ANTAS Spring Meeting 21 April 2012

Society Reports

Aylesbury

Town Gains Purple Flag

This is our first report to ANTAS for 18 months. We can say that there is some good news and potentially bad news.

The Society is a member of the Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership and as such took part in surveys and meetings helping the town to gain a Purple Flag.

Purple Flag is a new accreditation scheme that recognises excellence in the management of town and city centres at night. Entertainment areas that achieve the standard will be those that offer a better night out to visitors. Purple Flag aims to raise standards and improve the quality of our towns and cities at night. Just as Blue Flag is an indicator of a good beach, Purple Flag is set to be the indicator of where to go for a good night out and will bring positive publicity for successful town and city centres.

Towns already with accreditation include High Wycombe, BathWinchester.

At a small ceremony before Christmas, representatives fromdifferent councils and groups (including the Aylesbury Society) received thePurple Flag,which will be flown in the excellent new surface car park in Exchange Street

It is hoped that the Purple Flag will draw investment into the night time economy and also help tourism.

Mary Portas Bid

The government has ringfenced £83,000 which was to be allocated to projects related to Mary Portas’ recommendations in up to twelve towns across the country. Project would need to be innovative and able to be replicated in other towns. The Society as a member of Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership was part of a team putting together a bid which has now been submitted. As part of the bid, the town’s strengths and weaknesses had been considered. The project which had been put together for a bid for funding was to help create opportunities for new independent traders to operate a viable and successful business in the town.

The outline of the project bid is as follows.

  • The project was aimed at young entrepreneurs, initially eight for a period of one year.
  • The selected participants would have an opportunity to choose to trade from either a market stall/barrow/mall space or shop premises.
  • It would be possible to move barrows around the town centre to take advantage of areas of high footfall.
  • Premises would be rent free for an initial period but any occupantof shop premises would be responsible for business rates.
  • Rent paid after the initial rent free period would be reinvested in the scheme.
  • Advertisements for the scheme would be published at the end of June and it was hoped that it would be up and running in August/ September.
  • Participants would be expected to take up free advice on such things as legal matters, finance, business planning etc.
  • Each participant would be assigned an experienced “buddy” from the existing business community who could help with development and interviews.
  • The scheme would help improve the street climate as empty units would be brought into use.
  • It was expected that the cost of the scheme would be £114,000 but “in kind” support of £87,000 had already been pledged. A bid would be made for £26,000 in government funding.
  • The outcome of the funding bids would be announced at the end of May but it had been decided that the project would be delivered whether or not government funding was forthcomingalthough it might have to be scaled down a little to reflect resources available.
  • It was also felt that ideas for schemes in other towns might be useful when revising Aylesbury’s business plan.

New Urban extensions

The go ahead has been given to a new urban extension to Aylesbury on land east off Broughton Crossing & Bierton. This comprises 2450 homes, 10ha employment land, neighbourhoodcentre, two primary schools, construction of eastern link road (part) and the Stocklake link road (rural section), green infrastructure ,associates community facilities and support infrastructure including expanded electricity sub station and flood defences. The Society opposed this planning application saying that it is contrary to a recent inspector’s decision that development should not take place on in this sensitive site. Inspector’s decisions in both 2002 & 2010 concluded that development here would be an intrusion into open countryside. In the 2010 LDF Core Strategy Public Hearing the inspector said that the Broughton Crossing and Bierton site was the most ecologically sensitive.

Another outline application has been submitted for a mixed use sustainable urban extension to the south east and south of the town near to the villages of Weston Turville and Stoke Mandeville. The scheme comprises 3,200 dwellings and a 120 bed extra care or care home facility ; provision of land for a park and ride site, motor services and a Waste Recycling Facility adjoining the A41 Aston Clinton Road; 10ha of employment land ; a mixed use local centre comprising of a 1,500 square metres food store, further retail, restaurants and cafe units, a doctor's surgery, gym, public house, office uses, and multi - functional community space, including a day nursery; multi- functional green infrastructure including parkland, sport pitches, sport pavilion, children's play areas, informal open space, allotments, community orchards andwoodlands.

Whilst we realise that in principle this development cannot be refused because the 'South East' plan has not yet been revoked except for some key policies and whilst it is appreciated that this planning application is only in outline the illustrative layout and accompanying text apparently contain certain design philosophies which give us cause for concern. We therefore object in principle to the scheme but raise what we believe to be valid points at this early stage.

Our key objection is the lack of infrastructure but whilst the District delays its Local Plan opportunist developers will just queue up to build out into the countryside.

Bishop’s Stortford

Town planning is a slow moving activity and our report has similar themes to those we have previously made.

Town Centre Development

The scheme to develop a sensitive area of the town centre with retail units, flats, a hotel and cinema appears to have made little progress since we reported to the AGM. The Section 106 agreement has not yet been executed and so the timetable for judicial review has not yet been triggered. It may be that the penny has at last dropped with the developers that as well as being deeply unpopular with local residents and businesses, the proposed uses may no longer be commercially viable. Or it may be that the refusal of Waitrose to surrender the lease on their car park makes the scheme undeliverable. But we do intend to seek judicial review to get the planning permission quashed if there are no other ways of preventing the scheme from going ahead.

Proposed Schools Relocation

The Inspector delivered his report on the planning appeal by two secondary schools to relocate to the Green Belt on the edge of town slightly ahead of schedule and Mr Pickles has given himself until 24 April to announce his decision. If we have not heard by the time the ANTAS meeting takes place we shall let Andrew Sangster know when we have the result.

Local Development Framework

East Herts has lagged behind other authorities in producing its core strategy. We now expect consultation on its preferred options later this year. Over the past 20 years Bishop's Stortford has been allocated some 40% of all the new housing in East Herts. Our challenge will be to ensure that the strategy does not target us with a similar proportion for the next 20 years as well. However, one developer has already jumped the gun by publishing plans to develop part of the area to the north of the town which was meant to be the subject of a comprehensive master plan. This is the same developer who would like to fund the proposed schools move by building 700 homes on the vacated sites. Neither proposal shows any respect for either the adopted local plan or the prospective LDF.

Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation

At our AGM earlier this month the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary all retired and happily, willing volunteers came forward to take their places. So this will be Marie’s and my last appearance at ANTAS. We wish you well for the future.

Buntingford

Buntingford have maintained their material contribution to the Town and developed their engagement with younger people.

The probability of opportunistic development is a major concern.

The Civic Society were major participants in developing a Town Plan. That process began more than two years ago and the gestation is yet to be completed, let alone, the steps to create an endorsed Neighbourhood Plan which would have an impact on district council planners.

The strength of Buntingford Civic Society is in the Buntingford Journal published ten times a yearwith a circulation around 1000 copies and double that for adult readers. Not surprisingly there is a waiting list for advertising space.

Main concerns are related to the recruitment of effective successors to meet future challenges.

Harpenden

Members of the Harpenden Society met for their Annual General Meeting. It was the first one to be held since the chairman, Chris Marsden, was appointedon 31 March 2011. The Society is Harpenden’s Civic Society and was formed as a voluntary non-political body in 1930 to represent the needs and interests of Harpenden in a wide variety of areas that affect the lives of residents. It currently has just over 1000 members.

President Ian Fulton told the meeting that a short while ago the Society was not so well supported but he reported that the new chairman and the committee haveaddressed many important issues and he is delighted that the Society has been modernised and is now vigorous and thriving.

Chairman Chris Marsden reported that when he took over the chairmanship he identified many good things about the Society including its history, the dedicated committee members, many loyal helpers and its good relationship with the Town and District councils. He also noted some problem areas and has taken steps to address them.

Seven working groups have been set upto address the key areas of concern.

1.Public order

2.Environmental issues including aircraft noise

3.Transport and parking

4.Health and social welfare including the future of the Red House

5.Education and Leisure

6.Built environment including planning and housing

7.Economic activity including shops in the High Street and beyond, local businesses and employment in Harpenden

Recent actions undertaken by the committees have included a membership drive, meetings targeted on the under 40s including the problem of school places for children starting their education. Other positive changes include a revived newsletter ‘Harpenden Society News’, an improved website and the appointment of a press officer. E-mail communication to members and committed has been enhanced. A number of promotional activities have been undertaken for example the awards given to honour worthy building and improvement projects.

Five Public Meetings open to all were held over the last six months covering community and social identity, local prisons, Batford Springs Nature Reserve and the new planning environment and school places.

The chairman undertook a survey of Harpenden Businesses to assess their social responsibility and how they contributed to the life of the town. This shows that businesses makes a huge contribution to the well-being of our Town and its people. This is an ongoing project.

The chairman ended his report with outlining how the Society has contributed to the Neighbourhood Plan. Constructive meetings have been held with the Town, District and CountyCouncillors. A wish list of things the Societywould like to see happen in the Town, in both the near and more distant future, is being drawn up with inputs requested from members and other residents.

Hertford

Like many towns Hertford’s town centre is suffering in the current recession; many shop premises are empty with little prospect of being re-let in the immediate future. National chains, mini-chains and independents have closed their doors. As Warren Buffet observed, when the tide goes out you discover who’s swimming without trunks. Our experience is consistent with the data in the Mary Portas Report and, as she notes, things are likely to get worse as the share of shopping done on the internet increases.

Recently the District Council, despairing of the Town Council ever preparing a Town Plan despite public encouragement, has set up a panel to develop a Vision for Hertford. This exercise has already been completed in Bishop’s Stortford and the declared intent is to arrive at an agreed and widely supported vision when limited funding opportunities arise. (There might also be the opportunity to use it to provide input to the Local Development Framework). The Civic Society, along with commercial interests, is a member of the panel, which naturally includes local councillors. In order to inform our contributions to the working of the panel a discussion was held with Society members following the AGM. Recognising that there would be fewer shop units in the town-centre in future, so other uses and more flexible arrangements need to be found, the following suggestions came from the floor:

  1. High Street in the age of the internet – The area devoted to retail in the High Street will shrink. Even the supermarkets will require less retail space. However, recognise that the High Street is still the place for services which cannot be bought over the internet such as hairdressers, restaurants, nail bars.
  2. Work with the Internet - There is an expanding need for small to medium-sized retail outlets where samples of goods for purchase on the Internet can be displayed.
  3. Planning constraints – Although the town-centre is a conservation area– the river front and built environment make Hertford a pleasant place to visit and are therefore an asset - we should not be too inflexible about allowing change of use and adapting buildings to new uses. One suggestion is to roof over a 1930s shopping street to replace the long gone but lamented arcade in the town-centre with its many small shops. This would provide a more environmentally friendly shopping experience.
  4. Business development facilities – Encourage newer and start-up businesses. Make it easier for start-ups to rent vacant space – either empty shop space or allocation for market stalls. In Germany, for example, there is a day set aside for a Children’s Market, encouraging youth to participate by selling their old toys etc.
  5. Seed Shops

(Cf. A similar approach to ‘seed factories’ for small industrial businesses)

Closed premises with a reasonable internal area should be fitted out as an arcade style set of lock-up shops. A lock-up (seed shop) should be, say, 10 or more square metres with shop window,door and space for counter and one shopkeeper with the remainder given over mostly to stock. Common services should be made available to seed shop keepers, such as the services of an accountant, internet access, a mentor and some help with retail training and business planning, and a ‘friendly’ bank. Rentals could be on a short term basis, say three or six months and business rate should be applied to the premises as a whole not to the individual businesses. Note that internet access would allow small businesses to operate both as a physical presence and as an on-line business (see Amazon and eBay for examples). Fitting out costs might be alleviated by grant or other support funding, any change of use needed could be looked on favourably by the Local Authority.

  1. Learning – Encourage change of usage to allow HertfordRegionalCollege and others to open easy access lifelong learning spaces in Hertford town centre in order to promote learning for leisure, essential skills such as ICT and return-to-learn facilities.
  2. Culture - Hertford Theatre is a real asset, we also have gallery spaces and a wide range of music going on around the town so could we make Hertford a cultural centre? We already have a Theatre Week - could we have a wider festival, even on the scale of Malvern?
  3. Town Centre as a community hub – Meeting places and notice boards, where people can find out what is going on; development of social media, particularly to involve more young people in town centre activities. Non-commercial places for people to sit and socialise, to enjoy Hertford as a place (beyond coffee houses and bars). Consider making pedestrian areas more pleasant and accessible.
  4. Collection Point – Abusiness opportunity for a seed (or other) shop could be to act as a collection point for failed parcel deliveries. The saving of a second visit (or even a simpler first visit direct to the collection point) by the parcel service might support a small charge for taking in parcels. Besides bringing in people to the collection point, it would save trips to parcel depots which are usually some distance away. A number of retail outlets (for example, PC World) offer in-store collection so there is a model for this approach. Most internet sites offer separate delivery address/instructions so diversion either directly or on an if-no-answer basis is possible.
  5. Landlords – Rent and rates are a real issue for businesses large and small, currently stultifying development opportunities. People cannot take risks and try new things if the terms of the lease are too onerous. There was overwhelming support for a public register of landlords to make ownership and leasing more transparent and to make clearer to landlords the business opportunities that exist.
  6. Parking – At present the parking system pressurises drivers to spend the minimum possible amount of time in Hertford and leaves no time for “loitering” and socialising, so there was a recommendation for more parking space, lower cost and pay-on-exit. There was also a suggestion to revive the idea of park-and-ride, possibly using County Hall car park. We also need to encourage people to come into Hertford by bus, cycle and on foot.

Hitchin