions.

The University is located in two vibrant campuses:

the College Lane Campus in South Hatfield and

the de Havilland Campus adjacent to Hatfield

Business Park. The University is organised into seven

schools, including Physics, Engineering and

Computer Science and Life and Medical Sciences.

17 research centres covering fields ranging

from bio-detection technologies to AI, robotics

and climate physics

25 research units and groups, including biosciences

and agriculture, food and veterinary sciences

78% of research is ranked as ‘world leading’ or

‘internationally excellent’ by the government’s

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Research ranked as ‘world leading’ has more than

doubled since the previous REF assessment

Highlights in research performance:

Source: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk

32,000

3,400

Students (2021/22)

Staff (2,045 Academic)

Hatfield’s talent pool

Over 25% of Hatfield’s population of

41,500 are of student age. The population

as a whole is heavily skewed towards

young and working-age residents,

providing strong fundamentals for

economic growth. The population is

also highly educated with some 35%

of residents aged over 16 having

Level 4 qualifications or above.

Royal Veterinary College

The Royal Veterinary College is one of

only 11 vet schools in the UK and is the

oldest and largest.

Undergraduates study for two years at their London

St Pancras site before undertaking 3 years of clinical

education at the Hawkshead Campus, a 5-minute

drive to the south of the Hatfield Innovation Campus.

Facilities include the Queen Mother Hospital

for Animals and the RVC Equine Hospital.

7 research centres focusing on infectious diseases

to clinical trials to biomedical imaging

A further 8 research groups, focusing on molecular

immunology, epidemiology and neuromuscular

disease among other areas

88% of research is ranked as ‘world leading’ or

‘internationally excellent’ by the government’s

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Source: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk

Highlights in research performance:

2,590

1,100

Students (2021/22)

Staff (295 Academic)

Age

Age Distribution (c. 2021)

Total

80+

1,247

70–79

1,767

60–69

2,710

50–59

4,114

40–49

4,999

30–39

6,125

20–29 10,076

10–19

5,936

0–9

4,548

Male

Female

The campus is also home to the RVC’s Diagnostic

Laboratories providing clinical support and research

to the university and its hospitals.

Hatﬁeld Innovation Campus

Hatfield

University of Hertfordshire

Royal Veterinary College

A centre

for commerce

Hatfield has become a major centre for employment within the county,

spread across a variety of sectors, but with an emphasis on higher-skilled

jobs and innovation activities.

Major employers in Hatfield include:

Hatfield provides

employment for over

100,000 people.

Job density is calculated as the

ratio of jobs to resident population

aged 16-64. Source of data: Office

for National Statistics

Job density

8.6%

Professional, Scientific

& Technical activities

6.2%

Information &

Communication

9.9%

Education

14.8%

Human Health

2,000

Homes – including

student residences

13,000

Jobs

3.5m

Sq ft business space

0.84

East of England

0.85

1.29

Welwyn Hatfield

Local Authority District

Great Britain

as a whole

Hatfield’s largest

employment site is

Hatfield Business Park,

which sits on 400 acres

of the former Hatfield

Aerodrome.

Major HQ occupiers

on the park include

Computacentre, Eisai,

Affinity Water, Ocado

and Yodel.

Hatfield Business Park

The employee population

includes strong

representation among

the following sectors:

Source of data: Office for

National Statistics

Employee population

Hatﬁeld Innovation Campus

Hatfield

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