Public Meeting
Local Plan progress and the impact on Harpenden
Cllr Paul de Kort will provide an update on Jan 21 at the Harpenden Society Public Meeting.
A Local Plan for the sustainable growth of St Albans District was submitted to the Government on Friday 29 November 2024 for examination. It identified land for future housing and commercial development along with the required infrastructure.
An independent Planning Inspector, appointed by the Government will decide whether the LP has been properly prepared and is both effective and in line with national policies.
Councillor Paul de Kort, the Committee’s Chair and Council Leader, said “This is a landmark moment for the District.
The production of a Local Plan is one of the most challenging and important tasks that a Council like ours must undertake.
“This LP is the culmination of over three years of hard work, countless studies, meetings and discussions, and I am proud that we have reached this stage. I would like to thank all those who have been involved including our residents who responded to the consultations we held.”
The LP allows for the building of 15,000 new homes in the District up to 2041 at designated sites. This figure is in accordance with current national planning policy guidelines and will include 1,200 social rent properties.
The LP also provides for £750 million of new infrastructure to support the proposed new residential areas including nine primary schools, four secondary schools, improvements to public transport, locations for 15,000 jobs, and green spaces and health facilities.
Councillor de Kort said: “We have prepared the LP very carefully, taking account of the lessons of the past, and are as confident as we can be that it will pass the examination.’
Whilst the Planning Inspector’s decision may not be reached until early 2026 you can listen to Paul de Kort’s views on Tuesday Jan 21st 2025 at the Harpenden Society Public Meeting, at Katherine Warington School. The meeting starts at 7.30pm, doors open from 7.00pm.
Demand for places will be high so please book your seat by clicking here.
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.
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.’
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.
Parking in Harpenden
Press Release
Issued on the 22nd November 2024.
The Harpenden Society is deeply disappointed by the updated proposals about parking charges in central Harpenden from the Public Realms Committee meeting November 12 2024.
Following the meeting of the Public Realm Committee, the Harpenden Society is deeply disappointed that SADC appears determined to press ahead with the introduction of on street parking charges in a form that the recently announced “concessions” barely change.
Despite the participants in the Public Realm meeting claiming that the e-petition signatories represented a small proportion of those affected, this ignores the fact that nearly a quarter of the whole population of Harpenden signed the retailers petition. These proposals are unpopular with the residents of Harpenden and it is clear that the Public Realm Committee has no respect for such voices.
More so, the Public Realm Committee appears to want to inflame Harpenden residents further by agreeing to delay the implementation of charges in roads surrounding Clarence Park in St Albans until a ‘wider review’ has taken place.
The Society, along with Harpenden Town Council (HTC), has argued strongly for such a review to take place in respect of the wider parking issues in Harpenden too. So far as the Public Realm Committee is concerned, there seems to be one rule for St Albans residents and one rule for Harpenden residents.
Turning to the “concessions”, it is ironic that the new proposal to remove five parking spaces on Leyton Green, to facilitate residents’ parking, is completely counter to the statement of reasons, which insist that the charges are designed to discourage car use in favour of cycling and walking. It is also contrary to the local plan which expects minimal provision of car parking spaces near the centre of town as such locations are considered “sustainable”. A paper prepared for the Public Realm Committee also refers to eight permits having been granted for five spaces so another five spaces allocated to residents is overprovision.
The other changes to the proposals amount to little more than window dressing.
Finally, we would point out that the SADC parking accounts include a very substantial hike in costs in the last two years particularly those relating to “services & supplies” and “non-direct costs and depreciation”. In 2022/23 alone these amounted to £700,000. Whilst some of this additional cost could reflect employment agency expenses, we’re struggling to understand how “non-direct” costs can legitimately be included in the parking accounts. These costs appear to
be another form of window dressing to promote the proposition that on street parking is loss-making and hence ripe for additional charges (but only in Harpenden).
We urge SADC to abandon these proposals and work with HTC, ourselves and other interested parties to develop a parking strategy that is fair and sustainable for residents and businesses alike.
Jeff Phillips
Chair, The Harpenden Society