Hemel Hempstead News
The latest Hemel Hempstead news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Alex Manton, 17, Is British Synchro Trampoline Champion
Hemel Hempstead's Alex Manton, 17, won the senior men's synchronised trampoline British title with Aidan Taylor, scoring 43.16 at Telford on 3 to 4 October.
More stories
Crime
Hemel Hempstead Crime Figures: Burglary Down 37% in a Year
Burglary in central Hemel Hempstead fell from 186 to 118 in a year and robbery halved. Drugs and weapons offences rose, and Berkhamsted's total was up 13%.
Maylands
Maylands Street Signs: The £165,192 Contract Behind Them
The new Maylands signs come from a £165,192 contract, awarded without a fresh tender. What it buys: 122 street signs, six fingerposts and two lit gateways.
Planning
Dacorum Planning: Councillor Call-Ins End on 31 October
From 31 October, officers alone decide Dacorum extensions and schemes of up to nine homes. Nine of the last ten committee cases would have skipped councillors.
Housing
Dacorum Council Housing: 16 Ombudsman Findings in a Year
The Ombudsman made 16 findings against Dacorum as a landlord in 2025/26, one of severe maladministration over damp and mould. Repairs drove 358 complaints.
Crime
Fuel Thefts Across Herts: 12 Charged, 11 From Hemel
Police have charged 12 people over about 600 fuel thefts reported by forecourts in 2025, in Hemel, St Albans, Watford, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable and Bedford.
Council
Hemel E-Bike Contract Awarded: Call-In Ends 1 October
Cabinet awarded the Hemel e-bike contract on 22 September and released £1,004,690. The council logged it as not a key decision, and call-in ends on 1 October.
Community
Dacorum Stray Dogs: £91 to Reclaim, £142 With No Chip
Reclaiming a stray dog in Dacorum costs £91 on day one, or £142 with no microchip. The council's dog service won RSPCA platinum again on 22 September.
Council
Hemel Hempstead E-Bike Hire: £1m Decided Tuesday
Cabinet is asked on 22 September to release £1,004,690 for a Hemel e-bike hire scheme. The council's own survey found 54% of those who replied would not use it.
Planning
Tring 1,400 Homes: Councillors Vote 6-5 to Fight On
Dacorum councillors refused by 6-5 to drop the Green Belt objection to 1,400 homes east of Tring. It now defends the refusal at a November inquiry.
House prices
Dacorum House Prices Up 3.0% to £459,235 in July
Dacorum's average home hit £459,235 in July, up 3.0% in a year and joint third in Hertfordshire. A weak July 2025 flatters it: prices barely moved all summer.
Crime
Dacorum Policing Priorities: Fletcher Way and E-Scooters
Police in Dacorum will target Fletcher Way, e-scooters, shoplifting and drug dealing for the coming months. Each area's priorities, and what the data shows.
Licensing
Camelot Rugby Club 1am Licence: 27 Residents Object
Camelot rugby club wants alcohol to 1am and outdoor music on its playing field. Dacorum's own pollution team objects too. Hearing 11am, Friday 18 Sept.
Licensing
KFC Maylands Avenue Asks To Serve Until 1am, 7 Days
The Maylands Avenue KFC has applied to sell hot food until 1am every night. One neighbour objected, and that alone sends it to a hearing on Friday 18 September.
Heritage
The Bury Hemel Hempstead: Not For Sale, Agent Dropped
Dacorum says The Bury was never for sale and has ended its agent's contract after a brochure went out in error. The listed house has stood empty since 2016.
Planning
Dacorum Local Plan 2045: Call For Sites Opens 11 September
Dacorum starts a new Local Plan on Friday. A three-week scoping consultation closes on 2 October, and landowners can put forward sites until 23 October.
Planning
Tring 1,400 Homes: Council Asked to Drop Appeal Defence
Dacorum councillors are asked on 10 September whether to stop defending the Tring refusal. The developer wants full costs at the 10 November inquiry.
Roads and travel
A414 Hemel to St Albans Shuts All Weekend from 11 September
The A414 between the M1 at Hemel and St Albans can shut 8pm Friday to 6am Monday from 11 September. National Highways expects the works to run to August 2027.
Berkhamsted
Berko Fields: Castle Hill Shuts, Seven Roads Lose Parking
Murray Road and Castle Hill close for the Berkhamsted festival from 11 September, and seven roads lose all parking. The notice says there is no alternative route.
Berkhamsted
Berko Fields Berkhamsted: Capped at 3,500 People a Day
Dacorum capped the new Berkhamsted festival at 3,500 people a day, cut music to 10.30pm and banned fireworks. Dates, line-up, times and ticket prices.
Hemel Hempstead
Water Gardens Car Park Hemel: £95k Rewiring, No Tender
Dacorum will pay one firm up to £94,534 to finish rewiring the Water Gardens North car park, with no competitive tender. The call-in deadline is 4 September.
Planning
Bovingdon 125 Homes: 47 Object, Comments Close 7 September
Taylor Wimpey wants up to 125 homes on 5.3 hectares of Green Belt at Bovingdon, half of them affordable. Every comment so far objects. Comments close 7 September.
Council
Dacorum Holds £8m Developer Cash: Playgrounds, Pitches, GPs
Dacorum held £7.97m of developer money on 1 May 2026, funding playgrounds in Chaulden, Bennetts End and Bovingdon. One £25,000 pot expired in January 2025.
Data
Dacorum Has Herts' Highest and Lowest Claimant Wards
Hemel Hempstead Town ward is on 6.0%, Berkhamsted Castle on 0.9%, the lowest of 176 Herts wards. They sit 3.6 miles apart, and the 3.2% average hides both.
Planning
Hillier Garden Centre Site: Open Storage Yard Plan
Plans would clear the Piccotts End garden centre for an open storage yard stacked to 6.75m, with lorry movements roughly doubling. Comments close 11 September.
House prices
Dacorum House Prices Up 1.8% as Hertfordshire Adds 3.5%
The average Dacorum home reached £459,438 in June, up 1.8% in a year. That is eighth of Hertfordshire's ten districts, and still £9,095 below the borough's November peak.
Planning
Tring Timpson Kiosk Approved Over Town Council Objection
Dacorum granted Timpson a kiosk at Tesco in Tring by 7 votes to 1, after the town council warned it would undercut an existing High Street key shop. One full-time job, open seven days.
Council
Little Hay Golf: 15-year deal from 1 Oct, padel and lodges
Absolutely Together keeps Little Hay Golf Complex under a 15-year contract from 1 October, promising adventure golf, four padel courts and five lodges. Its bid scored 86.35 of 100.
Bennetts End
Coronation Fields Hemel: £268k games area, gym due autumn
Dacorum has awarded the contracts for a new multi-use games area, cricket nets and outdoor gym at Coronation Fields, Bennetts End, with installation planned for this autumn. £268k of the money is Sappi S106 cash.
House prices
Dacorum house prices flat: £454,770, £16 down in a year
The average Dacorum home lost £16 in a year, at £454,770, while Hertfordshire rose 2.5%. Which property types fell, when the run stalled, and how the neighbours compare.
Council
Hemel Hempstead parish council plan: £24.97, 30 seats
Hemel Hempstead would get its first parish council, at £24.97 a year on Band D. The council's finance officer says that figure will rise. Consultation ends 18 September.