Housing Boom Transforms the Landscape

1960s

The 1960s marked the beginning of the rapid suburban expansion that would transform Hedge End from a rural parish into a suburban town. Developers purchased farmland, secured planning permission and built the first large housing estates. The Grange Park estate dates from this period. The demand for housing was driven by population growth, rising living standards, the availability of mortgages and the desire of families for modern homes with gardens. The transformation was swift, and within a decade the character of the area had fundamentally changed from agricultural to suburban.