Draft District Plan

What do you think about the quality and pace of housing development in Ware?
Ian
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu 21 Nov 2013 10:39 am

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Ian »

I know complaints have been made to councillor Mike Carver and also to MP Mark Prisk so it will do no harm to write to them. We also have not received the consultation document but I have kept up with the website so at least I know about it all and I attended the public meeting.

I also commented on the original plan in 2010 and can assure you that after the initial consultation there have been no changes in the plan for North and East Ware, I suspect because there we so few comments from residents. I'm sure all the developers have made sure they have responded though!

My personal view is that expansion in Ware is not justified, EHDC have predicted a rise in population of 23% yet Ware is expanding by 38%, way more than our fair share. The latest government figures shown here: http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06077.pdf show that since 2010 there has been a reduction in net migration from 250,000 to 180,000 which hasn't been built into the plan.
mb1
Posts: 509
Joined: Mon 15 Oct 2007 12:00 am
Location: Ware

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by mb1 »

Don't forget today is the last to object to the ridiculous vandalism of Ware proposed in the draft district plan. I've just submitted my objection.
Ian
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu 21 Nov 2013 10:39 am

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Ian »

Out of interest, reading through the responses online, there are very few from Ware, so as one comments says "the EH District Plan will be met with a virtually a total lack of participation leaving East Herts with a clear unobstructed plan to botch local planning and the reduction of Green Belt totally unopposed!" Sad but true I fear.

Also noted is this comment: "Thank you for consulting Anglian Water on the East Herts Draft District Plan Preferred Options Consultation. Anglian Water does not provide water or wastewater services to the East Herts catchment. Therefore we have no comments to make." So clearly East Herts are inviting comment from big businesses who have no interest in Ware, but can't be bothered to distribute leaflets to residents affected by the plans.

The council should really be kicked out at the next election as they are clearly not competent to run our district. :(
Wareite1969
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu 03 Nov 2011 12:00 am

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Wareite1969 »

May be a conspiracy theory but if Ware residents were affected most by a lack of delivered leaflets would that not also lead to a lack of responses ?

The council would also still be able to claim a high percentage of people who did receive the draft if every other district household did receive theirs ?

Strange that the area affected most by the proposals has such a low response rate or is that a sign of how disinterested Ware residents have become ?

I would hate to believe either to be the case but it is very concerning and I don't believe the Council have been open or honest about the lack of information in the hands of those that need it.
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Whereaami
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue 25 Nov 2003 12:00 am
Location: Ware

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Whereaami »

Ian wrote:Out of interest, reading through the responses online, there are very few from Ware, so as one comments says "the EH District Plan will be met with a virtually a total lack of participation leaving East Herts with a clear unobstructed plan to botch local planning and the reduction of Green Belt totally unopposed!" Sad but true I fear.

Also noted is this comment: "Thank you for consulting Anglian Water on the East Herts Draft District Plan Preferred Options Consultation. Anglian Water does not provide water or wastewater services to the East Herts catchment. Therefore we have no comments to make." So clearly East Herts are inviting comment from big businesses who have no interest in Ware, but can't be bothered to distribute leaflets to residents affected by the plans.

The council should really be kicked out at the next election as they are clearly not competent to run our district. :(
Sadly they will probably be re-elected as usual, especially as the next election for town and district councils will be on the same day as the General Election. Having said that if everyone who was entitled to vote did, we might get rid of them & maybe the MP...
Ian
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu 21 Nov 2013 10:39 am

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Ian »

After the discussion about the fireworks field going under the district plan I'm going to resurrect this thread to have discussions about the plan.

I (and many others) have pointed out to the consultation that there is a lot of infrastructure that needs to be improved if Ware is to have 3000 more houses. I'm not necessarily against more building, but the drains, water supply, electic supply, roads, rail, schools, doctors, dentists and hospitals to name just a few need to be improved if this goes ahead.

Sadly, most of this has been ignored by the review, the only thing I've heard about is that the A602 between Ware and Stevenage is to be straightened out (pointless in my view and they are now saying there is a problem with the A414 in Hertford (which has been horridly busy for decades). They've also said there may be a new school. Nothing else at all :(
Scottman
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue 21 Apr 2009 12:00 am

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Scottman »

My guess is that a lot of people work with their experience, and their experience is that their opinions are misappropriated or flatly ignored by the local planners, who have bigger fish to fry in terms of getting more homes built under Government pressures. So why would anyone make the tortuous effort required to navigate the enormous quantities of verbiage that lead to the district planning process, and sustain the considerable efforts of will and time required to get heard?

My own experience is that the simplest common sense opinions are ignored or negated by fatuous responses that owe more to Utopian Planning Principles than any common sense appreciation of real life. So homes are built as urban planners would wish them to be, not as life experience actually is. The mythical family of the future will desire apartment living, or homes with limited garden space, a garage too small for any modern car (but it will count as a parking space) and teenagers and 20-30 somethings who will never drive but instead avail themselves every day and all night of the highly sustainable modes of public transport easily accessible to the people of the locality.

And, in the miasma of this Utopian Ideal, Ware (and many other towns) are blessed with new developments that one would choose to live in only out of necessity, with oppressive density of housing, limited local amenities, poor water supply and complex parking and access issues. And they wonder why social stress is increasing in this country. Duh.
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Mancunian
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu 22 Feb 2007 12:00 am
Location: Ware, Herts

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Mancunian »

Ian wrote: the only thing I've heard about is that the A602 between Ware and Stevenage is to be straightened out :(
How the hell will they do that? build a brand new road straight through everything?
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Steve
Posts: 475
Joined: Fri 08 Nov 2013 5:39 pm
Location: Hertford

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Steve »

Information about progress of the District Plan, including infrastructure and transport, can be found at:

http://www.eastherts.gov.uk/index.jsp?articleid=16102
Ian
Posts: 225
Joined: Thu 21 Nov 2013 10:39 am

Re: Draft District Plan

Post by Ian »

Mancunian wrote:
Ian wrote: the only thing I've heard about is that the A602 between Ware and Stevenage is to be straightened out :(
How the hell will they do that? build a brand new road straight through everything?
Details here: http://www.hertsdirect.org/services/tra ... 6021/spbl/
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