Planning Applications - Fordwich Hill

The applicant sought to build a detached house in the garden, fronting onto Fordwich Rise.

The Society objected on the grounds that the plot dimensions are inadequate resulting in the house being too close to the back edge of the pavement and, given the site is located close to one of the entrances to the estate, it creates a discordant visual impression on entry.

The estate does not fall within the Conservation Area, but because the houses almost all display the distinctive architectural style of the period immediately before the Second World War, it is our view that the area is worthy of protection from developments which are in conflict with the general setting adopted in the original layout.

The application was refused, but is now subject to written appeal.

Planning Applications: Former Coles shop, Maidenhead Street

We objected to a proposal to replace the existing shop front by a fully glazed façade parallel to the street line. We noted that all the other shops in the street, bar one, have solid stall boards at street level, and that this design should be repeated in the new front. The application has been rejected.

Recent Planning Matters - Mead Lane

The Planning Committee was recently invited to discuss and make input to the District Council’s urban design framework for the Mead Lane area.

Public consultation, seeking ideas and comment, is planned for June, prior to the preparation of a supplementary planning document (SPD) to the Local Plan, which will be used to inform the processing of planning applications in that area.

The proposal to improve access, particularly for heavy lorries and emergency vehicles, has already appeared in the Urban Transport Plan, together with new facilities enabling buses to service the area; both plans supported by the Society.

The most recent Employment Study identified the need to retain significant B2 (industrial) use to the east of Marshgate Drive, but indicated that some of this area could be designated for B1 (office and commercial) use mixed with residential. The B1 use would serve as a buffer zone between any housing and B2 uses and the Council sees this initiative as an opportunity to improve conditions for existing businesses.

At the meeting we sought retention of adequate space for small businesses serving the town, some provision for commuter parking at the East Station, a more open aspect to residential development as seen from the Navigation and a limit on building heights to maintain the town’s profile as seen from Kings Meads.

Strategic Planning

Since the summer the principal planning matter has been the Issues and Options Consultation, published by the District Council, as a first step in the development of its Core Strategy.

This is the document at the centre of the suite of documents known as the Local Development Framework which has to be ready to replace the current Local Plan by 2013. As its name suggests, it will set out the basic wishes of the Council for the state of the district and development within it in the years up to 2031. Other documents covering detailed aspects of development planning, infrastructure needs and services to be supplied will all relate to the strategies set out in this central document. This first consultation is designed to elicit input from

the public and others. The next stage will be the
development of preferred options and a further public consultation. The content of the consultation draft had been prepared over the last two years or so, during which time the East of England regional plan was in force. This plan adopted a top-down approach whereby central government dictated how many houses were to be built, and where, and how many jobs were to be created. The consultation draft reflected much of this information, or something approaching it, in its content.

We now know that the new government will revoke regional plans and put in their place a process called 'localism' under which local communities will determine their own planning needs and priorities for inclusion in Local Development Frameworks.

In addition, much of future development is to be business-led through the recently created Local Enterprise Partnerships. Both of these initiatives are totally new concepts and no one yet knows how they will work.

Given the changed circumstances, we declined in our response to accept the information which served as a background to the consultation questionnaire and suggested to the District Council that the development of the core strategy should be restarted, only this time building it up on the basis of what communities in the district want, possibly through parish and town plans.

However, we recognised that it would be necessary to adjust the aggregate of the outputs of community planning to reflect business needs and, no doubt, government inducements for house building and new employment initiatives. We did not think it the role of the Council to pre-empt the outcome of these two distinct strands of planning. Consequently, we did not at this stage answer the questions seeking indication of how new development should be apportioned between the District's five major settlements and its villages, nor in which direction the boundaries of Hertford should be extended. Our preference is for development based on local need rather than diktat.

We did however record our concern about the eastward march of Welwyn Garden
City and the need to retain a strong rural separation from Hertford and nearby villages. We objected strongly to the proposal, buried in the document, that where there was insufficient brownfield land within settlements attention should be turned to developing greenfield sites, all in the interest of protecting the countryside. These latter would include private residential gardens, parks, sports fields and allotments.

Where possible, we answered the consultation questions, commenting on environmental, transport and employment matters. At this stage we have not pursued the provision of social housing because it is not yet clear how this is to be provided in future. We hope that the District Council will put in place a new process to satisfy the intentions of the government's localism approach to planning and that social housing will be addressed as part of it.

Finally, we confirmed our opposition to the development known as Harlow North, on the grounds that it would do little for the regeneration of Harlow and would be more likely to serve as a dormitory for City workers, imposing more strain on the already stretched rail services.