Area focus: Dacorum Exciting plans guarantee bright future for borough marking landmark anniversary

Popular with families, businesses of all sizes and filmmakers, the borough of Dacorum is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year

Fifty years on from its creation, the borough of Dacorum boasts some of the most innovative minds working in Hertfordshire.

It has nearly 8,000 companies ranging from small and micro businesses to industry giants like EUSA Pharma, RSK, CAME, CAE Technologies, Sopra Steria, Henkel, Vitabiotics, Prologis and Atlas Copco.

It is home to part of the county’s Enterprise Zone, Hertfordshire Innovation Quarter, which brings together trailblazers in agritech, smart construction, bioscience, gene technology, AI, robotics and big data and has harnessed the expertise of the likes of building sciences specialists BRE Group, agricultural pioneers Rothamsted Research and the University of Hertfordshire.

Just outside the Enterprise Zone is Hemel Hempstead’s Maylands Business Park, arguably the heart of Dacorum’s economic activity, with more than 650 businesses employing over 20,000 people. Perfectly placed on the edge of London and with easy access to the M1, M25, A41 and A1, four mainline rail stations and five airports it is the destination of choice for many companies, including global leaders in construction, logistics and technology.

It certainly impressed US foodservice giant, Sysco, which is set to create its largest European depot on Maylands. The distributor, which is the parent company of food supplier Brakes, is initially investing $100million in the 475,000 sq ft site which is due to be fully operational by 2026. Over the next decade, the site will help contribute to the creation of 850 jobs.

Speaking about the development earlier this year, Paul Nieduszynski, CEO of Sysco GB, described it as a ‘next generation site, unlike anything we’ve seen before’.

He added: “The combination of scale, cutting-edge technology, range and service will set a new standard for foodservice wholesale in the UK.”

To ensure that the area continues to remain an attractive location for business, Dacorum Borough Council is currently working with partners on the Maylands Plus masterplan, and the wider Hemel Garden Communities programme.

Hemel Garden Communities proposes a sustainable large urban expansion to Hemel Hempstead and is set to create more than 11,000 new homes and 10,000 jobs by 2050. Hemel Garden Communities and its partners say it will be home to integrated neighbourhoods, connected by a green network, which will be underpinned by digital connectivity, a self-sustaining economy and pioneering green technology. They want it to embrace the best qualities of Hemel Hempstead’s Mark One New Town heritage.

Hemel Hempstead has existed since the 8th century but expanded rapidly as one of the ‘new towns’ needed to house Londoners displaced by the Blitz during the Second World War. Today, it is the county’s largest settlement with more than 90,000 residents.

Shoppers benefit from The Marlowes and Riverside shopping centres, while Hemel Old Town has independent shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes with alfresco seating.

Meanwhile, the market towns of Tring and Berkhamsted feature national retailers and independent shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes.

Visitors to Dacorum are also spoiled for choice when it comes to its natural treasures, educational opportunities and leisure activities.

Grade 1 listed Ashridge House is set in 190 acres of parkland and is home to Hult Ashridge, Hult International Business School’s executive education programme. It has been an executive business school for 65 years.

Paulo Lopez, Business Development Manager – Apprenticeships, said: “Our apprenticeships enable organisations to empower their people with a world-leading business school education, funded by the apprenticeship levy.

“They have been designed by some of the most renowned experts in the world of business. Delivered by a practitioner faculty and driven by the latest research, apprentices learn the skills they need to help organisations keep apace of a fastchanging business landscape.”

Other attractions include the Snow Centre, The XC activity centre for extreme sports, Planet Ice Hemel Hempstead, Drift Limits motorsport academy, Cloud 9 Xtreme Airpark, Mulligan’s, The Rex art deco cinema, Little Hay Golf Course, Frogmore Paper Mill, the Natural History Museum at Tring and Berkhamsted Castle.

Hemel Hempstead is also home to the award-winning Water Gardens, Gadebridge Park, the Walled Gardens, Heath Park, the Moors, the Grand Union Canal and the Paradise Fields nature reserve. The surrounding area includes nearly 500 acres of parkland and the town is on the edge of the Chiltern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

With all this on offer it’s unsurprising Dacorum has appeared in many hit movies and shows, including Paddington in Peru, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Beauty and the Beast, After Life, Masters of the Air, Maleficent, The Cleaner, Man Vs Bee and The Crown.

Bovingdon Airfield Studios state-of-the-art production facility has also been home to hugely successful films and television programmes. In 2020 it embarked on its ongoing master plan development which so far has seen the creation of four permanent, high specification sound stages, 12 workshops alongside a spacious production pad and a new café.

Elsewhere, there are plans to create a new Health Campus in Hemel Hempstead to provide clinical and primary health care services for residents in Dacorum and beyond.

And there’s good news for users of the leisure centres in Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted as Everyone Active, which manages the centres for Dacorum Borough Council, is investing £410,000 to upgrade the two sites.

With so much happening in the borough it’s fitting that this year Dacorum is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Dacorum at 50 Fest takes place from 11am to 5pm on Sunday, September 29, and promises to feature a Grand Parade and a wide variety of market stalls, crafts, games and live entertainment.