FAQs A-Z
Update on Hertsmere Borough Council’s Local Plan
Thank you to residents who took the time to submit a response to the recent consultation on Hertsmere’s “Planning for Growth – Potential for Housing and Employment”. We know the documentation and the online feedback portal were challenging. Hertsmere Borough Council (HBC) has just publicised that they had over 2000 responses –this amounts to 2% of Hertsmere’s population.
Shenley Parish Council and the Shenley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group jointly submitted a 34 page response to the HBC consultation. You can view the letter on the village website: www.shenleyvillage.org
Several developers and land owners representing the sites in the Plan included detailed plans and statements in their consultation submissions. These are not planning applications; they are documents produced by developers who are keen to promote their site to Hertsmere. We have posted links to these submissions on the shenleyvillage.org website. You might like to have a look.
The draft Local Plan will not be made available to the public until after the Hertsmere Borough Council elections in May 2019.
We understand there will be at least one other public consultation on the Local Plan by HBC and we are writing to them to confirm the next steps and the timeline.
Shenley Parish Council and the Shenley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group continue to be very concerned about Hertsmere’s developing Local Plan and also with the possibility that Hertsmere may burden us with building some of Welwyn Hatfield Borough and Watford Borough’s housing quota. We are making every effort to protect Shenley from over-development.
Update on Shenley Neighbourhood Plan
All of the feedback from the Regulation 14 consultation (which closed on 28th September 2018) has been reviewed by Angela Koch the independent consultant from Imagine Places and amendments/changes based on that feedback have been made to the Shenley Plan.
A detailed Consultation statement and Basic Conditions statement (required by law) will be uploaded to the Shenley Village website in February.
Next steps for the Neighbourhood Plan:
- Shenley Neighbourhood Plan undergoes a Mock Exam/“health check” by an independent examiner – this is scheduled for 21st
- Following a successful “health check”, the Shenley Neighbourhood Plan will go through a Regulation 16 consultation administered by Hertsmere Borough Council. This Consultation with the community and other statutory bodies is in accordance with the requirements stated in Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, Part 5 legislation. We anticipate this will happen March/early April.
- After the Regulation 16 consultation the final Shenley Neighbourhood Plan will be reviewed by an independent Examiner to ensure it meets all the regulations of The Neighbourhood Plan (General) Regulations 2012 legislation.
- Last step – a public referendum. Local residents vote on the acceptance of the Shenley Neighbourhood Plan. We anticipate this will happen in late Autumn.
A Public Meeting will be held in the Spring (date TBC) to update residents on progress and discuss Neighbourhood Development Orders (NDOs). An NDO is another way that we hope the Village can protect itself from over-development. It is a separate process from a Neighbourhood Plan.
We noted that the majority of responses to the Consultation 14 process came from the 45–54, 55-64 and 65–74 age groups. The 25-34 and 35-44 age groups had a noticeably lower response rate.
If you are in either of those two younger age groups and have any ideas on how we can help you to be more involved in this important process for the Village, please email us at neighbourhoodplan@shenleyvillage.org
If you would like to be kept up to date on the Shenley Neighbourhood Plan, you can “Like” our Shenley Neighbourhood Plan page on Facebook. This will ensure you are one of the first to see new posts with information.
Not on Facebook? Add your email address to our Neighbourhood Plan database. Your email address will be used only for communication purposes by the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group. Email neighbourhoodplan@shenleyvillage.org and ask us to add you to the mailing list.
If you are feeling frustrated by the prospect of 1000s of new homes being built in Hertsmere and bordering Boroughs please continue to make your feelings known. The more feedback we can give National and local government officials on the “housing crisis” and the planning process the better!
Take some time out of your week and write to:
Morris Bright, Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Councillor for Potters Bar West and Shenley
cllr.morris.bright@hertsmere.gov.uk or leader@hertsmere.gov.uk
Hertsmere Borough Council, 3 Elstree Way, Borehamwood WD6 1WN
Oliver Dowden, our MP
Mr Oliver Dowden CBE MP, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA
Kit Malthouse, Minister of State for Housing
kit.malthouse.mp@parliament.uk
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Many thanks – Shenley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group