North Mymms News: March 2019

National EU remain petition passes six million

Local response to EU remain or leave petitions

Image: Screen grab of map on the petition parliament site at 13.30 on Sunday 31 March, 2019

As the petition to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU passed the six million mark more than 10 thousand Welwyn Hatfield constituents had added their names to the campaign.

Meanwhile another petition to leave the EU without a deal in March had gathered almost 600,000 names nationwide and almost a thousand locally.

Rotary Club to stage annual celebrations

Children from Brookmans Park Primary School at a previous Rotary event
Image courtesy of Brookmans Park Rotary Club

Brookmans Park Rotary Club has announced the date of this year’s May Day celebration. It will be held on Bradmore Green, Brookmans Park from 2pm on Saturday 4 May. All are welcome.

Collections will stop for anyone not subscribed

Refuse collection in Welwyn Hatfield
Image courtesy of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Local residents have been warned that their brown bins will not be emptied next week unless householders have subscribed to the recycling service for 2019/2020.

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) issued the warning to remind people that the old subscriptions are out of date from Monday.

Book early to reserve a table

North Mymms Youth and Community Centre is hosting another of its popular quiz nights and inviting teams of up to eight members to book early.

Tickets are £10 per person, which includes table snacks and a chicken or vegetarian supper. It’s a BYOB event with participants able to bring their own drinks and glasses.

Roll-out of new Class 717 trains underway

Exterior of a Class 717 at Gordon Hill on the Hertford North line
Image by Superalbs, released under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0

Two of the new Class 717 trains started running on services to and from Moorgate on Monday 25 March. Great Northern says the trains are part of a phased roll-out over the coming months. The process is expected to be completed later this year.

Dangerous right of way replaced

The new footbridge at the east end of Essendon footpath 2
Image courtesy of the Hertfordshire Countryside Management Service

Hertfordshire’s Countryside Management team has replaced a rotten and dangerous wooden footbridge on a local public footpath which means that walkers are now able to complete a number of popular routes.

The bridge is at the east end of Essendon footpath 2 at its junction with bridleway 26. It features on two of the rambles on our walks site, Hertfordshire Walker.

How voting looked at 3pm on Friday 22 March

Image: Screen-grab of voter response taken at 3pm on Friday 22 March

The graphic above is a screen-grab taken at 3pm on Friday 22 March

Anyone interested in seeing how local residents are responding to two national petitions to remain in or leave the EU can check the latest figures on the government website.

By 3pm on Friday 22 March, 5,417 people in Welwyn Hatfield (4.89% of 110,750 constituents) had signed the national petition to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU. So far 548 people (0.49% of constituents) had signed a petition to leave the EU without a deal.

216 in Hatfield and 253 in Potters Bar

Graphic of knife amnesty results in Hertfordshire 2019 courtesy of Hertfordshire Constabulary

Hertfordshire police say the latest knife amnesty has resulted in a record number of items being surrendered across the county. The haul includes swords, military knives, knuckle dusters, and a large number of kitchen knives.

Police and trading standards officers issue warning

Image of roof tiles © Hans Hillewaert released under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards and the county’s police say that following the recent strong winds rogue traders are going door-to-door offering to undertake unnecessary gardening and maintenance work.

Colourful dog mess litters public space

Image: Pink dog poo in Gobions Open Space, North Mymms. Image by North Mymms News, released under Creative Commons

Pink paint has been sprayed on mounds of dog mess left in Gobions Open Space. Last year, North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) decided to buy highlighting paint in an “attempt to shame residents whose pets foul our open space” after the head groundsman reported that dog mess had become “an increasing problem in all our open spaces”.

Local historian interprets the etchings in stonework

Image: Markings in the stonework at St Mary's church, North Mymms Image by Mike Allen - 2019

Markings above the entrance to the boiler room at St Mary's
Image by Mike Allen - 2019

Mystery surrounds markings etched into the stonework at St Mary’s church, North Mymms.

Could they be early graffiti, or could they be apotropaic marks, designed to ward off evil spirits and witches?

Blue, yellow and red signs inform dog owners

Signs have been erected at various entry points to Gobions Wood informing dog owners how they should manage their pets when visiting the nature reserve. The initiative by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) is due to “the delicate nature of the habitat or due to the presence of grazing animals”.

Plans for refurbishment and investment confirmed

Blocking off the car park at the Hope and Anchor, Station Road
Image courtesy of Steve Porteous

The group responsible for the Hope and Anchor in Welham Green says it’s still looking for a new tenant for the Station Road pub which closed in November.

Today contractors blocked off the pub’s car park leading to fears that the historical inn might have closed for good. This site understands the car park was closed because of concerns about drug dealing.

Authority monitoring 29 sites across the borough

Air pollution monitor - image courtesy of WHBC

Those living and working in Welwyn Hatfield can now sign up to an alert service which sends text or email notifications when the levels of air pollution in the area increase to a moderate level or above. Two sites in North Mymms are continually monitored to check air quality.

More fly-tipping dumps along Bradmore Lane

Tree and shrub waste dumped along Bradmore Lane - 11 March, 2019
Image by North Mymms News released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

There’s been another spate of fly-tipping along Bradmore Lane, this time it’s two piles of tree cuttings and other garden waste.

Do you recognise it? Could someone have been working on your garden and removed similar waste? And did you know that home owners have a duty of care to check that anything removed from their property is disposed of legally?

Deposit points for anonymous surrender of Knives

Image of knives by Jim Case, released under Creative Commons BY- 2.0

Hertfordshire Constabulary is joining police forces across the country in Operation Sceptre, a national knife amnesty and week of action that will run between Monday March 11 and Sunday March 17. The amnesty supports the national campaign to reduce the number of knives in circulation.

65 entirely new sites and 78 re-promoted sites

Previously promoted development site BrP6 in Brookmans Park
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons

The council committee responsible in part for the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan has voted to delay the consultation period on any new development sites in the borough until after the May 2019 local elections.

An independent inspector had earlier indicated that the Local Plan did not meet the “objectively assessed” need for housing.

Chance to talk about local policing issues

Image of bike security marking by Hertfordshire police - image courtesy of Herts Constabulary

Officers from the Welwyn Hatfield South Safer Neighbourhood Team are hosting a surgery on Saturday, 9 March, at North Mymms Memorial Hall, Station Road, Welham Green, AL9 7PG. The event, from 10am to 12pm is an opportunity for local residents to speak to officers face-to-face.

Meetings aim to help tackle loneliness and social isolation

Image: The Welham Green Friendship Group image courtesy of Welwyn Hatfield Council

A recent meeting of the Welham Green Friendship Group
Guest speaker Zoe Warring to the left of Cllr Caliskan
Image courtesy of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Do you know of anyone who might be lonely and feeling isolated? Perhaps you have a neighbour who is in need of companionship? If so there is a local social group for those who want to meet new friends.

Applications must be in by 4 April for election on 2 May

North Mymms Parish Councillors March 2019 Top: Howard Weintrob, William Storey, Jacqui Boulton, Tony Ginsberg, Tony Green Bottom: Stephen Boulton, Mia Americanos-Molinaro, Linda Saffer, James Bentall, Teresa Travell Images courtesy of North Mymms Parish Council

North Mymms Parish Councillors March 2019
Top row left to right: Howard Weintrob, William Storey, Jacqui Boulton
Tony Ginsberg, Tony Green. Bottom row left to right: Stephen Boulton,
Mia Americanos-Molinaro, Linda Saffer, James Bentall, Teresa Travell
Images courtesy of North Mymms Parish Council

North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) is inviting local residents to put their names forward to serve as councillors in the forthcoming elections. You will need to fill out a form and find a proposer and a seconder.

Activities on offer for all age groups

Umpires and players at North Mymms Cricket Club - August 5, 2018
Image courtesy of North Mymms Cricket Club

Can you bowl, bat, or catch a ball? And do you fancy some regular exercise in the fresh air? If so, North Mymms Cricket Club would like to hear from you.

With the cricket season approaching the club is throwing its doors open to new players of almost all ages, from the juniors aged five to 16 through to the seniors.

Prescriptions, appointments, and medical records

Potterells Medical Centre, Station Road, North Mymms

Those with online access can now make use of a number of digital services provided by Potterells Medical Centre. Registered patients can now request or change appointments, order prescriptions, or check their medical records at the click of a mouse.