Compass Park is bounded by Little Bushey Lane to the north and east, Farm Way and Bournehall Avenue to the south and Finch Lane and Finch Lane allotments to the west. It is approximately 48.4 hectares in size and has been owned by the Masonic Charitable Foundation for more than 100 years. It currently has two Public Rights of Way within its boundary (PROWS).

We are proposing to create a new sustainable green neighbourhood, with up to 700 new homes that can cater for people at every stage of life. This includes first time buyers and families, with 50% affordable housing that Clarion would manage directly, at a time when both locally and nationally these are desperately needed.

Approx. 50% of the site will be delivered as green space and delivered in Phase 1, which contains improvements to Bushey’s largest community park and a Local Wildlife Site as well as a new green link – unlocking this part of the green belt for public use for the first time.

To support and bring life to this neighbourhood and our local communities in Bushey, our vision is also to provide new much-needed facilities. This includes a new village green which will offer a small space for shops, a community centre, a health and wellbeing hub and flexible office space, all around a village green space that could host local markets and craft fairs.

To better connect Compass Park, we would invest in local roads, pavements and bus services and create new and improved walking and cycling routes. This would include improvements to the existing Public Rights of Way to make them easier and safer to navigate.

We received lots of useful feedback throughout our consultation, both about our plans and the local communities’ priorities for the area.

We heard which parts of our masterplan were supported, the areas where more information was needed, and those that people were concerned about, and can share how we’ve responded to the most common themes below.

 

You Said	We Did
“Traffic is an issue and I’m worried whether this development will make it worse”	We have undertaken detailed studies during half-term at peak morning and evening hours to assess our potential impact and are proposing to invest in local roads, public transport, and active travel facilities to help mitigate issues. The road layout within the site would be designed and carefully managed to stop ‘rat runs’ and protect residential areas.
“I want to know how my privacy is going to be protected”	We have created a ‘safeguarded area’ free from development which ensures a minimum of 26m between the proposed new homes and the rear gardens of the existing properties, on Farm Way and Bournehall Avenue. We have used the natural topography of the land to sensitively place buildings in a way that would help to protect views through to open green spaces, with no building exceeding 3-storeys.
“I would like bus services to Bushey Village / Watford improved”	We are proposing to create a new shuttle bus service that would travel from the site to Bushey, Watford High Street and Watford Junction and run every 30 minutes. This would be open to all residents to use and create a new reliable connection to local train stations and high streets.
“I am concerned about flooding in the area”	We are aware of flooding issues in the local area and are carefully considering what measures to put in place to help manage this. This not only includes drainage techniques such as rain gardens, permeable paving and swales, but also other SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) such as retention ponds and planting specifically designed to hold water until it can be drained through local infrastructure. These will be designed holistically across the entire masterplan, taking into account the topography of the site.
“I would like a small convenience store or grocery store included in the new village green”	We have developed our designs further and have now earmarked a larger retail space on the village green that could accommodate a local convenience store. We have also provided space for smaller shops, which could be used as a coffee shop, bakery or other small retailers.
“I would like a GP surgery to be provided here”	We have heard how strongly people feel about this and in direct response to local feedback are providing a Health and Wellbeing Outreach Centre, which may be able to provide GP appointments once complete and operational.  This is something that would need to be managed by a specialist operator.
“I am not sure that we need any more schools in Bushey”	This is something that Hertfordshire County Council has specifically told us is needed locally. We will continue to engage with them and Hertsmere Borough Council. We have purposefully earmarked the land for the school within the outline element of our plans.

We are conscious that this site forms part of the Green Belt and have thought carefully about how we can prioritise green space and enhance nature through a landscape-led design and deliver a significant amount of benefit for Hertsmere.

At the moment this site is private land that offers little to the local area and we believe there is an opportunity to transform it into a place that would offer a significant amount of benefit for the borough. Our masterplan would deliver up to 700 new homes, including 50% affordable, at a time when they are desperately needed. We are proposing a mix of property types and sizes – from 1-bedroom apartments to 5-bedroom houses – which will also include homes that are wheelchair accessible and adaptable, to meet a diverse range of needs.

To help support this growing community we are also proposing a range of new facilities and amenities, including land for a primary school, a care home, new shops and a community centre, which could include a health and wellbeing hub. These would offer a new walkable convenience for resident where currently there is little.

We have designed the masterplan to unlock a significant amount of new green space for the area and have focused a large proportion of the homes within the south of the site where they will sit as a natural sustainable extension to the existing built area in Bushey. This means that around 50% of the site would be open space, which includes 15-hectares of historic parkland that would become Bushey’s largest Community Park, opening up, and enhancing this part of the Green Belt for public use for the first time. It would also include a Local Wildlife Site that would protect and enhance this part of the site and create a place where people can observe and enjoy local nature. Connecting these two spaces would be a green link that would offer activities for all ages including a new playground for young children and areas for outdoor games like table tennis or chess as well as a village green that could host community events such as local markets and craft fairs.

There would also be significant improvements to the two Public Rights of Way to make them safer and more welcoming to travel through as well as new walk and cycle routes through the site that would connect to the existing Active Travel Network. Investments would also be made in local bus services, roads and pavements – better connecting Bushey and making it easier to travel around.

We believe Compass Park offers a rare opportunity to deliver a significant number of benefits for the borough in one place – transforming this site into a new neighbourhood and opening up a significant amount of green space.

We have submitted a Hybrid Planning Application, which means that the masterplan would be split into detailed and outline applications. This is very normal for large applications and aligns with how we are proposing to phase the delivery of the homes and community facilities which we have already touched on.

Detailed phase

We estimate that if we get planning consent Phase 1. This first phase would unlock a significant amount of benefit for the area:

• 200 new homes with 50% affordable
• Bushey’s largest Community Park
• Local Wildlife Site
• A new green link
• Village Green
• Flexible commercial and community space

Outline phases

• Up to 500 homes delivering the remaining 50% affordable
• Up to 70 specialist bedspaces as part of a care home
• A new primary school
• Active Travel Hub
• Full network of new walking and cycling routes
• Additional flexible commercial spaces, to include the health and wellbeing hub and community centre

We’ve created a design code that will set the quality and design standards for what can be delivered here for both buildings and open spaces. This includes protecting key views through and into the site.

We have created a safeguarded area ‘free from development’ which sits at a minimum of 26m between the proposed new homes and the rear gardens of existing properties on Farm Way and Bournehall Avenue. We have used the natural topography of the land to sensitively place buildings in a way that would help to protect views through to open green spaces, with no building exceeding 3-storeys.

We understand that traffic is a key local issue and this is something that came up a lot during our consultation.

We have been undertaking detailed transport surveys to better understand the conditions and have begun thinking about some of the improvements we could invest in, including investment in local roads and pavements, public transport, introduction of a new lane at the traffic lights and an extension of the left turn filter on Little Bushey Lane and improvements to Aldenham Road south.  Access to Compass Park would also be managed carefully to prevent ‘rat runs’ and protect neighbouring residential areas.

Issues with the junction between Little Bushey Lane and Aldenham Road

We are proposing to introduce a new lane at the traffic lights on Little Bushey Lane for vehicles turning left onto Aldenham Road. This would help reduce queuing along Little Bushey Lane, as well as improve overall flow of traffic at the junction and on Little Bushey Lane.

Sandy Lane being too narrow and impacting traffic flow

Improvements to Sandy Lane would need to be led by the Hertfordshire County Council. We are currently in discussions with them and would seek to make a financial contribution to help unlock improvements here.

Capacity issues at Hartspring

There are already proposed improvements to this roundabout that would help mitigate existing issues. If these do not come forward, we would offer to invest in improvements here.

Capacity issues at Junction 5

There are already proposed improvements to this interchange that would help mitigate existing issues. If these do not come forward, we would explore investing in improvements here for the benefit of the wider area.

School pick-up and drop-off

We have purposefully designed the school to deter people from using their cars to travel there. This includes limiting the number of roads that connect to it and designing out places for people to drop off students. It has also been placed away from areas where people could park on neighbouring roads.

Active travel and connectivity

We are supporting active travel to increase the number of local journeys being walked, wheeled, or cycled. This includes a variety of footpath and cycle routes through Compass Park, as well as creating direct links to the existing residential neighbourhoods on Bournehall Avenue and Farm Way and the nearest secondary school, Queens’ School.

Parking

Our proposals comply with Hertsmere’s parking policy requirements, as well as plenty of visitor parking. This means that there would be space to accommodate all parking within the site and prevent any overspill onto surrounding roads.

Our assessments show that there is capacity within existing services to accommodate future demand created by this proposal. However, we understand how strongly people feel about this and in direct response to local feedback have ensured the health and wellbeing outreach centre could accommodate space for ‘satellite’ GP and pharmacy appointments.

Whilst this is not a GP surgery, it means residents would be able to book appointments at set times throughout the week.

We have also earmarked a larger retail space on the village green that could accommodate a local convenience store and have provided space for smaller shops, which could be used as a coffee shop, bakery or other small retailer.

We have submitted a Construction Environmental Management Plan alongside the planning application that sets out how we will manage construction. This is available to view on Hertsmere’s planning portal.

We have submitted a Hybrid Planning application in July 2025 and expect this to be determined later this year. In addition to this phase of consultation, there will be a further opportunity to provide feedback during the council’s statutory consultation period which will take place over the summer now that the application has been validated. 

Providing planning consent is granted, we would hope to start construction on site in 2026.