A planning application has been submitted for 71 flats to be built in Queensway in Stevenage town centre.

The flats would be located above the shops at 58-90 Queensway and Forum Chambers, which include Clintons, EE and Maysons. The site covers the entire stretch of units between the two main entrances to the Westgate shopping centre.

As part of the development, two storeys would be added to the building, which is currently three-storeys tall.

Access to the flats would be via 80 Queensway, meaning part of the ground floor unit previously occupied by BrightHouse will no longer be available for retail use. The new flats would also replace office space on the first and second floors, and a communal garden area would be included on the third floor.

55 of the flats would be one-bedroom, 14 would be two-bedroom, and two would be three-bedroom.

The new development would not include any car parking spaces, though it would add 138 cycle spaces within the building.

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According to the transport note submitted as part of the application, "the principle of car free development was accepted by Stevenage Borough Council as part of the pre-application stage".

The same note expects that the proposed development would generate 92 two-way trips during the daily rush hours, but that most of these would be made "via sustainable, non-car modes" and therefore "the development will not have an impact on the surrounding local highway network".

The 2011-2031 Local Plan for Stevenage, adopted by the council in 2019, set a target for at least 7,600 homes to be built during that period. More than 3,000 properties are being constructed as part of the regeneration of Stevenage town centre.