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Further additional comments by the Harpenden Society in respect of the Proposed development of Land in NW Harpenden by Legal & General Ref No: 5/2023/0327

 

The comments can be downloaded by clicking here and here.


L&G Planning application for Land at Cooters End Lane and Ambrose Lane.

 

The Harpenden Society have already made objections to this site development and have now ( Oct 28th 2024) submitted further objections following the submission of amended plans to St Albans City & District Council.

This is a separate project from the forthcoming Local Plan.


These objections are listed below. We will keep Society members advised on progress.


  • The scheme proposes some 550 dwellings which is in excess of the approx. 300 the new draft Local Plan has indicated that may be suitable for this site.  By extending the site further northwards to accommodate the extra units it  will have a significant and unsustainable adverse effect on the town.

  • The development is meant to include a range of measures to promote the use of sustainable methods of transport by the residents. However, it is evident the latest proposals will bring chaos and congestion to the town.

  • The town already suffers from significant traffic congestion causing tailbacks, mainly on the north side.  The prospect of a significant number of additional vehicles disgorging onto the A1081 will grind the town to a standstill.

  • During the busy times of the day there will be little incentive to use the bus services as they will be stuck in traffic jams. 

  • The proposed shared cycle path/footpath from the site towards the town along he A1081 is ill conceived due to the pinch point at the Nicky Line bridge as there is no pavement on the north-east side.  The applicants suggestion that cyclists will have to join the main carriageway has not been fully considered and offers no information on the impact it will have on traffic flows or safety.

  • By the applicants own admission, the impact of their scheme is likely to result in 145 vehicle queues both north and south bound.  This will cause added levels of pollution and misery to the town.

  • The proposed cycleway along Ambrose Lane is a fantasy.  Already this is a busy route used a rat run to avoid the congestion on the main road.  The potential for accidents has just not been considered.

  • Harpenden is currently a pleasant country town but is under pressure from developments in surrounding towns plus the planned future expansion of Luton Airport.  Good schooling, fast train links, attractive High Street and surrounding countryside are luring many buyers relocating from London and elsewhere.  There is no proven need for a development of the size planned by L & G although there will, no doubt, be demand from those wishing to relocate here.  The town just cannot cope with the explosive growth in demand that will be the consequence of this scheme.

  • All the junior and senior schools are beyond reasonable walking distance of the site and cannot be reached by safe continuous cycling routes.  This will result in additional car journeys at the peak travelling time.   The junior and senior schools nearest the site are already running at capacity.  The recently opened KSW senior school at Batford may have spare capacity but this is located over 2 miles distant and will involve cross town car journeys as it is not served by any safe cycling routes or bus service.

  • The car parks in the town are at near capacity but no additional provision has been proposed.  Without more space, it will increase pressure to park on the streets which are already over parked with commuters and local business users, plus shoppers.  Network Rail are planning to develop the main station car park but the available number of spaces available to commuters will be REDUCED by 15%.

  • Rather than providing a range of measures to promote sustainable methods of transport, this development will add to an already over-crowded infrastructure and offers no realistic and achievable options to reduce the reliance on cars for transport to local amenities, adding to additional congestion and pollution.

  • L & G claim that this development will help alleviate some of the critical issues facing Harpenden and make a difference to the quality of life for the residents.   It is our belief that this development is wholly out of scale for the town. The imposition of such a large scheme on a town that is already struggling with many pressures will make things significantly worse, creating more critical issues to the detriment of all who work and live in the town.



Parking meters installation started Feb 3

 

The Harpenden Society is disappointed by the insistence of SADC to impose parking charges in the centre of the town, despite substantial local opposition and suggestions from the Town Council and ourselves that would have facilitated sensible compromises.


Pushing through this charging regime, which has barely altered from the regime proposed prior to the consultation period is, frankly, insulting.


The Society accepts the principle of charging, but as an example, the single visit 30 minute free period per day could mean parents at the two town centre schools to have to pay for parking when they pick up their children at the end of the school day. This assumes they have used the free 30 mins on another visit.


And to add insult to injury, SADC have agreed to delay the implementation of charges in the roads around Clarence Park in St Albans ‘until a wider review’ has taken place.


Both the Town Council and the Society have argued strongly for such a review of the wider parking issues to take place in Harpenden as well.


There seems to be one law for St Albans residents and another for the residents of Harpenden.


We repeat our request for these proposals to be suspended so that a fair and sensible parking strategy and charging regime can be developed for the town centre.


Jeff Phillips

Chair

Parking in Harpenden

 

The controversial parking charges in Harpenden town centre are due to start from Feb 17.

 

Read the statement from SADC here.


Charges are to be introduced at some limited waiting on-street parking bays in Harpenden and St Albans following an extensive public consultation.


St Albans City and District Council’s original proposals have been modified in response to feedback from residents, Councillors, businesses and community groups.


One aim of the proposals is to encourage active travel, such as cycling and walking, where possible, rather than car use, to improve the local environment.


Another aim is to ensure a greater turnover of premium parking places and improve enforcement by enabling new methods such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

Four new disabled bays are also being created to provide improved parking facilities for motorists with Blue Badges in Harpenden’s town centre.


The charges will affect an additional 243 bays in Harpenden and an additional 70 in St Albans, and are due to come into effect on Monday 17 February.


Motorists will have several payment options, including contactless via pay and display machines with new equipment to be installed at key locations, the mobile phone app PayByPhone and, soon after implementation, by cash or chip and pin at PayPoint outlets.


The decision to introduce charges required a Traffic Regulation Order authorised by the Council’s Strategic Director for Community and Place Delivery in consultation with Councillor Helen Campbell, Lead for Parking.


Cllr Campbell said: “I fully understand that some people will be disappointed at being charged for a service that they have been getting for free.


“In making the decision, we analysed the responses to the consultations and engaged with stakeholders such as ward Councillors and Harpenden Town Council.


“We listened to the feedback and we made some significant changes as a result, such as changing the start of the controlled hours to 9am in Harpenden to help parents dropping off for school, and meeting requests for a longer free period of 30 mins. In addition, we will also be improving access to Harpenden town centre for Blue Badge holders.”

Cllr Campbell added: “The charges are benchmarked against other local authorities, with many towns of a similar size to Harpenden having long had charges for on-street bays. As with other parking charges, we will monitor the impact of the changes and review if necessary.”


The charges will:

  • Apply from 9am to 6pm in Harpenden and, reflecting local conditions, 8.30am to 6.30pm in St Albans, both Monday to Saturday, with no charge outside these hours.
  • Allow for a 30-minutes free period once a day.
  • Be £1.25 for 30 minutes, so the charge for a one-hour stay will be £1.25 while the two-hour cost will be £3.75, both including the free period.
  • Cover a maximum stay of two hours with no return for two hours.

Charges will not be considered at bays in York Road, St Albans, as originally proposed, until a wider review of parking in the area takes place.


Five limited waiting bays in Leyton Green, Harpenden, will be converted into resident parking bays for the benefit of local households.


Revenue from charges will go towards the Council’s on-street car parking services budget, which is currently running at a deficit, and towards greater levels of parking enforcement.

Cllr Campbell added: “The Secretary of State is clear that parking services should be self-sufficient, funded by fees and charges, instead of subsidised by other Council services as is the case at the moment. The revenue generated will help reduce the on-street parking service deficit, which is in the interest of all Council taxpayers as it will ensure we can better protect some of our other services.

 

“Should any surplus income arise from on-street car parking, it would have to be kept in a ring-fenced budget and only be invested in parking, highways and environmental improvements.”


ACCESS PASS


Alongside these changes to the way on street parking operates, the Council has also approved a brand new Access Pass to help older people who may have difficulties with digital applications. This pass will be made available for purchase from Thursday 13 February and will cover all the District Council car parks.


The pass will cost £190 a year and be valid for one visit a day for up to three hours.


To be eligible for the pass, a person would need to be a resident of the District and aged 70 or over.

Harpenden Society response to St Albans District Council Local Plan 2041


St Albans City and District Council have published their 278 page Final Draft Local Plan,  under Regulation 19 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012,  for Technical consultation. The Plan, when agreed, will be implemented between October 2024 and March 2041.


The Harpenden Society has prepared a response which it wishes to share with members.


The District Council believe that they have already fulfilled the requirement for a public consultation and this stage is simply to ensure that the propose plan is;


Legally compliant

Positively prepared

Justified

Effective Consistent with national policy


As always Members of the Society may wish to submit their own response before the deadline of 10am on Friday 8th November 2024.


Harpenden Societys view on the SADC 2041 Local Plan proposal:


  • We need a plan

Harpenden is an attractive town and housing is in high demand. This makes it a very attractive proposition for developers. Without a current Local Plan we are in a perilous position which could result in inappropriate developments being forced upon us with little local control. We support the need to have a plan to be agreed swiftly.


2. We need more homes

As a country, and as a district, we need more homes and it is right that Harpenden has its share. Overall we support the number of homes that are being proposed for Harpenden but have concerns about the size and impact on our community of the two largest B2 and B7


3. We need to secure the Green Belt 

We acknowledge that previous commitments to protect the Green Belt are being undermined but, in the circumstances, accept that this is necessary. However the plan should define the revised boundaries to ensure that the original principles of greenbelt are maintained i.e. that towns and villages do not coalesce, and that any permitted development does not create the potential for further erosion of the green belt. Special protection should be provided to protect views of, and from, the Common; probably the single most important feature in the attractiveness of Harpenden.


4. Infrastructure needs improvement before development starts

Due to previous expansion, and changing lifestyles, the infrastructure that makes Harpenden a pleasant place to live is already overwhelmed. In particular, congested roads, insufficient parking, surface water and sewerage systems, health services and a lack of sustainable transport options. The County and District Councils and NHS bodies must undertake a full review of the current infrastructure and commit to make improvements, before any major new developments (in particular B2 and B7) are considered.


5. The existing roads around Batford cannot cope with the proposed development

The Societys biggest single concern relates to the development in Batford (B2), an area which will already suffers from inadequate transport infrastructure and poor road layouts (with only two road crossings points into Harpenden) which are unable to cope with the current volume of traffic. Increasing the population in this area of Harpenden by 30% without adequate thought and investment will cause gridlock.


6. We need a parking strategy for Harpenden

At a time when parking is under scrutiny, it is concerning that numerous car parks including those at the railway station, Bowers Way East, at the rear of Waitrose and in Southview Road are under threat (UC14, UC15, UC50 and UC54) where proposed developments would reduce or extinguish parking capacity. We request a full parking review, to include on-street parking, is undertaken to ensure that our roads are free flowing and the retailers and business, whose customers are being impacted, remain viable.


7. We need smaller and medium size family homes

We support the proposed balance of housing biased towards small family homes (65% will be 3 bed or less).


8. We need affordable housing for the long term

We support the significant volumes of affordable housing (40% of large developments). We would suggest that legal devices are employed to ensure that the affordability of such housing is protected when those homes are resold.


9. Build up, not just out

We believe that the council should, where the topography of the land permits, consider three storey properties thereby minimising the use of land.

Harpenden Banking Hub


The town owes a debt of gratitude to Derek French.


As a member of the Harpenden Society we are proud to recognise Derek Frenchs long standing campaign to establish a Banking Hub in Harpenden. He is to be congratulated for his hard work which has now born fruit with the announcement from Harpenden Town Council that a temporary Hub will open on Dec. 11  in the Town Hall. This temporary hub is expected to be replaced with a permanent location in the town centre sometime next year.


The full story behind this success follows in Dereks own words….


Post early retirement, when the principal targets for bank branch closures were smaller communities like Redbourn and Wheathampsted, I voluntarily established and led for 18 years the national Campaign for Community Banking Services backed by at times by up to 30 national charities and small business organisations. We repeatedly put to the banks for larger towns what is now dubbed a Banking Hub which was a fully costed and evidenced model but the banking industry were not only reluctant they were diametrically opposed. Having secured the Post Office agreement the Campaign was wound up in 2016 but I personally re-engaged when NatWest closed, the first bank to go, in Harpenden May 2018. Larger towns, ideal candidates for the Banking Hub model, had become the banks' targets.

 

After years of lobbying by me and organisations,  successive governments backed the mission culminating in the Conservative's  legislation and the incoming Labour government's commitment to at least 350 Banking Hubs this parliament. Locally of course with other similar towns we have experienced the block on Banking Hubs caused by Nationwide's continued presence although it does not solve the problem. With the full co-operation and efforts of Harpenden Town Council, both political administrations, we have successfully lobbied for exemptions to the Nationwide block for a few deserving larger towns and we are where we are now on the verge of an Interim Hub pending securing of a suitable town centre premises for the permanent home.

2025/2024 Photography Competition


What makes Harpenden the No.1 most desirable town?


Harpenden has been named as Britain’s ‘most desirable town’ according to a study commissioned by The Telegraph with real estate agent Savills. Based on its transport links, green surroundings, good schools, leisure facilities. retail and hospitality offerings plus a wide range of quality of housing.

 

Show us what you can do with your photographic skills and win great prizes in the PHOTO HARPENDEN competition organised jointly by the Harpenden Society and Harpenden Photographic Society .

 

We want your images that make Harpenden the “most desirable town”.

 

Who can enter

It is open to all Harpenden residents in two categories- Under 18 years and over 18 years, including members of the sponsoring organisations. NB. Professional photographers are not allowed.

 

What to photograph 

Images of the key aspects of Harpenden that make it a desirable place to you. You can enter up to three images to reflect your views.

 

How to supply your photographs

All images to be submitted in jpeg format with the phrase “Photography competition entry” as the title and sent to:

socialmedia@harpendensociety.org

 

Prizes

Finalists and Winners will be announced via email by no later than May 1st 2025. Prizes of Gift Vouchers will be awarded to each age group: 1st £125; 2nd £100; 3rd £75; 4th £50;  5th £25.


Additionally. Each winner will receive a year’s free membership of the Harpenden Photographic Society and a year free membership of the Harpenden Society.

 

Closing date. 1st April 2025


Terms & Conditions

To download the Terms & Conditions click here.

For more information about the Society