Author Archives: John Roper

1st Welwyn Scouts – a legacy that needs your help.

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Wear and Tear.

The 1st Welwyn Scout Group Headquarters in Lockleys Drive was closed down between 2012 and 2014 because major structural repairs and essential improvements were needed. During that time the Scouts and Cubs shared meetings with their counterparts in Codicote, and the Beavers had moved to New Church House, Welwyn.

But, quite apart from the structural damage, the enforced departure from Lockleys Drive, Welwyn had an alarming hit on membership numbers too: whereas decades ago the Group totalled some 200 members, by the time of their return to Lockleys Drive in October 2014, membership had fallen to 25, more or less!

A Brighter Future

Led by Group Scout Leader Andy Trotter, the 1st Welwyn Group returned to their new Headquarters at Lockleys Drive in October 2014 with a great fanfare. The new Scout HQ has been named after the late Derek Nash, the inspirational Group Scout Leader who led a hard working team for over 20 years, battling to resolve the problem of a rapidly deteriorating HQ, and tirelessly fund-raising in order to open up alternative options for the future.

Those of you who are familiar with the original Scout Hut, should pay a visit to the new Derek Nash Scout HQ and be prepared for a big surprise.

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Membership is recovering too: from the low-point of 20 young people in October 2014 this has now risen to around 80, with beavers, cubs, brownies and scouts meeting in the building on Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The high quality of the refitted Scout Hall also attracts the over ’60’s Friendship Club, Welwyn Wailers, adult and childrens yoga, keep fit classes, and Painting in Watercolour classes. Birthday parties are being held there and it is anticipated that a local band, and a drama group for kids, might also start meeting in the Hall.

A Challenging Future

But this success is leading to new problems – the perennial problem of finding volunteers: leaders and helpers.

The Group is currently operating with the minimum of two leaders per section, and the cub leader will shortly be moving on. A replacement is being sought urgently otherwise  the cub section will have to close at Christmas 2015 causing the 20 boys and girls in the cub pack to lose out on the experience of a lifetime, an experience that many of us are able to look back on as a building block for life.

The Group does desperately need volunteers, and not just for leaders. There are 60 Proficiency Badges for beavers, cubs and scouts to qualify for. Volunteers are always needed to help teach some of these subjects and to evaluate the work. Most of us have skills acquired through our lives which might be put to good use. If you believe you might have something to offer, have a word with with Andy Trotter, Group Scout Leader on 07580 942319

Our Heritage

Welwyn Scouts are classified as a ‘Foundation Group’, meaning that the 1st Welwyn Group was formed in 1908 when Baden Powell first started scouting.

Please consider what you might be able to do by way of help or support to ensure that the 1st Welwyn Group remains as a Heritage for our childrens’ generation too.

(For more information about the 1st Welwyn Scout Group – its history and its legacy – go to the 1st Welwyn Scout Group Page).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community Cafe – Another Year goes by

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The Community Cafe is celebrating its 6th Birthday on Tuesday 3rd November 2015, so please make a special effort to come along and support Barbara Spencer and her hard working team of volunteers.

Every Tuesday the Community Cafe offers a welcome tea, coffee and biscuits, or a toasted tea cake, all at a very reasonable price. You will meet up with many local friends for a good chat. A Parish Councillor is usually there, and sometimes the local PCSO pops in.

The Community Cafe was launched on 3rd November 2009 as one of many products of the Welwyn Parish Plan. It  is a joint venture between Welwyn Parish Plan Action Group (WPPAG) and St. Mary’s Parochial Church Council (PCC).

The Community Cafe is held every Tuesday in New Church House, Welwyn.

Opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 12 p.m.

Bee Awareness – Education and Training in Welwyn

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The Welwyn Beekeepers Association (WBKA) hold a free Bee Awareness session each Autumn for those just interested in knowing more about bees and the work of the beekeeper, and those thinking about taking up beekeeping and would like to know a little more first.

This year’s session is on Tuesday 20th October 2015 from 7.30 – 10.00 pm at the Christchurch Halls, Welwyn Garden City.

All non-members of the WBKA are welcomed, but should first email the WBKA Education and Training Coordinator, Mike Goodhew, at

Planning Portal News – 14th October 2015 – Local Plans shrinking the Green Belt

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Planning Portal News: 8 October 2015

Green belt figures

New figures show that there has been a decrease of around 2,000 hectares overall of green belt in England between April 2013 and the end of March 2015 largely because of new local plans adopted by 11 local authorities.

These latest figures show that the extent of the designated green belt in England as at 31st March 2015 was estimated at 1,636,620 hectares, around 13 per cent of the land area of England.

Since these statistics were first compiled for 1997, there has been an increase of 32,000 hectares in the area of green belt after taking account of the re-designation of some green belt as part of the New Forest National Park in 2005.

(The above is an extract from Planning Portal News)

The Clock Gardens – A Timely Response for Opinions from Local Residents

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Whilst listening to local residents at various locations, it became apparent that there are many varying opinions about the new Clock Gardens development. With the use of the social media website, Streetlife, and other forms of communication, many comments were provided and this is just a sample of some of them who corresponded on Streetlife.

Lin W believes that the development is an abomination and cannot understand how developers got approval as it is not in keeping with the surrounding area.

Linda Mc says that it is an ugly development in the wrong place, but also highlighted another major issue regarding traffic problems at rush hour.

One of the other contributors to Streetlife, Chloe, is one of the few that actually like the development and had many comments to make including her view that it is very attractive. She also mentions that it is better than building a nursing home as the local medical staff would not be able to cope with the demand. Her views include the benefit for younger members of our community who have to start somewhere on the housing ladder.

Ian S made an interesting comment about being elbowed out by buy-to-letters if he wished to buy one of the flats. Other comments have indicated that these flats have been mostly bought by buy-to-letters so Chloe’s comment about first time buyers may not ring true here.

Apart from the few who actually like the development, other respondents based their views on a couple of topics including the ugliness of the development, the possible traffic problems that may be caused at peak times and how did the project get approved in the first place?

One comment from a local resident on the way to Stevenage when passing the development was “Living there will be like sleeping on the hard shoulder of the Motorway!“

Local Plan – Welwyn Hatfield – Progress update

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WHBC Cabinet Housing and Planning Panel Newsletter No 8 reports that they have recommended to Cabinet a revised timetable for the preparation of the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan.

The following are extracts from the WHBC Newsletter No 8 published October 2015

To get your own copy of the Newsletters you are invited to email your details to planningpolicy@welhat.gov.uk or telephone 01707 357532.

The Borough Newsletter No 8 declares:

The revised timetable reflects the amount of time that it will take to: analyse nearly 6,000 consultation responses to the draft plan; assess 61 new and/or amended sites; update evidence, such as the need for new homes in the borough; receive evidence from third-party studies such as the Herts Water Study; and liaise with service providers in respect of schools and healthcare and other infrastructure.

New Sites

The Newsletter identifies that many new and/or amended sites have been put forward for potential inclusion in the Local Plan since the draft was put out to consultation earlier this year. Details of these proposed sites can be found on the Local Plan website, but they come with a caveat. In none of these instances have the proposed sites yet been assessed for suitability.

Of special interest to the WPAG, there are a number of newly proposed housing sites affecting Welwyn directly, and it is worthwhile familiarising yourself with these, in readiness for our involvement in the Consultation on the final draft Local Plan which is scheduled for the Summer of 2016.

Drop In Events

But in fact you do not have to wait that long, because the Borough is running two drop-in events where these proposed new/amended sites will be able to be viewed, as follows:

20th October 2015     – at The Hub, Hatfield Town Centre between 4 pm and 7.30 p.m.

11th November 2015 – at The Focolare Centre, Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, between 4 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.

At these events we are informed that officers will be available to answer questions about the Local Plan process and the feedback received to date.

We repeat, the Borough cautions that these sites have not yet been assessed and therefore no decision has been made on their suitability.

Local Plan Timeline

Autumn – Winter 2015    Review responses and further technical work

Spring 2016                    Complete evidence, site assessments, draft final Local Plan

Summer 2016                 Consultation on final draft Local Plan

Autumn/Winter 2016       Review responses and submit for examination

Early 2017                       Examination in Public

Spring/Autumn 2017       Examination Inspector’s Report and Adoption

Pulhamite artificial stonework – further appreciation.

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Our post about the volunteer efforts to uncover the artificial Pulhamite stone in the Danesbury Fernery has raised a great deal of fresh interest. If you want to extend your knowledge and understanding of the special attributes and heritage values of Pulhamite, then we have learned that there is a Presentation this coming Saturday 3rd October 2015 to celebrate The Great Restoration of the Swiss Garden at the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden, nr Biggleswade. This is an all-day Study Day to celebrate Pulhamite rockwork and its conservation, for which details, and the need for a fairly rapid online booking Form, can be found at the Shuttleworth Collection website.

Our WPAG member Francesca Weal, well known and esteemed local architect, has informed the Editor that she was involved in ‘The Great Restoration’ of the Swiss Garden at Old Warden, which is famed for its use of Pulham artificial stonework. (See Francesca’s Comment at the foot of the Fernery post!)

Danesbury Park – The Fernery – the Pulham story

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The Danesbury Fernery – a brief History.

The Fernery in Danesbury Park was constructed by William John Blake’s renowned gardener Andrew Parsons in 1859-60. He incorporated Pulham artificialunnamed stone. The site is in the Motorway Field of the Local Nature Reserve, a short-walk from Danesbury House.

The Pulham Legacy website describes the Danesbury Fernery as: ‘Cave, Dropping Well, Pass for ferns and other rockplants in old chalk pit but in artificial stone’.

The Danesbury Fernery is one of Pulhams’ earliest ferneries, but it is now in a very delapidated state, as can be seen in this next photo taken in September 2015. The volunteer group, Friends of Danesbury Local Nature Reserve, aided by the Friends of Mardley Heath, and groups of Sherrardpark Wood Wardens, have started a new project to clear the 20150910_094828site. When the Pulhamite stone has been exposed again, the landowner (Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council) will be in a position to adjudge whether or not to continue with full-blown restoration by specialist contractors, including works to make the site safe for public access once again.

The Pulham Legacy

Claude Hutching is the author of many publications about Pulhamite, and he runs the very topical Pulham Legacy website, which details the successful restoration work carried out around the country. We hope that before long, the work to restore the Danesbury Fernery will feature.

Go to the Pulham Legacy website to get details of Claud Hitching’s Presentation Diary. Claud Hitching (with Valerie Christman) regularly gives presentations about some of the experiences he encountered during his research leading up to the publication of his critically-acclaimed book, Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy. Valerie Chistman also gives the history behind the development of Pulham cement. Valerie is directly descended from the Pulham family, and is an amateur geologist and professional garden designer in her own right.  

Planning Portal – 24th September 2015 – Large Scale Housing Schemes

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(The following is an extract from the Planning Portal Content Team, reporting on 24th September 2015).

Ministers should consult on bringing large-scale housing schemes within the Planning Act 2008 regime for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), a report commissioned by law firm Bond Dickinson and planning consultants Quod has urged.

The report, based on the views of housing and planning experts in both the public and private sectors, claimed that use of the NSIP regime could harness the power of the private sector and “relieve hard-pressed local authority budgets”.

Less than half the estimated 240,000 new homes needed each year were completed in 2014, and the last six years had seen the lowest level of house building since the Second World War, it added.

The report insisted that there was widespread support for creating new settlements on the scale of the post-war New Towns to address the housing crisis.

However, it argued that this was unlikely to happen without policy and legislation that overcame the current barriers to bringing forward large-scale housing and mixed use projects within the current planning system.

The report noted recent research suggesting that only 25 per cent of local planning authorities had a local plan which had been adopted as sound since the publication of the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2012.

For the full report go to Planning Portal Content Team report).