A £1 billion regeneration programme, led by Stevenage Borough Council in partnership with the Stevenage Development Board, is transforming the town centre to meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors while respecting Stevenage’s New Town heritage and spirit.

Stevenage has a strong foundation to build upon. As the UK’s first New Town, established in 1946, it was designed as a place of opportunity with homes, employment areas, green spaces and modern infrastructure. Today, the town continues to host leading organisations in aerospace, engineering and life sciences (Did you know that Tim Peake controlled the ExoMars Rover from Airbus’ site here in the town?). Stevenage is also surrounded by accessible countryside, parks and open spaces, and offers a range of leisure, retail and cultural facilities.

Like high streets across the country, the way people use town centres is changing. To ensure Stevenage remains a place where people want to live, work and spend time, the programme is diversifying the town centre with new homes, leisure and cultural activities, improved public spaces, active travel routes, evening economy opportunities and a broader mix of commercial space.

This change is being delivered through strong public–private partnerships. Mace is progressing the SG1 scheme with works underway at Claxton House, delivering 261 new homes. SG1 in its entirety will deliver new homes, jobs, office and retail space, alongside new public spaces. Reef Group has already delivered major improvements including the £50 million Queensway North redevelopment and the new European headquarters for Autolus Therapeutics, a life sciences company developing cutting-edge cancer treatments from specialist space in the heart of the town. The Guinness Partnership has completed the first phase of their Danesgate development, bringing 143 new homes to the town centre. All of this first phase is affordable and the homes allocated for those on the council’s waiting list.

In addition, Stevenage secured £37.5 million through the Towns Fund — the second-highest allocation nationally. The Stevenage Development Board provides strategic leadership, oversees delivery of the funded schemes and helped shape the Stevenage Town Investment Plan. Schemes completed through the Towns Fund allocation include the programme to introduce urban artworks to some of the underpasses in the town.

Together, these investments are modernising the town centre, improving public spaces, supporting new jobs and sustainable development, and ensuring that Stevenage continues to thrive for generations to come.

You can find out more about all of the projects and the regeneration programme on the Stevenage Even Better website.

You can also follow us on social media for all of the latest news on the programme:

• Instagram: @stevenagebetter
• X: @StevenageBetter