Our aim is to protect Letchworth Garden City’s distinctive architectural heritage while supporting sustainable improvements to homes and buildings. By balancing the town’s historic character with the changing needs of residents, we’re working to ensure Letchworth remains a sustainable, adaptable and thriving Garden City for generations to come.
For the latest updates on our projects and progress towards this aim, visit our Our Impact page, updated quarterly to reflect our ongoing work and achievements.
2025 Highlights
- Protecting our heritage: Received more than 700 applications for changes to residential properties, approving 93% and providing pre-application advice in 151 cases.
- Supporting sustainable homes: Published new guidance on air source heat pumps and shared resources from our Community Energy-funded project, including an interactive energy efficiency guide, workshop recordings and a whole-house retrofit plan.
- Improving the customer experience: Invested in a new case management system and online application portal to make the process of requesting property changes simpler and more transparent.
- Strengthening resident engagement: Began working with a specialist public affairs agency to better understand the challenges residents face when balancing sustainability improvements with heritage requirements.
Progress Against Strategy 2028
- Sustainable conservation guidance: Continued developing principles and standards to help residents make sustainable home improvements while protecting Letchworth’s architectural character.
- Resident engagement: Held consultation events and updated guidance on measures such as solar panels and air source heat pumps, laying the foundations for further engagement in 2026.
- Protecting the Garden City legacy: Continued promoting sensitive improvements that make better use of existing buildings, reduce waste and preserve the town’s distinctive design.
Priorities for 2026
- Fully launch our new Heritage Application System.
- Develop initiatives that help residents make home improvements that benefit both their finances and the environment.
- Expand engagement and communication with residents, including consultation on design principles.
- Improve the customer experience, targeting a 10% increase in customer satisfaction across the Heritage and Stewardship team.
Our ambition is to make sustainable living easier while safeguarding the architectural heritage that makes Letchworth Garden City unique.
Share this page