Project overview

The “High Street” section of London Road plays an important role in supporting local residents, businesses and visitors. It is home to a range of shops, cafés and services and provides access to local facilities, schools and the railway station. It is also a key distributor route for vehicles in the area, with approximately 6,900 vehicles using it per day in 2025.

These high traffic levels are creating congestion, particularly during busy periods. Sections of the High Street are heavily occupied by on-street parking, reducing the available road space and creating pinch points where only one vehicle can pass at a time.

Delays can occur when larger vehicles such as buses or HGVs meet oncoming traffic, affecting bus services and other road users. These challenges are expected to become more significant in future as the area grows and new homes are delivered.

To help address these challenges, Hertfordshire County Council is exploring options to improve traffic flow while maintaining access to parking for local businesses and services, recognising the important role that parking plays in supporting the High Street.

We are also exploring opportunities to enhance the High Street environment, including options such as additional planting, seating and other improvements that could help create a more attractive and welcoming public space.

As we begin developing our proposals, we want to hear from residents, businesses and visitors. Your feedback will help shape the project from the outset and ensure local views are reflected throughout the design process. More information on how to submit your feedback can be found in the Early Engagement section of this page.

Knebworth High Street

Study area

Early engagement

We are at the beginning of the project and want to hear your views as early as possible.

An early engagement survey is now available at the bottom of this page for you to provide your feedback.

We encourage you to take part and share your views.

If you would prefer to contact us directly, you can do so by emailing implementationgroup@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Project timeline

We recognise how important Knebworth High Street is to the community and are committed to making the design process as collaborative and informed as possible.

To achieve this, the project will be delivered in three stages:

1. Early engagement (October to November 2026)

During this stage, we will gather feedback from residents, businesses and visitors about what they would like to see from the project and which improvements are most important to them.

To collect this feedback, we have launched an early engagement survey. More information can be found further down this page.

2. Development and testing of options (Early to mid 2027)

Following early engagement, we expect to develop and trial potential changes to the High Street. The purpose of the trial would be to test options in practice and understand their impacts before any decisions are made on long-term arrangements. The exact nature of any trial would be informed by the feedback and evidence gathered during the engagement process.

Any trial arrangements would be monitored closely and feedback would be invited from residents, businesses and visitors throughout the testing period. We would also collect data on traffic conditions and continue engagement with local businesses to understand how any changes are working in practice.

Using this evidence, we would consider whether changes should be amended, retained or removed.

3. Analysis of findings and further engagement

Following any trial period, we will review all feedback alongside the traffic and operational data collected. This evidence will help shape the next stages of the project and inform decisions on whether any temporary measures should be retained, amended or removed.

Using feedback gathered during the early engagement phase, we will also continue developing proposals for wider High Street improvements, such as planting, seating and other public realm enhancements. These proposals would be subject to further public engagement before any final decisions are made.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the project, please contact us at:

implementationgroup@hertfordshire.gov.uk