Update

(Post planning committee meeting)

On the 1st of December, the Planning Control Committee approved both applications relating to the old Templars building, 20 High Street.
They voted to retain the use of the upper floor for a further 3 years, and extend the facility by converting the ground floor to add a further 10 rooms – making a total of 29 occupants.

You can watch the meeting on this link.

You can read our one page summary here.

Please take the time to read this and understand the 5 key omissions from the Planning Officer’s report:

We were let down by the process.

You can see this for yourself by watching the meeting on the link above, but a full statement will follow in due course.

We were also let down by our Councillors.
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Cllr Alistair Willoughby failed to attend, which meant a substitute from Hitchin was granted a vote in his place.
Cllr Willoughby states that he had a conflict of interest because he also holds the role of Deputy Executive for Housing. That being the case, he should still have attended the meeting. Had he attended, declared his conflict and absented himself from the vote, the first (main) application to extend the facility would have been denied.
You will see this is the process Cllr Hunter followed in the item preceding ours, which affected his ward (Royston).

We didn’t need Cllr Willoughby’s support – we simply needed him to show up.
Because he didn’t, Cllr Mason represented him as substitute and voted it through. This split the votes 5:5 and Cllr Tom Tyson (who sits on the Baldock and District Committee) got an additional deciding vote as chair - voting it through.

A full statement will be published here, along with next steps and how you can get involved and support.

If you would like to be kept informed, please email us using the button below.

It's critical that we continue to report all crimes and instances of anti-social behaviour to 101.
We're compiling a catalogue of these incidents to support our ongoing case. Please send us any crime reference numbers, along with date and description of incidents, ideally with photographic evidence so it can be more easily linked to 20 High Street residents.

EMAIL US TO BE KEPT INFORMED Report incident

What’s happening to Templars in Baldock?

20 High Street, the former Templars Hotel, became temporary housing under the government’s ‘Everyone In’ scheme to accommodate homeless people through the pandemic.

The expiration of this initial 3-year lease led to a planning application in March 2022 to retain the 19 en-suite sheltered housing rooms for a further three years.

A concurrent application was made to convert the ground floor restaurant into an additional 10 en-suite rooms for accommodation, creating a total of 29 rooms for sheltered housing.

76 objections published on the NHDC planning site provide a catalogue of testimonies and grievances experienced since the building has been used for sheltered housing.

The main concerns of the objections were:

Open drug dealing

Safeguarding concerns for KTS and Hartsfield students

Anti-social and violent behaviour

Aggressive begging

Loss of hotel accommodation for visitors

Loss of business and employment opportunities

20 High Street is leased to Haven First, a housing charity with facilities in Hitchin and Stevenage. The charity is awaiting the completion of a purpose-built hostel in Letchworth, due to open earlier this year but currently looks to be about two years behind schedule.

Statistically, Baldock now has a higher ratio of sheltered housing beds per local resident than Hitchin and Stevenage but, critically, no wider infrastructure to support them.

Even when considering the plans for additional sheltered housing in neighbouring towns, if the current planning applications are accepted (increasing total rooms from 19 to 29), the small town of Baldock would be providing a disproportionate number of rooms given its population.

20 High Street is one of a number of iconic buildings in our historic town and has been a much-loved venue for both locals and visitors alike. The long-term future of 20 High Street is unknown, however planning permission to convert the first floor into apartments and retain the ground floor as a commercial unit has been approved, and this seems the best outcome.

With the imminent expansion of Baldock, an extra 3,300 houses, our town needs more – not less – commercial spaces for economic growth, businesses and employment opportunities for local people.

Update

What’s happening to Templars in Baldock?

The main concerns of the objections were:

Even when considering the plans for additional sheltered housing in neighbouring towns, if the current planning applications are accepted (increasing total rooms from 19 to 29), the small town of Baldock would be providing a disproportionate number of rooms given its population.

Your help can make the difference!

Make your voice heard: