1500 new homes for Ware

What do you think about the quality and pace of housing development in Ware?
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Scottman
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue 21 Apr 2009 12:00 am

1500 new homes for Ware

Post by Scottman »

Just fallen across a Facebook group

Save Ware's greenbelt - against 1500 new homes

which is saying that the development plans for the crescent of countryside from A10/Mole Farm in the north round to Widford Road to the south east are up for discussion.
ie all the land behind Wodson Park, Heath Drive, Kingsway, Fanhams, Trinity, Cozens etc - a huge swathe.

There's a public meeting due by East Herts Council.

Anyone aware of this latest move?
Ian
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Joined: Thu 21 Nov 2013 10:39 am

Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by Ian »

This isn't new Scottman, it's the district plan proposal that has been in place for literally years and people have had plenty of opportunity to feedback to the council with two long consultation periods both of which were discussed here and elsewhere.

While it's always worth taking advantage of the chance to let the council know what your feelings are it may well be too late to do so at this stage
Scottman
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Joined: Tue 21 Apr 2009 12:00 am

Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by Scottman »

I realise this isn't new - was just warning people to raise their voices at this stage if they don't want Ware flooded with 20% more housing and 0% more facilities, through roads and effective transport links.
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Steve
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Location: Hertford

Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by Steve »

This isn't a public consultation on the plans per se. Nor is it being conducted by the District Council.

It is an "Examination In Public" being conducted by the Planning Inspectorate to determine if the District Plan is fit for purpose. It's basically the [final] Government approval stage.

https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/districtplanexamination
jbond
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Location: Ware

Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by jbond »

Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1970754646499778/
Open air Meeting: Sun 5th Nov, 2pm, Kingsway entrance to the firework fields.
EHDC open hearing: Wed 8th Nov, 2pm, East Herts Council, Council Chamber, Wallfields, Pegs Lane, Hertford, SG13 8EQ
https://www.eastherts.gov.uk/districtplanexamination
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Steve
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Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by Steve »

The District Plan has been four years in the making and here has been four months of public consultation in 2014 and 2016. Why is it now that this group has started? An expression about stable doors and horses springs to mind. Planning is a complex issue and unfortunately many people struggle to understand how the system works. Furthermore, many people walk around with their eyes shut and have little idea what's going on around them. IMHO. Obviously that doesn't include people who show an ongoing interest in their community by following forums such as Ware Online!
jbond
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Location: Ware

Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by jbond »

Now it has finally come to the resident's attention, there's a consistent story being told by people that either 1) They knew nothing about it. Or 2) it was so fantastical they didn't really believe anything would happen. This forum has gone very quiet. And EHDC haven't gone out of their way to publicise the process. So I'm really not surprised.

Whether it's too late or not, there's still some time to pass and actions that have to take place before the bulldozers appear.
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Steve
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Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by Steve »

jbond wrote:Now it has finally come to the resident's attention, there's a consistent story being told by people that either 1) They knew nothing about it. Or 2) it was so fantastical they didn't really believe anything would happen. This forum has gone very quiet. And EHDC haven't gone out of their way to publicise the process. So I'm really not surprised.

Whether it's too late or not, there's still some time to pass and actions that have to take place before the bulldozers appear.
Both consultations were covered in the local press and on local radio. Every household receives the District Council's LINK magazine, which included details. If people didn't know about it, it's probably not the council's fault. When you combine that with a general lack of knowledge about how the planning system works, you end up with this situation.

Many of the discussions on the Facebook group seem to oppose building on Green Belt land. That is not what is being proposed. The District Plan is taking land out of the Green Belt and allocating it as housing land. It's then up to the owners or developers to submit a planning application (on land that is no longer Green Belt).
jbond
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Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by jbond »

Many of the discussions on the Facebook group seem to oppose building on Green Belt land. That is not what is being proposed. The District Plan is taking land out of the Green Belt and allocating it as housing land. It's then up to the owners or developers to submit a planning application (on land that is no longer Green Belt).
That's a fairly amazing bit of sophistry. It may be technically accurate but that's not at all how it is presented in the EHDC plan. The discussion is absolutely about the location of 200-3000 houses and the decision to locate those houses on what is currently Green Belt land. And the way that has been narrowed down to 1000+500 The same goes for Gilston. I presume you've read the proposed plan and the sections on Green Belt and Ware. Along with the Ptarmigan Land submission to the inspector's hearings. In any case, the major complaint from the group is the area scheduled for removal of the green belt. Because once it's no longer green belt it *will* be built on.

As for LINK, are you kidding? It goes straight in the bin. The leaflets were NOT delivered to every household. Even within the last 2 years people have bought property on the edge of town and the proposed plan has not turned up in searches. Within the lifetime of the proposed plan development people have been told "This will always be fields, they can't build on it because it's green belt.".

But. However we arrived here, we are where we are. There's real momentum now in opposition. The EHDC plan is not yet approved and there are several consultation processes still to be completed before anyone breaks ground.
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Steve
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Re: 1500 new homes for Ware

Post by Steve »

jbond wrote:The EHDC plan is not yet approved and there are several consultation processes still to be completed before anyone breaks ground.
The final "consultation" was the Examination In Public, which has just finished.

The Planning Inspector will publish his views before the end of the year. If approved by the government it will be adopted next year (2018).
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