Stevenage News
The latest Stevenage news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Stevenage Parking Changes Start 19 Oct: Old Town and Centre
From 19 October the Old Town High Street gets two-hour bays, Ditchmore Lane charges after two hours and town centre bays drop paper tickets. Prices and permits.
More stories
Food
Stevenage Food Hygiene: All 20 September Ratings Scored 5
All 20 Stevenage food hygiene ratings dated September are a 5, from nurseries to a market stall. Two late August ratings on the register are a 0 and a 1.
Parks
Fairlands Valley Park Lights Trial: Have Your Say by 10 Oct
Fairlands Valley Park's solar path lights trial has ended and feedback closes on 10 October. The first lights since a 1,000-name petition in 2023.
Parks
Spencer Way Play Area, Stevenage: Choose the Kit by 31 Oct
Families can pick five favourite pieces of equipment for a new play area at Spencer Way until 31 October. The council plans to build it in spring 2027.
Crime
Stevenage police priorities: drugs, shop theft and speeding
Stevenage's police teams have new priorities: drug hotspots, speed checks on Canterbury Way and town centre shop theft, which more than doubled this summer.
Crime
Six charged over 'Adam' drug line supplying Stevenage
Six men have been charged with supplying cocaine and cannabis after police raids in Stevenage, Bishop's Stortford and Stotfold on 24 September, the force says.
House prices
Stevenage house prices fall £7,059 in a month to £316,210
The borough average fell to £316,210 in July, down £7,059 in a month and the sharpest drop since December 2024. Only Hertsmere fell further in the county.
Planning
East of Stevenage: last 408 homes approved, 157 affordable
The 408-home phase off Gresley Way was signed off on 26 June, three years past deadline. It brings a primary school, 157 affordable homes and a shop parade.
Business
GSK Stevenage: £440,000 plan for a £110m-a-year hit
Stevenage's council has costed GSK's departure at £110m a year, £1.1bn over a decade, and put £440,000 behind a taskforce. Its plan is due June 2027.
Jobs
Stevenage unemployment: claimant count highest since 2022
Stevenage's claimant count rose 120 in August to 2,125, the biggest monthly jump since February 2021 and the highest total since 2022. Under-25s rose fastest.
Leisure
Stevenage's £45m leisure centre: work starts, due 2028
Building has started on Stevenage's new pool and leisure centre, due in 2028. What it adds, what it loses, and where swimmers should park until it opens.
Stevenage Borough Council
Stevenage council merger paused: no new date for 2028
Stevenage Borough Council was due to vanish into Central Hertfordshire on 1 April 2028. That is paused, and May 2027's election stays on existing wards.
Community
Stevenage Community Chest: £54,000 open to 18 October
£54,000 from the council's contractors is open to Stevenage groups, clubs and charities. Bids close on 18 October. Here is who can apply.
Schools
Could You Spare One Hour a Week for a Young Person in Stevenage?
34 young people at four Stevenage schools are waiting for a mentor. MCR Pathways asks for an hour a week in school, and training and the DBS check are free.
Stevenage Museum
Stevenage Museum wants your New Town childhood photos
Three museum dates from 12 September collect Stevenage childhood stories for a November exhibition, 80 years after the town was designated a New Town.
Old Town
Stevenage Fair 2027: likely Wed 22 and Thu 23 September
The Stevenage Charter Fair should be back on Wed 22 and Thu 23 Sept 2027, its usual dates. How the 2026 fair ran, its hours, the road closures and history.
Roads
A1(M) at Stevenage: 40mph all day for five months
National Highways plans a 24-hour 40 or 50mph limit between junctions 7 and 8 from 30 September, with hard shoulder running, for about five months.
Council
Stevenage parking: paper tickets to go, new Eastgate bays
Paper tickets would go from Stevenage's town centre on-street bays, replaced by pay-by-plate machines. Prices stay the same. Objections close 18 September.
Food
Stevenage food hygiene: 14 of last 15 scored top marks
Fourteen of the last fifteen Stevenage food hygiene inspections scored 5. But 156 of the borough's 693 food businesses still have no published rating at all.
Business
SPORTA Arena: Stevenage FC's Ground and the 10-Year Claim
Stevenage FC's ground became SPORTA Arena from the 22 August game. Neither side states a deal length, despite the 10 years widely reported. Capacity 7,318.
Travel
No Stevenage trains on Sunday 30 August, and buses instead
No Great Northern or Thameslink trains through Stevenage all day on Sunday 30 August. The replacement buses, the hours either side, and why the line is shut.
House prices
Stevenage house prices hit £323,429, a three-year high
The borough average rose £14,564 in a year to June 2026, more than double England's rate. It is still £11,728 short of the November 2022 peak.
Business
GSK to leave Stevenage R&D site by 2029 for Cambridge
GSK will vacate its Stevenage research site by 2029, moving scientists to a new £400m Cambridge centre and to Ware. Its notice gives no job figure for the town.
Community
Stevenage 80 at 80 afternoon tea: apply by 20 September
Turning 80 in 2026 and live in Stevenage? The council is inviting you to an afternoon tea marking 80 years of the new town. Applications close 20 September; a ballot decides if oversubscribed.
Council
Stevenage parcel lockers: 21 sites, have your say by 19 Aug
InPost lockers are proposed at 21 sites across Stevenage, from Harrow Court to Shaftesbury Court. Comments close at midnight on Wednesday 19 August.
Council
St Nicholas Pride in Place: John Arceno to chair £20m board
John Arceno will chair the board deciding how up to £20m of government money is spent in St Nicholas over ten years. Residents can join in from this summer.