Alongside the local council elections on 7th May, there is a local referendum across Welwyn Parish about adopting our Neighbourhood Plan.
Public Information Meeting
If you would like to know more about what is in the Neighbourhood Plan come to the Public Information Meeting on Tuesday, 28th April at 7.30pm in the Welwyn Civic Centre Small Hall. The meeting is being chaired by WPAG and speakers will include members of the Working Party who have developed the Plan.
This Referendum is the final stage in a six-year project by the Parish Council, WPAG and others from across the community.
The Plan requires WHBC to assess our priorities, constraints and projects when considering development in Welwyn, Digswell, Oaklands or Mardley Heath.
The Plan is not anti-development. It sets out what needs to be done to keep our areas special when new developments are considered. It was endorsed by local residents in a consultation, and it is fully backed by WPAG and WPC.
One of the Plan’s projects is for Singlers Marsh to become a Village Green.
The meeting is open to everyone and will discuss major issues facing Welwyn. with lots of opportunities to ask questions. If you would like to attend please reply to so we can send the necessary papers to you in advance.
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) is currently running a parking consultation in Welwyn – which is only open until 26thSeptember – just a few days away.
It seeks feedback on your preferred response to any parking issues you might experience.
It frames the likely prospect of the introduction of paid-for residents permits to park on your own street.
At current prices, charges will range from £44 for one car (with charges ramping up considerably for additional cars) up to £1,000 for local businesses. And you’d have to pay more for visitors as well.
Don’t miss your chance to have your say! Especially if you do not favour paid-for Residents Parking Permits. Please fill in the short survey by clicking this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WelwynWest
If a volume of responses is not received by WHBC that favour or dissent to a particular outcome, WHBC will proceed as they see fit on the information available.
More details about the survey
The consultation was triggered by WHBC having received a meagre threshold of 50 complaints over a 12 year – an average just over four a year!
The consultation covers the whole of the Welwyn West ward but, we understand, is mainly driven by matters relating to the School Road /Hawbush area of Welwyn.
The consultation went live in July, but with very little communication to announce it. So, we want to make sure that as many residents as possible are made aware and have the chance to meaningfully contribute, so that the results accurately reflect what residents actually want.
The survey will only take around 5-10 minutes to complete. It asks you: What road you live on Whether you experience (or not) any parking issues on your road: At particular times On particular days What type of issue Whether you support (or not) the principle of parking controls What controls (if any at all) you would be satisfied with, specifically asking about: Paid-for residents permits Single yellow lines with time restrictions aimed at commuter times Verge and footway prohibitions A box for other comments which allows you to comment on issues beyond your immediate road.
Please do take this opportunity to make your views known and do share this with your neighbours.Here is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WelwynWest
Have your say on the final draft of Welwyn’s Neighbourhood Plan now.
Also this is the opportunity to show your support.
The final public consultation runs from Monday, 21st July to 1st September 2025. An independent inspector will then take into account all the comments before making a final judgement which, when passed, will affect future planning in our Parish
The Neighbourhood Plan supports Singlers Marsh being given Village Green status amongst many other issues. So your support for this point would be welcome.
The meeting was held in the Small Hall at Welwyn Civic Centre on March 17th
A public meeting to discuss the Singlers Marsh Village Green applications will be held on April 30 at 7.30pm in the Welwyn Civic Centre. If you wish to know more now, please follow the link. https://www.wpag.org.uk/singlers-marsh/
The Minutes from the meeting will be added here. The Accounts and Minutes from the 2024 meeting were agreed and are attached.
In a recent response to WPAG’s pre-election questions one of the candidates suggested that getting a Post Office reopened would be a good project for WPAG.
What this candidate may not have known is that when the old Post Office in the centre of Welwyn closed down, WPAG did spend a considerable amount of time looking at alternative options to get it reopened, but were unsuccessful. The key reasons were:
a/ To make a local Post Office viable it needs to be run in conjunction with another profitable business. The previous owner, despite running it in conjunction with a gift shop, could not make a profit. She also had staffing and security problems.
b/ We approached a variety of individuals and businesses and were given good reasons why there was no appetite for running a Post Office. These were:
Not cost effective unless run in conjunction with a profitable/viable business alongside.
Security and insurance very expensive.
Staff training and costs.
Major personal commitment.
Personal responsibility and liability for any shortfall to the Post Office.
Problems with Post Office Horizon system. Etc. etc.
Considerable financial outlay
c/ We approached the existing local Post Offices in Oaklands and Codicote to see whether they would be interested in taking over the one in Welwyn High Street to run in conjunction with their own. They said it would not be possible.
d/ We found there was a ‘locum’ postmaster service, but the nearest was too far away and anyway would have required investment in location, IT and equipment.
e/ A community ‘not-for-profit’ Post Office still requires it to be run in conjunction with an additional business to make it viable plus a large time and responsibility commitment. It also requires investment in premises, IT and equipment and a sizeable rota of committed and trained volunteers to take the responsibility of running it. Even in this scenario the Post Office insist that the ‘postmasters’ are liable for any shortfall.
Although we are all sad to see the Post Office close, the recent survey for the Neighbourhood Plan showed that only 5 responders out of the 1128 who responded actually spontaneously mentioned the need for a Post Office. So perhaps we have got used to going to Oaklands or Codicote.
However, should WPC feel the need is strong enough and decide to start a working party to look into this again, we would be happy to be part of it.
Following over 1000 people completing an evidence questionnaire last year, Herts County Council decided this application should go to a non-statutory Public Inquiry.
The preliminary meeting to try to iron out legal issues was held on November 3.
We have yet to receive the Inspectors ‘directions’ which determine how the Inquiry will proceed.
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s submission of their proposed Local Plan in Jan 2020 challenged the original requirement to find sites for 16,000 new homes in the Borough. The Inspector is questioning that and has called a review of all the sites which were considered but not included.In particular the Inspector felt that Welwyn was ‘not pulling its weight’.
WPAG have been working closely with Welwyn Parish Council (WPC) to rebutt this. His Hearings will be held in early March and written statements had to be submitted by 12th February in order to be considered.
Unfortunately, only people who had contributed to the first round of consultations could put in a view, but thank you to all those that did. We believe that it will help show the weight of feeling in the area as well as presenting the arguments for not going ahead with the developments.
WPAG and WPC will be attending Hearings and we will update you as soon as we have any decisions.
