News Round Up 2025

Harpenden population 32,500+

Harpenden’s 3 GP Surgeries registered patients = 43,274.

What’s going on??

A chance visit to the NHS Choices web site on May 6 revealed the following registered patient numbers:

Village Surgery = 15,983

The Elms = 14,749

Davenport House = 12,542

SO if the numbers are accurate where do all these people live? (Redbourn and Wheathampsted have their own surgeries.

OR are the numbers duplicated OR are they simply out of date?

WELL, on average GP Surgeries are funded at £136 per patient so the numbers generate high income.

THE average number of patient visits per year is 7 giving a cost per visit of £19.42.

YES it’s obvious that very young patients and elderly patients have more than the average number of visits.

These figures do not cover the prescription costs.

AND YES we know averages disguise the actual numbers BUT something is amiss?

WITH more and more homes bing built in Harpenden how will GP Surgeries cope with this influx?

More to come on this story.

New Garden Town planned close to Harpenden

A massive project described in detail in ‘A Spatial Vision’

Hemel Garden Communities (HGC) is an ambitious development programme that will transform Hemel Hempstead and create attractive and sustainable new neighbourhoods and communities to the north and east of Hemel Hempstead, through the delivery of more than 11,000 new homes ( That will be 30,000 + people) and 10,000 new jobs by 2050. Many of these jobs will be in Hertfordshire Innovation Quarter, a new business park with a range of facilities including flexible office and industrial spaces, and a variety of amenities to serve the local community.

The whole project will be part of a Dacorum Borough Council scheme on land within their boundary. providing a variety of benefits to Hemel Hempstead.

These include new high-quality homes, of which 40 per cent will be affordable. New neighbourhoods will be set around vibrant local centres, green spaces and play areas, all easily accessed on foot. Sustainable travel such as walking, cycling and public transport will be given priority as we target a greener, healthier environment, which includes open spaces as well as new country and district parks.

A priority for Hemel Garden Communities is to accelerate a shift to public and active transport and increase the share of journeys taken by cycling and walking, and providing high quality infrastructure to support the creation of new homes and jobs.

HGC partners – Dacorum Borough Council, St Albans City and District Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership - are working with The Crown Estate and other landowners to deliver the HGC programme.

Phillipa Zieba (right) has been appointed to the role

of Programme Director. Phillipa brings with her a

wealth of experience, from her previous role as

Head of Planning at Hammerson, with a strong

track record of delivering masterplans and a range

of high profile mixed-use projects. Cllr Chris White,

Chair of the HGC Delivery Board (also Council

leader of SADC)

said: “I am delighted that we have recruited someone of Phillipa’s calibre to the role of programme director and welcome her to the team.

ONE KEY CHALLENGE (of which there are many)

Although Hemel’s neighbourhoods will be used as model for growing and regenerating the town, certain aspects of them will need to be significantly modified to meet twenty-first century challenges. The challenges to be met are tackling car dependency, responding to large portions of the housing stock aging at the same time, and diversifying local centres. Development of new neighbourhoods will also need to ensure that places and communities are integrated with each other and with established neighbourhoods.

Read ‘A Spatial Vision’ and you will be amazed at the detailed progamme already devised. The Spatial Vision is a high-level document that provides a series of aspirations for the future of HGC.

Hemel Garden Communities Spatial Vision (PDF 11MB).

THE BIG QUESTIONS

How will this affect Harpenden?

How will this affect SADC’s Local Plan?

Follow Harpendia for answers

Aug 8. ST ALBANS Council reject Harpenden Council’s Parking proposals.

See the letter from Chief Executive Amanda Foley

Mr C Cheevers

Town Clerk & Chief Executive

Harpenden Town Council

By email to carl.cheevers@harpenden.gov.uk

Dear Carl

Thank you for your letter dated 23 July 2024, which sets out a Resolution of Harpenden Town Council (HTC) following an Extraordinary Council meeting held by the Town Council to consider its response to St Albans City and District Council’s Limited Waiting Bay consultation that is currently underway. Thank you for your patience whilst we have considered our response.

The Resolution requests a joint approach to consider alternative proposals and seeks

active engagement between HTC and SADC. It then goes on to set out seven points, a

to g, which demand formality around the joint working approach in the form of a Task

and Finish Group.

In response to the letter, and to provide clarity on the boundaries of what is possible, it

is important to understand the following:

The District Council’s parking strategy 2023-2028 sets out the Council’s direction for

parking over that period for the entire District. This includes the setting of fees and

charges to manage the kerbside space, and strategies to reduce emissions in support

of our Sustainability and Climate Crisis Strategy. The Statement of Reasons for this

proposed amendment to the Traffic Regulation Order (attached) aligns with this

strategy.

St Albans City and District Council has a statutory role in relation to Parking Services.

All parking consultations are required to follow the statutory consultation process when

making any changes. The Limited Waiting Bay consultation is a formal statutory

consultation. To ensure fairness we have:

 Considered alternative options to meet the desired outcomes.

 Provided details of the proposals and a clear Statement of Reasons, both online

and hard copies, including early sight of the consultation to all Ward Cllrs and

the Town Council.

 Included an additional optional survey to capture driver behaviour.

 Increased the consultation period from 21 to 28 days.

Continued./..

Page 2

 Advertised the public notice, including how to respond to the consultation, in the

press, on on-street signs and on the council’s website.

 Encouraged members of the public and councillors to respond to the consultation.

Once the consultation closes, we will:

 Collate all responses we receive and consider all views.

 Analyse and review alternative suggestions against the Statement of Reasons.

 Maintain an open and transparent approach by publishing reports on the

outcome of the consultation.

 Ensure outcomes and reasons are fully and openly communicated.

Before the final decision is taken to make the Traffic Regulation Order, we must, as the

order maker, ensure that we have given due consideration to all responses we receive

as this is the key component of the decision-making process. We believe, to introduce a Task and Finish Group could open the Council to legal challenges, because it could be argued the decision to make the order is not based on the Statement of Reasons and the public consultation, but on the decision of the Task and Finish Group. This is why we have actively encouraged those impacted by the proposed changes to take part in this open consultation and to let us know their views, in the same way we do with the making of any Traffic Order.

Officers from St Albans City and District Council are always willing to work with the

Town and Parish Councils across the District. In the case of the parking proposals for

Harpenden, officers have engaged with you as the Town Clerk informally throughout,

and shared the proposals with the HTC team at the same time that the information was

provided to Ward Councillors, in an effort to support the Town Council with early sight of the proposals.

We welcome the views of all those impacted by this proposed change and actively

encourage feedback and alternative proposals; however, this must be through the

formal consultation channels as this ensures there is a clear auditable record of the

response and that it has been received and considered within the formal consultation

process.

To conclude, in this case, with regret, the District Council cannot enter into a formalised task and finish group as requested in the HTC Resolution but would be happy to consider any representations you wish to make during the consultation process

(whether as a group or as individuals).

The District Council is happy to continue our engagement with the Town Council OfficerTeam as we have been doing, in the manner outlined in this letter.

Yours sincerely

Amanda Foley Chief Executive

Aug 22. 2024

IS SADC COUNCIL LEADER (Paul de Kort) SAYING YES TO HIGH STREET PARKING CHARGES IN HARPENDEN WHEN THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS AND RETAILERS

HAVE SAID NO?

The St Albans Times published an interview in their Aug 22 edition where Paul de Kort made a number of statements that give a clear indication of their intentions:

1.The majority of people will be unlikely to welcome having to pay for something they previously did not.
2.We Liberal Democrats believe in sound finances and protecting vital public services in a fair way. Whilst we're taking this measure reluctantly, we believe it is consistent and indeed necessary to achieve these twin goals.
3.All consultation feedback from all sources will be considered and it is anticipated that this could lead to amendments.
4.Our proposal to retain a free 20 minute 'drop and collect" period, available twice a day to any motorist, is an example of a change we have made as a direct result of the continuing consultation.

Here is the full text from this particular section of the editorial.

Shown here with the approval of Matt Adams, Editor,

St Albans Times.

Aside from the Local Plan, one of the most contentious policy dominating discussion across the district is are the proposed charges for on-street parking - was he surprised by the depth of feeling this policy provoked?

"Not entirely. It is of course completely natural for people to feel aggrieved or inconvenienced, because when something which has been available at no charge for an extended period, suddenly has to change. The majority of people will be unlikely to welcome having to pay for something they previously did not

"Parking, in particular, is an emotive and complex topic, because people's concerns about parking are very mixed and charges are only one aspect of this; others include: the availability of parking itself, illegal and inconsiderate parking, parking, parking causing safety and environmental issues around schools."

"We Liberal Democrats believe in sound finances and protecting vital public services in a fair way. Whilst we're taking this measure reluctantly, we believe it is consistent and indeed necessary to achieve these twin goals."

When the plans were first announced, there was no provision for drop-offs and pick-ups, but after concerns were raised by parents and traders, this was subsequently introduced into the current ongoing consultation.

"We pride ourselves on engaging with the public in a meaningful way through consultation and feedback, and we're always grateful to all those who take the time to engage with the council.

"All consultation feedback from all sources will be considered and it is anticipated that this could lead to amendments.

"Our proposal to retain a free 20 minute 'drop and collect" period, available twice a day to any motorist, is an example of a change we have made as a direct result of the continuing consultation we carry out, as residents and businesses have.”

END

PCC welcomes funding for more neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards has welcomed news that a bid by his Office and Hertfordshire Constabulary for additional funding to boost the number of neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs has been approved by Ministers.

An additional 35 police officers will join Neighbourhood Policing Teams across Hertfordshire and an additional 20 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) will be recruited.

The £3 million funding has been secured from the Government’s neighbourhood policing uplift and the new officers are expected to be recruited during the first half of the new financial year.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police & Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, said:

“Strengthening local policing is a key priority in my Police & Crime Plan as I know that Hertfordshire residents want to see visible local policing and action on neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour.

“Neighbourhood policing teams play an important role in this work, through patrols in town centres, engaging with local communities and tackling burglary, shop theft, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour.

“Boosting our neighbourhood policing teams with an additional 35 police officers and 20 PCSOs will mean additional officers in every district and borough working to tackle crime and make Hertfordshire safer.”

These extra officers are a further boost to those the Commissioner set out in his police budget earlier this year. It provided for a permanent increase to the police officer baseline number, taking it 2,405 officers, a new record high.

Aug Stunning Spitfire creation by Alastair Gibson. Support the National Spitfire Project by owning a Supermarine Spitfire sculpture. Your contribution helps maintain the enduring legacy of this iconic WW2 machine. Immerse yourself at Molasses House in Station Rd

August. Harpenden Residents can apply for grants of up to £30,000 for energy efficiency improvements to privately-owned homes

Residents in St Albans District can apply for grants of up to £30,000 to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes.

St Albans City and District Council has £1.5 million available to help finance enhancements to privately-owned houses.

The money was obtained from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s Warm Homes Fund and is intended to help cut harmful carbon emissions.

It is expected that around 100 homes will benefit with an average grant of around £15,000.

Improvements may include insulation, double or triple glazing, solar panels and low carbon heating systems such as air source pumps.

The upgrades have the potential to save people money by reducing energy bills as well as providing greater warmth and protection against damp and mould.

The Council is delivering the scheme in partnership with the National Energy Foundation which is managing the grants process and arranging the improvement works.

To be eligible, applicants will need to have a home with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of Band D or below.

They will also need to have either a gross household income of no more than £36,000 a year or be in receipt of certain benefits.

The scheme is available to landlords for privately rented homes as well as owner-occupiers.

Some additional eligibility criteria may be introduced to help ensure the money is used as effectively as possible.

The Council has obtained a total of £13 million in grants from Government funds to help finance similar improvements to around 1,200 of its 4,800 social housing properties.

Councillor Simon Johns, Chair of the Council’s Housing and Inclusion Committee, said: “We have been very successful in winning bids for Government funding to decarbonise our social housing stock.

“Now we can help private households carry out similar work by offering grants which will help pay for energy efficient features such as solar panels.

“I urge residents to take a look at the eligibility criteria and apply for this financial help if they feel they qualify.

“As a Council, we are committed to tackling the climate emergency, reducing the District’s emission to net zero, and improving the energy efficiency of homes is an important step in that direction.”

Alison Vickers, National Energy Foundation’s Operations Director, said: “We’re really excited to be working with St Albans City and District Council and residents on this scheme.

“By improving your home’s energy efficiency, not only will you save money on your energy bills but you will also feel more comfortable in your home. Please call us to check your eligibility today.”

You can check if you are eligible, find out more about the scheme and register an interest in applying here: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/warm-homes-local-grant

Aug 10. Parking Sign fines in order at the District Council says the Harpenden Society

Sunday’s unannounced installation of new parking signs to show the new PayByPhone option turned out to be a complete fiasco.

After the initial removal of the old signs and replacements with the new versions it was discovered that the start time was shown as 8.30 am and not the 9.00am as previously stated.

The District Council’s installation team hurriedly removed the new signs and reinstalled the originals. A touch of ‘Monty Python’ activity in action. Hardly a process to win over the hearts and minds of many disgruntled Harpenden residents and retailers who are acutely aware of the capital costs incurred during the whole process. Whilst the Society welcomes the simplification of having just one code, something that we have been campaigning for, Chairman Jeff Phillips asked "“Didn’t anyone check the artwork before printing?”

It is hoped that further changes and improvements will be implemented by the District Council following the agreed review in November.

We asked the District Council for a comment about the sign fiasco.

Chris Traill, Strategic Director for Community and Place Delivery, said:

“This is because the new signs for Harpenden were printed with incorrect information about the hours that restrictions apply.

A few signs were installed on Sunday when the error was spotted and they were immediately taken down.

New signs with the correct information are being printed and we hope to install them soon.

In the meantime, customers in Harpenden should continue using the two code system. Users will be able to input one code on their mobile phone instead of two to obtain both the free half-hour parking and to pay for additional time. The new signs highlight this change.

PayByPhone adapted its software to one code in response to a request from the Council as we became aware some residents found the two code system confusing.”

“We apologise for any confusion and hope to have the one-code system up and running in Harpenden, with appropriate signs installed, very soon.”

Aug 18. High Street Parking made easy with ONE phone number to cover the Free 30 mins and all added time, The new signs were installed without any pre notification on Sunday.