Award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group has completed the acquisition of Ickleford Mill, a 9.17 acre brownfield site close to Hitchin in North Hertfordshire, with the intention of delivering a high-quality residential development that will transform the disused former flour mill into a sustainable new community.

The land, which has been vacant for several years, was acquired from a private landowner through Savills Cambridge and has a gross development value of £33 million. Hill aims to submit proposals for 56 new homes, with 40% allocated for affordable housing comprising one and two-bedroom apartments, as well as two, three and four-bedroom houses for affordable rent and shared ownership. The private sale offering will comprise two to five-bedroom family homes, responding to local demand.

In line with Hill’s design-led philosophy, the homes will be built to exacting environmental standards, incorporating air-source heat pumps, electric vehicle charging, cycle storage, and generous outdoor space for community amenities. The development is dissected by the River Oughton and surrounding green fields will be retained as publicly accessible open space, complemented by new landscaping and planting to achieve a biodiversity net gain in excess of 10%.

Hill will consult the local community as it develops more detailed proposals for the project, with a planning application targeted for submission in Spring 2026.

The site lies immediately north of Hitchin, benefitting from excellent connectivity to London and the wider region. Hitchin railway station offers direct services to London King’s Cross in under 40 minutes, while the A1(M) provides strong road links across Hertfordshire and beyond. The scenic village of Ickleford itself offers a range of everyday amenities including local shops and schools, while Hitchin town centre is a thriving county hub for commerce and leisure.

Andy Hill OBE, founder and Group Chief Executive of The Hill Group, comments:

“This is an important brownfield site for North Hertfordshire which presents an excellent opportunity to deliver much-needed, high-quality homes for the region. Our proposals will transform a redundant and neglected site into a sustainable new community with plenty of accessible green space. This acquisition further strengthens our presence in the county, where we are committed to working in partnership with local authorities to help meet housing demand and enhance the local area.”

The acquisition builds on Hill’s extensive track record in Hertfordshire and the surrounding regions, further demonstrating Hill’s commitment to investing in the region and delivering much-needed homes across a range of tenures. The company has delivered a number of significant developments in the county, including Millside Grange in Rickmansworth and Aspects just outside Stevenage, as well as ongoing regeneration project Nexus in Stevenage town centre.