Roofers in Hemel Hempstead

Are Hemel Hempstead's new town roofs reaching the end of their life?

Some of the earliest are. In December 2025 Dacorum Borough Council approved replacing the roof of the Leverstock Green Village centre, covered in "Marley Modern interlocking tiles" dating from the early 1960s. The decision records that at least one tile in five had broken interlocks, that the under-slating felt was old, brittle and sagging, and that the roof was "beyond economic repair".

That building is not a house, but many homes were roofed in the same years. Hemel was designated a new town on 4 February 1947. Adeyfield was the first neighbourhood completed, in 1950, followed by Bennetts End, Chaulden, Warners End, Gadebridge and Highfield, and about 13,214 houses had been built by the end of 1962. The same study notes that rising building costs, higher borrowing rates and post-war economic crises "had gradually combined to reduce the standard of housing construction".

On a roof of that age we check the tile interlocks, look at the felt from inside the loft, test the battens and tell you honestly whether repair still makes sense or a new roof is the better spend.

Did the Buncefield explosion damage roofs in Hemel Hempstead?

Yes. The blast at the Buncefield oil depot in the early hours of 11 December 2005 was the UK's largest peacetime explosion, and HSE says more than 2,000 homes and 600 businesses were affected. The British Geological Survey's damage reports include "roof tiles dislodged and fell to ground" about 3.7 km north-east of the depot, many windows shattered about 1.6 km to the north-west, and a glass loft hatch broken about 7 km to the south.

Repairs made in the months after 2005 came before today's fixing standard. Since BS 5534:2014, "mortar alone is no longer deemed sufficient" to secure tiles, and ridges, hips and verges need mechanical fixing. If a ridge or verge on your roof was rebedded in mortar back then and is now loose, we check it and explain the options; our guide to slipped tiles and ridges covers the detail.

What can you change on an Old Town roof?

Very little without care, because the Old Town is a conservation area and most of its High Street buildings are listed. Dacorum's guidance calls it one of the first conservation areas designated in the county, in August 1968, and describes roofs with "old tile sitting next to Welsh slate in harmony", hipped roofs, gabled ends and parapets, and chimneys that are mainly redundant now but still complete the roofscape.

The same guidance says a proliferation of television aerials and satellite dishes spoils the effect, and that original details should be kept. It dates from May 2004 and mentions no Article 4 direction. The listing is the bigger constraint: under the 1990 Act, unauthorised work to a listed building is a criminal offence, carrying up to two years' imprisonment on indictment. Before roof work on a listed High Street building we speak to Dacorum's conservation team.

Which roofing jobs suit homes in Hemel Hempstead?

For Hemel Hempstead, the services that fit are roof replacement where early concrete tiles and felt are worn out, roof repairs for slipped tiles and loose ridges, and flat roof work on extensions and garages. The town is covered by the same roofers who work across Luton.

From the first call to a dry roof

1. You tell us what you can see

   A drip, a stain, a slate in the garden, a gutter that overflows. Phone 01582 377176 or send the form, and say whether water is coming in now.

2. We look at the roof

   From the ground, from a ladder where that is safe, and from inside the loft. We photograph what we find so you can see it too.

3. You get the options in writing

   What is wrong, what we would do about it and what it will cost, with any scaffolding, permissions and paperwork spelled out.

4. The work, then the proof

   We do the agreed job, show you photos of it finished and explain any certificate that applies to it.

Roofing in Hemel Hempstead: questions

I rent my home from Dacorum council. Who repairs the roof?

The council does, as your landlord, so report the leak to its repairs service first. Dacorum owns and manages 10,124 homes, about a fifth of the homes in the borough.

My 1960s concrete tiles look fine from the ground. Should I worry?

Not necessarily, but the Leverstock Green Village centre roof of the same era failed on broken interlocks and brittle felt, neither of which shows from the street. A roof inspection checks both, from the roof and from the loft.

Does a repair to my Old Town roof need consent?

Like-for-like repairs that do not change the roof's appearance usually need no planning permission. If the building is listed, Historic England says consent is needed for alterations that affect its special character, so check with Dacorum before anything more than a small repair.

Sources and further reading

• Leverstock Green Village centre roof replacement works, officer decision, 17 Dec 2025
• Hemel Hempstead (New Towns), Town and Country Planning Association, undated
• Hemel Hempstead New Town Historic Context Study, Chris Blandford Associates, May 2023
• Buncefield 20 years on: Turning lessons into safer industry practices, HSE press, 11 Dec 2025
• Buncefield explosion, British Geological Survey, undated
• More stringent roof fixing requirements now in force, 23 Mar 2016
• Conservation Area – Hemel Hempstead High Street (Area Based Policies SPG F06), Dacorum Borough Council, May 2004
• Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, s.9 Offences
• Dacorum Borough Council regulatory judgement, RSH, 14 Aug 2024
• What Permission Might I Need to Make Changes to My Older Home?, Historic England, undated