Known as Comet Square, the scheme will provide around 200 residential units; nursing home; assisted living and student accommodation; a foodstore; retail; a hotel; bars; restaurants; a doctor's surgery and nursery uses.

Eric Petrie of Thistle Land, joint venture partner of Frontier Key Fund, said: "Hatfield Business Park is widely recognised as one of the primary business hubs in the north west quadrant of the M25 and we aim to create a thriving district centre with a real sense of community, which will complement the park's current offer."

Developed by Arlington Securities, Hatfield Business Park comprises 500 acres of mixed-use development. It has already seen the construction of 800 homes, 750,000 sf of offices, 1.3 million sf of industrial and warehousing accommodation and a new 30-acre campus for the University of Hertfordshire with 250,000 sf sq ft of faculty buildings and 1,600 student residences. Consent at the park allows for a further million sf of offices and warehousing, a health & fitness centre and a further 800 houses.