North Mymms District Green Belt Society
Newsletter – April 2020

In this difficult time, we hope that you are managing to keep safe. The Easter weekend has been a good time to reflect on how lucky we are to live surrounded by the Hertfordshire countryside especially as it is looking so good this spring. It is this countryside which is in danger from excessive development to accommodate the London pressure.

The Local Plan Consultation

The consultation deadline has been extended to 5.00pm 1st May.
If you haven’t already lodged your comments, there is still time to do so.
Full details of the Proposed Changes consultation can be found here

The relevant chapters of the consultation document for North Mymms are:

  • Chapter 13 Welham Green.
  • Chapter 14 Brookman’s Park
  • Chapter 15 Little Heath.

Responses can be made through the consultation portal or by completing a Response Form which can be downloaded from the portal and returned by email or post.
However, please note that the Council’s website strongly recommends commenting on-line as paper comments will not be processed until officials are back in the office.

Key points to make:

  • Object to the unrealistic targets.The target level of 16,000 dwellings over the plan period (2021 – 2036) is far too high for the Borough. Even the Council’s offer of 14,000 is unrealistic. The assumptions underlying the plan envisaged a 20% increase in the population of Welwyn/ Hatfield without any consideration of how this might be achieved. The assumptions are out of date. Even before the recent budget, HM Treasury’s own estimates pointed to a slowing of the rate of economic growth over the next 15 years. And now we have the pandemic shutdown with unknown economic consequences.
    It is irresponsible to continue with these targets and to use Green Belt land to increase the size of Welwyn/Hatfield. If the Green Belt is to be used for housing, it should be reserved for local people.
  • Support the Council in its resistance against the target of 16,000 dwellings.
  • Emphasise the importance of the Green Belt in maintaining the character of our villages.
  • Keep up the pressure on the individual sites.
    Emphasise the harm to the Green Belt which would be caused by development, and the lack of infrastructure to support it.
  • Our website http://northmymmsgreenbelt.org.uk has details of the proposed sites for North Mymms and suggestions for the arguments you might use in your submissions.
  • Finally, don’t be put off by the references to “soundness” and “legality” in the consultation portal. For “legality” you may tick all as a “yes”. For “soundness” tick “yes” in support of the recommendation to remove an allocation from the Plan, e.g. HS22 and HS24. Otherwise tick “no. It is not necessary fill in the box on alterations to the Plan if you don’t want to.

The Local Plan Consultation.
The consultation deadline has been extended to 5pm 1st May.
If you haven’t already lodged your comments, there is still time to do so.

Full details of the Proposed Changes consultation can be found here