North Mymms News: May 2019

Council calls for comments on development proposals

Reminder sent out encouraging people to have their say

Photograph of new housing - image courtesy of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) has tweeted that people have until 5pm on Tuesday 18 June to comment on the sites that have been promoted to be included in the Local Plan. (UPDATE: comment deadline extended until 5pm on Friday 21 June)

The local green belt society held a public meeting at the United Reformed Church in Brookmans Park, on Monday 3 June to discuss the proposals, and North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) held a public meeting at 7pm on Tuesday 4 June at North Mymms Youth and Community Centre.

Representing the East of England

Image by Marco Verch released under Creative Commons

The elections for the European Parliament resulted in seven MEPs being elected to serve the East of England.

They included three Brexit Party MEPs, Richard Tice, Michael Heaver, and June Mummery, two Liberal Democrats MEPs, Barbara Gibson and Lucy Nethsingha, one Green Party MEP, Catherine Rowett, and one Conservative MEP, Geoffrey Van Orden.

House was being renovated at the time

Hertfordshire police have put out an appeal for information after a house in Moffats Lane was burgled. It happened between 5.50pm on Tuesday night 21 May and 7.30am on Wednesday morning 22 May.

“Dogs must be kept under control” signs taken down

Blue dog restriction sign - image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons

Some of the blue signs at Gobions Wood nature reserve, put up by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT), have been removed.

The signs marked the areas where, according to the HMWT, dogs must be kept under control at all times and where no professional dog walkers are allowed.

Organisers plan a “party in the park”

Brookmans Park Village Day 2019 flyer courtesy of the PTA

There’ll be the usual wide variety of games, stalls, entertainment, and prize draws at Brookmans Park Village Day this year as the school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) marks the 60th anniversary of the event. There is also hot and cold food and a licensed bar.

Proposals for an additional 3,200 dwellings

Image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net released under Creative Commons

The local green belt society has organised a public meeting to discuss proposals for 42 new or re-promoted development sites in North Mymms. If built on the land could accommodate an additional 3,200 homes in the parish. This is on top of the 621 new homes currently allocated in Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s (WHBC) Local Plan.

Two hours a fortnight “would be a great help”

Image of Brookmans Park Library courtesy of Hertfordshire County Council

The public library on Brookmans Park’s Bradmore Green is looking for volunteers who would be willing to give two hours of their time a fortnight to ensure the popular facility continues.

There are fears that the library could close if enough local helpers are not found.

Council wants plan adopted “as quickly as possible”

Image of Housebuilding by jovike released under CC BY-NC 2.0

Following the release last week of the locations of the 140+ new and re-promoted sites put forward for possible development, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) has set out the steps that it says have been agreed “to ensure that the Local Plan is adopted as quickly as possible”.

What is being fixed and what needs fixing

A gate on a Hertfordshire footpath Image by Hertfordshire Walker, released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Hertfordshire’s Countryside & Rights of Way team has released the latest update on works currently underway on the footpaths, bridleways, and byways in the parish of North Mymms. The information is emailed to this site on a regular basis by Access Projects Officer Dawn Grocock.

Service to start in autumn 2020

Image of black bin courtesy of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) has awarded its new waste collection and street cleansing contract to Urbaser Limited.

The contract will run for nine years from April 2020. From autumn 2020 two new services will be added including a weekly food waste collection and a weekly collection for small electrical items, textiles and household batteries.

Your time-limited chance to comment on local proposals

Update: Deadline for comments now 9am on Monday 24 June

Bricklaying - screengrab taken from a You Tube video

42 new and re-promoted North Mymms sites that could be developed to accommodate more than 3,200 new homes have been revealed. They were put forward earlier this year when Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council made a fresh call for sites after the independent inspector ruled that the current Draft Plan didn’t meet the local housing requirement. All are in the green belt.

Part of work to remove metaldehyde from water supply

Work being carried out alongside Warrengate Road
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

A new pipeline connecting the North Mymms water treatment works to the mains supply is being put in place.

Once connected it will carry water to recently installed equipment at the Warrengate Road site designed to take metaldehyde - a chemical used to kill slugs - out of the North Mymms supply.

Hardcore moved to side of Gobions Pond path

Rubble removed from Gobions Open Space car park

Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Two large mounds of rubble that were deposited in the car park at Gobions Open Space two weeks ago have been moved, freeing up parking spots at the parish council owned car park. The building material is now either side of one of the access paths to Gobions Pond.

Welwyn Hatfield Council with no overall control

Polling station at the North Mymms Memorial Hall in Welham Green
Image courtesy of Welham Green Facebook page

Thursday’s Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council local elections saw the Liberal Democrats gain four seats with the Conservatives and Labour both down by two.

The Conservative candidate was elected in Brookmans Park and Little Heath ward. The Liberal Democrat candidate was elected in Welham Green and Hatfield South ward.

Council worker who spoke to owner called “real jobsworth”

Gobions play area in Gobions Open Space
Image by North Mymms News released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The grounds team working for North Mymms Parish Council (NMPC) is filling in the gaps under the two gates leading to the Gobions play area in order to prevent dogs getting in.

It follows an incident when a woman with a dog was spotted in the play area by a NMPC member of staff.