Two new Committee members were appointed at the Committee meeting of 5th May 2015: Valerie and Alan Plumley.
Valerie Plumley has been appointed our new Secretary, to replace Eleanor Lewis, and Alan Plumley holds a new appointment to focus on, and promote, the values of the amenities available within our community.
It is intended that Alan will support John Roper, who remains our webmaster, but with the special task of developing website links and communications with other community groups in and around Welwyn.
Welwyn & District Bowls Club have been going since 1965 (50 years ago) but are still very much young at heart, and they welcome newcomers and experienced bowlers of all ages..
They have a series of Open Days and evening sessions, to which you are invited to try your hand.
Afternoon Open Days or Evenings 2015
Friday 24th April – evening
Saturday 25th April – all day
Friday 1st May – evening
Saturday 2nd May – all day
Friday 8th May – evening
Saturday 16th May – all day
Welwyn & District Bowls Club offer a social life which continues throughout the year.
If you were not able to listen today to this BBC Radio 4 Programme, you are recommended to listen into the second broadcast on Wednesday 11th March 2015 at 2100 hrs, or try opening this link in a new window – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b054qc26 – press Play and listen to it in your own time.
The Friends of Panshanger Park hold monthly accompanied Walks led by members of the Friends, who will talk about the features of the delightful Humphry Repton landscape and the history of the site, and point out all the many wildlife features.
Walks start at 2 p.m. from Thieves Lane Car Park on the following dates:
Saturday 28th March
Sunday 26th April
Sunday 31st May
Sunday 28th June
If you would like to join one of their Walks, you are asked to let the Friends know in advance by email to:
The Friends of Panshanger Park (the FPP) was formed to ensure that Panshanger Park is restored to its original, historically significant, landscape once the owners (Lafarge Tarmac) have finished their gravel extraction. Privately owned by Lafarge Tarmac, the 1000 acre Panshanger Park estate has been extensively mined for minerals for over 30 years.
Since being formed, the WPAG has been represented on the FPP Committee by WPAG Committee Member Don Street. Don has been working tirelessly with the FPP team, determined to enable open public access to this wonderful Country Park, which is right on our doorstep.
Lets be honest. Most of us have yet to visit Panshanger Country Park.
This analysis is for members of the Welwyn Planning & Amenity Group and is intended to provide a focus on the main issues contained within the Consultation Document, as far as they impact the Village of Welwyn, and the surrounding settlements of Oaklands & Mardley Heath, and Digswell.
For full details of the Local Plan it is recommended that you go to the borough website and access the Local Plan Consultation Document after following simple registration instructions.
Most of the content of the following analysis concerns housing site selection, and is derived from Sections 13, 14 and 15 of the Consultation Document, relating respectively to Oaklands & Mardley Heath, Welwyn Village, and Digswell.
To understand better the impact that Woolmer Green proposals might have on Welwyn, go to Section 12.
To understand better what is planned for Codicote, and developments along the B656 Welwyn-Codicote Road which will most likely impact life in Welwyn due to their major impact on B656 Highways issues, go to the North Herts Local PLan.
The following Precis is for the benefit of members of the Welwyn Planning & Amenity Group, and readers generally, who do not perhaps have a detailed understanding of the planning process which led to the production of the Welwyn Hatfield Consultation Document.
Of necessity, this precis omits technical details and evidence which support the broader statements that have been made, and we apologise if errors have crept in, or if there are major omissions.
We therefore strongly recommend that for a full understanding of the Consultation Document, readers should go to the Borough website and, once Registered, access all sections online.
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has published their proposed new Local Plan for 2011-2031. It was put out for Public Consultation on 23rd January 2015 and Public Consultation runs to 19th March 2015..
In order to gather the evidence which is essential to a successful planning process, consultants working with WHBC have analysed the social, economic and environmental impacts of the policy intentions and sites which are set out in the Local Plan Consultation document.
Have your say!
You are all encouraged to take the time to study the Consultation Document, and to complete the associated Response Forms for:
the Draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan, (to identify the infrastructure likely to be required to support Local Plan housing growth, and
the Sustainability Appraisal.
How to respond?
In order to comment you will need to register your details on the WHBC consultation portal, so do not leave it to the last minute!
Once you’ve registered you will be given a password to ensure your access is secure and that no one else can comment using your name. Please be aware that this is a public consultation and once your comments have been processed they can be viewed by others.
If you are unable to comment online, you can also email: or write to Planning Policy, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, Council Offices, The Campus, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6AE.
Paper copies of the consultation material will also be available in the council offices and at libraries throughout the borough.
When to Respond?
Your comments have to be received by post, or online, by 5 pm on Thursday 19th March 2015, but the best way to have your say is to comment online at the WHBC website.
We reported in February 2013 that the Secretary of State had called in Veolia’s Planning Application to build an incinerator at New Barnfield and that a Public Enquiry was to be held.
For the record, and because this website was off-air at the time, we now report that following the Public Enquiry the planning permission, previously granted, was overturned in July 2014 by the Planning Inspector acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Local Government, Eric Pickles.
So it’s over. There will be no waste incinerator in Hatfield.
In Welwyn, have you recently been irritated or disturbed by the noise of an aircraft taking off or landing at Luton Airport?
If you have, then you are certain to be interested in, and supportive of, the work being undertaken by a group of volunteers nearby who operate under the banner LADACAN which stands for Luton And District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise.
LADACAN has a very good website which will keep you up-to-date with all their latest activities and actions. Click on LADACAN now, or go to our Links Page when you have more time.
Their website presents an easy to read summary of:
What is currently happening?
Luton Airport has just completed a consultation on the introduction of a new technology called RNAV to control aircraft navigation. It is intended to keep aircraft more closely on the designated routes, though the initial trials in spring of 2013 showed that there were problems with accuracy. The results of the consultation will be announced shortly – for more details click here >>
The Noise Action Plan for Luton Airport is currently being reviewed and updated, and LADACAN is involved in the consultation. The plan – often dubbed a Noise Inaction Plan – is woefully short of real actions designed to drive down noise, and we are seeking to influence the airport operators LLAOL to give it more teeth. For more on this story and to see the LADACAN response, click here >>
The Planning Conditions which emerged as a result of the recently granted expansion planning application represent a new approach to trying to control noise, using a Quota Count system. People feel that while quota counts may incentivise the use of slightly quieter aircraft, they permit many more flights – and it is planes going overhead which annoy them. For more on this story and to see the LADACAN input, click here >>
