More than 2,000 people have responded directly to our wide-ranging, eight-week-long consultation on the proposed vision for Hertsmere, with a similar number responding through template-style websites.
The cabinet member responsible for Planning has thanked all those who gave their views.
Everyone in the borough’s communities, including residents and businesses as well as visitors to the area, were encouraged to provide their comments to help to decide the strategy and vision for Hertsmere for the next decade and beyond. The Draft Local Plan consultation focused on a number of key areas, notably housing and employment site allocations, and the revisions that have been made since the previous consultation in 2021.
These revisions include a 40 per cent reduction in the amount of Green Belt being released and 9,400 new homes to meet the borough’s housing need - a fall of 22 per cent from the previous Draft Local Plan.
People were able to have their say in the consultation in a number of ways - online, through an interactive engagement platform on which almost 1,500 people submitted views, or by email, and by post - while members of our Planning team talked to many residents at the seven public engagement events held across the borough, which residents from neighbouring boroughs were welcome to attend, in April and earlier this month. Consultation materials were also made available at public venues, community and leisure centres across Hertsmere.
Councillor Nik Oakley, our Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Transport, was also on hand for the duration of the seven events, to discuss the plan and direction for Hertsmere and answer questions, with more than 1,100 people attending in total. Cllr Oakley, and other cabinet members, also attended a number of resident-organised meetings to discuss the draft plan, including a meeting of Bushey Forum.
Now the consultation period has ended, all responses – the number of which is the result of initial analysis - will be closely reviewed before a proposed final Local Plan for 2040 is submitted for public examination at which stage it will be assessed by an independent inspector. There will be another opportunity to comment on that plan, ahead of the examination in public, with responses being submitted to the inspector at the same time as the proposed Local Plan.
Cllr Oakley said: “I’d like to thank everybody, right across our communities, who made time to give their views as part of this consultation. Every response is incredibly valuable in the Local Plan process as these comments let us know what you think about life in your borough, what you feel works well and how we can make improvements. We ultimately want to make Hertsmere an even better and sustainable place in which to live and work, and to visit.
“We will now carefully work through all of the responses as we prepare a proposed final Local Plan and, before this is submitted, there will be a chance for people to have another say too.”
Posted on Friday 31st May 2024