Hitchin is no longer the home of England Netball after the national body moved away following almost three decades.

England Netball’s base at Netball House, on the corner of Old Park Road in Hitchin, closed at the end of December.

The organisation’s new head office is at SportPark in Loughborough, and Netball East has moved to Active Luton’s Wigmore Hall base.

England Netball, formed in 1926, moved to Hitchin from London in 1991. It has said the move to Loughborough is part of a drive “to become commercially sustainable, while continuing to facilitate growth in participation, increasing the sports profile and succeeding at the elite level.”

Chief executive Joanna Adams said in the body’s annual report last July that the move “offers a culture change and cost efficiencies which would not be met in Hitchin.”

An England Netball spokesman told the Comet: “We had a fantastic experience and the sport saw its largest growth during our time in Hitchin, and with the support of the regional team in the area, we will continue to strive to grow the sport in the county, in the region and nationally.”

An application for prior approval notification was submitted to North Herts District Council in November for change of use of the site from offices to 15 flats, with associated parking.