What's at Risk?

Hitchin's greenbelt land is at risk! But how have we arrived at this point? The North Herts District Council have something called the Local Development Framework (LDF) that sets out their planning and spatial vision for the region. These plans must incorporate growth targets set within the East of England Plan which is one of several regional plans accountable to government targets and policy.

A key overriding element of the LDF is the North Herts ' Core Strategy and Development Polices Document which was issued for public review and consultation in September 2007. In it, NHDC have defined their guiding strategic principles and, more importantly, their preferred options for applying this to the district out to the year 2021. It covers everything from housing growth, transport issues, community and leisure facilities, employment considerations, managing environments and green issues and so on.

Focusing on the contentious housing growth issue, WHAG and other Hitchin action groups have identified that our town has been unfairly allocated far more than its 'fair' share of the overall NHDC (East of England set) target. A previous public consultation recommended housing growth be proportionally distributed across the region. However this has not been applied consistently. Therefore WHAG opposes the overall target and still has not had a response on who set this for our town, and what methodology they used, and how we can get it corrected.

In order to meet this unfair target, North Herts have reviewed many growth options in and around Hitchin. On the basis of a commissioned Capacity and Sensitivity Analysis, they discounted much of the greenbelt land around our town, but retained a swathe of sites West of Hitchin as their preferred greenfield expansion option. WHAG objected vigorously to this expansion on the basis that the analysis was flawed. Sites were not weighted by size, and West Hitchin sites were not afforded the protection tag of 'green wedges' which confer enhanced greenbelt status like the other sites considered. Regardless, WHAG objects to ANY greenbelt expansion, so we are certainly not recommending the growth be shifted elsewhere around the town.

The hundreds of objections submitted in the Core Strategy Document Consultation are still being reviewed and the results and new recommendations be made before the NH cabinet in September of 2008.

Meanwhile, in a cart before the horse move, a detailed site by site development document for North Herts District called the Land Allocations Issues and Options Document was offered for public consultation. This listed the specific sites that will be considered for development after the Core Strategy is approved and ratified by the Secretary of State. The final list of sites from this document will be sent to government in 2010 but WHAG realise that the sooner greenbelt sites are removed from this list of options the better.

The first public consultation for this closed on 19th March 2008. WHAG and Hitchin residents submitted hundreds of objections to development on the four key West Hitchin greenbelt sites and in principle to any greenbelt development around Hitchin. There will be a further public consultation on the 'final' preferred options in early 2009, giving us one more shot at it if greenbelt land is still contained in the list.

Full detailed information on the Local Development Framework, these two key documents, and the many supportive surveys, analyses, and references they draw on, can be found at the North Herts District Council Website: http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/index/planning/local_development_framework.htm