Public Meeting (preceded by a short AGM)
The Future of Farming in Harpenden
The meeting venue will be the Katherine Warington School, Lower Luton Rd, AL5 5FH, on Wednesday May 21st from 8.00pm - 9.30pm. Doors will be open from 7.30pm.
Entry is free but it would be helpful if you book a place by clicking here.
Join Us for an Inspiring Evening at "The Future of Farming" Event!
We’re delighted to invite you to a Book Signing with Katharine Tate, The Food Teacher™, at the Future of Farming event, organised by The Harpenden Society, on Wednesday 21st May.
Katharine will be talking about how we can support our grey matter as we age — sharing fascinating research on how food and lifestyle choices can help protect our cognition over time. With over 20 years' experience working in schools as a teacher, consultant and registered nutritional therapist Katharine brings a unique blend of education and practical know-how to everything she does.
On the night, you’ll also have the chance to get your hands on her brilliant book, ‘Heat-Free and Healthy’, for just £10. Her book is packed with quick, simple and nutritious recipes that don’t even need a cooker — perfect for busy adults and children alike. Think breakfasts, salads, sandwiches, dips, snacks, desserts and more — many ready in under 15 minutes. It also includes key cookery skills, nutrition know-how and an easy to follow glossary.
Whether you’re a foodie, a busy parent, or just someone who wants to eat smarter and feel better, this is an evening not to be missed.
Come along, hear Katharine’s top tips, ask questions, and get a signed copy of her book!
2025 Seniors' Fair
The annual Seniors' Fair organised by the Harpenden Trust at the EMC seemed to be one of the best attended in recent years, and the Society’s stall generated plenty of interest.
Along with colleagues, we must have spoken at length with dozens of attendees, many of whom were existing members, and the vast majority of those thought we were doing a good job….very good to hear!
However, the majority of those we spoke to were not members of the Society, and most didn’t know what we did! Thankfully our new membership leaflet proved helpful as it gave brief details about the Society.
So it was good to engage with them to explain that we were a non-political charity focussed on maintaining, and enhancing the ambience and uniqueness of the community that is Harpenden. And our latest Newsletter was well received as it gave a comprehensive review of our current activities.
Once we got passed that issue, the questioning we got was inevitably aimed at the current issues, very much of the ‘why are they doing this?’ or ‘why can’t they…? variety.
So the conversations centred on parking in the town centre, the impact of the recent planning approval for the L&G development at Cooters End, and the recent approval of Luton Airport’s application to expand its capacity to 32mppa.
This got quite heated at times, as many were upset by the number of changes that seemed to have come along at the same time.
So we answered by outlining the role the Society has played on the parking question, arguing for the continuation of the one hour free parking period, and a charging regime that was simple to comprehend and understand - and that we need a proper parking strategy that would cope with the substantial increase in Harpenden’s population, envisioned by the Local Plan.
We also emphasised that the Cooters End project is only one of a number foreseen by the Local Plan. Whilst we recognised the need to build more homes and were supportive of that Plan, we will argue and lobby for significant improvements in the town’s infrastructure – traffic management, parking, access to the station, health services, schools etc – and will try to ensure that the financial and in kind contributions from the developers, required by any planning permission granted, are actually spent and used by our community.
As for Luton Airport, we explained that the Society had played a major role within the opposition groups, alongside LADACAN and others, and were pleased to find that we had succeeded in persuading the Planning Inspectors to refuse permission. Sadly, the Government took a different view, influenced not least by the closure of the Stellantis vehicle plant and the loss of jobs.
Overall, I think our pitch was well received by most of those we talked to, even though we may not have convinced all to become members.
But we can hope….
550 new homes approved in NW Harpenden
This approval flies in the face of the realities of the geography of the A1081, and the negative impact on the traffic and town centre infrastructure arising from a development of this size cannot be understated.
Moreover, the quantum involved is almost double the number of houses that have been included for this site in the Local Plan, now with the Planning Inspectorate.
Furthermore, we note that this application appears to have been heavily influenced by the recent policy shift that recognises ‘Grey Belt’ land. This looks to the Society as a rabbit being pulled out of a hat, as the officials’ view appears to have been turned by this, without any sign of a robust challenge.
It is more than disappointing to see SADC councillors approving this project as presented, without attempting to defend the Local Plan figure put forward for this site.
The Society are not Nimbys, in that we recognise and accept the need for more housing in our area. This is why we have been supportive of that Plan.
However, we have been equally clear that any major development needs to recognise fully the impact it has on a community whose infrastructure, particularly the road system, town centre parking and rail capacity are already stretched.
We have consistently demanded that for any large scale development in the town, the infrastructure issues must be addressed at the same time as planning permission is formally sought. Those authorities involved, SADC, Herts County Council, NHS, the utility companies etc, must recognise and commit to the necessary improvements as a condition of the planning permission being granted.
This approval is woeful in that the infrastructure needs are being left to the usual ‘negotiation’ between the developers and SADC officials. Hopefully, we will see a more robust approach being adopted by officials in that negotiation,
Finally, one point worthy of mention is the inadequacy of the Herts Highways analysis that has come to light.
Highways understanding the realities of the location is underwhelming, with only one day’s observation of traffic flows taken at random. None of the reference sites they used are of a comparable size, and no recognition has been given in their support for the project of the traffic realities today – nor the impact on the town centre (not least in terms of parking), access to rail facilities, routes to employment centres, schools or health facilities. And most damning of all, of the reference surveys they quote, 7 of the 11 are pre 2010, and 3 are pre 2014.
Their conclusion that the increase in the number of daily car journeys that the 550 houses will generate is, frankly, laughable
Last but not least, this site, together with the one proposed for North Batford, suggests an increase in our community’s population over the next few years of approaching 5000 – an increase of over 15%. This appears lost on the transport planners, and their colleagues in education, social services and health. It’s about time Herts County Council recognise the overall impact that this increase in population will generate.
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.
Judicial Review withdrawal justifies the Harpenden Society’s decision to support the Town Council’s desire to seek an urgent review of parking policy.
'The Harpenden Society has always accepted the principle of parking charges in the town centre, but in conjunction with a strategic review of parking across the town, as part of the planning for the consequences of the additional housing required under the Local Plan.
It is a shame that it has taken the threat of a judicial review by the Town Council, widespread comment from the community including ourselves and finally, the intervention of our MP to prompt St Albans District Council to acknowledge that these new arrangements need to be reviewed, and by inference, improved. However, this review should be done much sooner than the 12 months offered.
The current arrangements are confusing, difficult to manage for some of our residents, and have undoubtedly had an adverse effect on the economy of the town centre.
The Society has always held the view that any charging regime should continue to allow for free parking for one hour, in line with the previous arrangement, and that any charges for a longer stay should be at a price above the rates applicable to public car parks, and subject to a maximum time period. It should be simple to understand and easy to pay for - something that has been belatedly recognised by the recent installation of a cash payment facility at two local shops.
Accordingly, we fully support the Town Council's call for the restoration of the one hour free period, and a single code for authorized parking.'
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:
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 Society’s view on the SADC 2041 Local Plan proposal:
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 Society’s 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 French’s 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 Derek’s 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.’
Competition winners L2R. Tim Tate, Katharine Tate. David Whitbread and Brian Cooke.
On stage announcing the winners Left. Steve Collins chair of the Harpenden Photographic Society and Right Martyn Reed from the Harpenden Society and one of the competition organisers
An overall view inside the High St. Methodist Church Hall
2024/2025 Photography Competition
Winners Presentation at the Harpenden Photographic Society Photography Exhibition on April 26.
Martyn Reed and Steve Collins announced the 5 winners from the stage in the High Street Methodist Church Hall in front of a large audience who were attending the Harpenden Photographic Society Photography Exhibition.
Dozens of entries were received to reflect what makes Harpenden the No 1 most desirable town.
‘As can be seen from the winners’ photographs the creative input and quality was exceptionally high which made judging quite difficult’, said Martyn Reed from the Harpenden Society and one of the competition organisers.
‘Our annual Exhibition was selected as being a natural venue to announce and display the winners as it showed how much photographic talent abounds in Harpenden’ said Steve Collins, chair of the Harpenden Photographic Society.
The winners all received Waterstones gift tokens and free membership of the Harpenden Society PLUS being part of the Harpenden Society photo library where their images could be used on future promotional material.
WINNERS List