Winter weather service updates

St Albans District Council are now offering up to date information on expected winter weather and what to do.

The new web page will updated as soon as new information is available and can be found at the web address below.

http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/advice-and-benefits/winter/default.aspx

Rob Prowse says,”This is a great new initiative and I hope that it really proves to be of use to residents and visitors alike”

Longacres Play Area

The Longacres play area has finally been finished, but not to the original specification. Some benches are missing that give it an unbalanced feel. Anthony Rowlands was continually pressing the District Council to get this done as they had promised it to residents months ago.

‘I have approached the District Council and suggested they apply for some of the locality budget funds to enable the missing benches etc to be installed. When I went down at the weekend it was quite busy – despite the cold weather. Let’s hope it continues to be a real benefit for years to come”

Tory plan to build on Greenbelt thwarted.

St Albans District Council voted on Thursday to throw out at the Tory plans to build up to 350 houses on the Oaklands grounds. The plan, part of the Strategic Local Plan also included other sites in the south of the district such as Harperbury and the BDRC at Bricket Wood.
Of course there were no identified sites in the north of the district – a bit too close to the Harpenden Conservatives on the Cabinet that run the council.
The Council has now forced the Cabinet to review all sites in the greenbelt and not to come up with sites behind closed doors making sure there is no consultation with the public.

We will need to be on our guard that the Torys don’t bring this back to Council in January in an attempt to reverse the decision

Westminster Lodge pool closed

Commenting on the closure of Westminster Lodge Swimming Pools, Cllr Anthony Rowlands, Lib Dem Leisure Spokesperson said:

‘It is embarrassing and worrying that it has been necessary to close the pool facilities less than a fortnight after they were opened. Residents contacted me immediately with their concerns. Officers tell me that there were safety concerns as the floor areas around the pools had become slippery. Whilst it is clearly correct to close the facility until the problem is solved, this episode raises all sorts of questions about why such an obvious and fundamental matter had not been dealt with before the pool were opened. I shall be presenting a series of questions to next Wednesday’s Full Council meeting for the Conservative administration to answer. Communication with the public has also been poor: the pool was closed at 4.30pm on Thursday. Nothing appeared on the Westminster Lodge website until Friday morning.’

Commenting on the closure of Westminster Lodge Swimming Pools, Cllr Anthony Rowlands, Lib Dem Leisure Spokesperson said:

‘It is embarrassing and worrying that it has been necessary to close the pool facilities less than a fortnight after they were opened. Residents contacted me immediately with their concerns. Officers tell me that there were safety concerns as the floor areas around the pools had become slippery. Whilst it is clearly correct to close the facility until the problem is solved, this episode raises all sorts of questions about why such an obvious and fundamental matter had not been dealt with before the pool were opened. I shall be presenting a series of questions to next Wednesday’s Full Council meeting for the Conservative administration to answer. Communication with the public has also been poor: the pool was closed at 4.30pm on Thursday. Nothing appeared on the Westminster Lodge website until Friday morning.’

Camp Road Play Area

The District Council have gone ahead and started work on the Camp Road playground without consulting local residents or local councillors. In 2011 the works were put on hold due to objections from local residents. Now without further communication the works have been restarted.

Rob has asked some questions and is waiting for a response.

The council press release is below.

Camp Open Space

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Young Children's Area

Improvements to Camp Open Space: 22/10/12 to 02/11/12

The image above shows the exisiting children’s play area in Camp Open Space, which has suffered from vandalism. In 2010/11 the local community was invited to feed into a consultation with a view to making improvements to Camp Open Space. The Council has taken people’s views on board, including additional feedback that was received after the consultation period had closed (resulting in a decision to postpone an installation, originally planned for August 2011).
An improved vision for the space, which aims to reflect the needs of the local community and enhance the recreational value of Camp Open Space, is to be installed between 22nd October and 2nd November 2012.

In response to a wide range of feedback, the existing play area is to be removed. The following items will be installed on the opposite side of the space:

A new play area designed specifically for under 12s, located by the back gate to Camp School. It will contain:
•A multi activity unit, including a climbing frame and slide
•A seesaw
•A roundabout

In addition to the under 12s area, the following will be installed:
•A cantilever nest swing
•A basketball area
•Two new football goals with solid steel nets (oriented north / south of space)
•Two new refuse and recycling bins
•A covered bench
•A further two park benches
•The bench from the existing play area will also remain

The Council would like to take the opportunity to thank the local commmunity for participating in the consultation and hope that residents will continue to enjoy using the space.

For more information please email ricky.manning@stalbans.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can write to:
Ricky Manning, Community Services, St Albans City and District Council, Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans AL1 3JE.

Have your say in Local Democracy Week (15-21 October 2012)

A host of activities are being held in Local Democracy Week giving you the opportunity to ask questions, feel heard and understand how decisions are made.

As part of this national event, you can increase your knowledge and understanding of local democracy at events across St Albans City and District.

The week of initiatives will run from 15 to 21 October 2012 and are aimed at involving everyone in the community, young and old.

The programme includes:

  • A series of Question Panel events. Pupils from six local schools will quiz councillors from St Albans City and District Council on a wide range of topics covering local and national issues.
  • An ‘Any Questions’ event on 19 October at 7pm in the Council Chamber at the Council’s offices in the Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans. A panel comprising District councillors and representatives from older and younger communities will answer questions around key themes. You can submit questions ahead of the event by emailing nicky.flynn@stalbans.gov.uk. The event will be broadcast by Radio Verulam and free tickets can be booked at the Reception Desk at the Council Offices or at http://anyquestionsldw.eventbrite.com/.
  • A Democracy Wall of ideas. A-level Citizenship Students from Oaklands College will be asking people what they would do if they were Councillor or Mayor for a day. The comments will then be added to a display board. One event will be held at Sainsbury’s in Harpenden on Tuesday 16 October, from 12 to 2pm. Another will follow at St Albans Market on Wednesday 17 October, from 10 to 2pm. The Democracy Wall will be displayed at the Any Questions event on 19 October.
  • The prize winner of a Meet the Mayor Competition for primary schools will take tea with the Mayor in the Mayor’s Parlour. Pupils were asked to draw a picture showing what they would do if they were Prime Minister for the day. The Mayor selected her favourite entry created by Yena Choi of Grove Junior School. She wins tea with the Mayor and a book token. Runner-up Harry Field of St Helen’s School will also receive a book token.

These initiatives form part of the Council’s Getting Involved programme which aims to engage and encourage local people to take part in projects that promote active citizenship. The projects are aimed at developing people’s skills, confidence and opportunities so that they can take a more active role in the community.

Road closures in the area

The County Council have published a notice of some road closures in Cunningham & Ashley. The parked cars will need to be moved to allow gully maintenance etc. whilst the road is clear of traffic.

HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

TEMPORARY CLOSING OF VARIOUS ROADS IN ST ALBANS

NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using the following lengths of roads, except for access:-

1. that length of Colindale Avenue, St Albans from its junction with A1081 London Road north eastwards, north westwards and north eastwards to its junction with Orchard Close, a distance of approximately 272 metres.

2. that length of Kenton Gardens, St Albans from its junction with Colindale Avenue north westwards for its entire length.

3. that length of Hordle Gardens, St Albans from its junction with Colindale Avenue south eastwards for its entire length.

4. that length of Orchard Close, St Albans from its junction with Colindale Avenue south eastwards and north westwards for its entire length.

5. that length of Beresford Road, St Albans from its junction with Camp Road northwards to its junction with Cambridge Road, a distance of approximately 275 metres.

6. that length of Grasmere Road, St Albans from its junction with Cell Barnes Lane north eastwards to its junction with Thirlmere Drive, a distance of approximately 130 metres.

7. that length of Hedley Road, St Albans from its junction with Sutton Road south eastwards to its junction with Ashley Road, a distance of approximately 400 metres.

The sections of roads will each be closed between the hours of 7.30am and 7.30pm (Mondays to Fridays inclusive) sometime during the period 22 October 2012 and 19 October 2013, when signs are in place. Alternative signed routes will be provided for traffic whilst the road closures are in place.

If you have any queries about the highway maintenance works or the temporary road closures, please contact Theo Scheepers tel. 0300 123 4047 at Hertfordshire County Council.

Opportunity to scrutinise Strategic Local Plan

Documents setting out the proposed housing target and long-term planning policy for St Albans District will be discussed by the Local Services Scrutiny Committee on 27 September.

St Albans

A number of draft planning documents have been published on St Albans City and District Council’s website.
 
They include:
• the draft housing target for the District over the next 17 years, and
• the draft Strategic Local Plan. Once adopted, this document will set out strategic planning policy in the District, including a framework for infrastructure and development policy, up until 2028. The Plan will partially replace the 1994 Local Plan on which planning policy is currently based.
The Council is currently seeking comments from councillors and members of the public on the emphasis and clarity of the documents and whether they are legally ‘sound‘. 
Public meetings are being held on 19 and 24 September at 7pm in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans.
As part of this process, the Council’s Local Services Scrutiny Committee will consider the draft documents at their meeting on 27 September. Cabinet will also consider the documents at a meeting on 18 October and make recommendations on the draft Strategic Local Plan to Full Council which meets in November.
Once this process has been completed, the Council will publish the proposed documents late December. It will then submit them to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for examination in Spring next year.
Councillor Robert Donald, Chair of the Local Services Scrutiny Committee, said: “We can finally see the finishing line in this long-running planning marathon to produce a new strategic local plan for the District. This is the most important plan the Council produces barring only the Community Strategy. The Plan, comprising several documents, such as the proposed housing totals, belongs however to all of us who are residents in St Albans City and District. It sets out the long-term vision for our area and will determine how our District grows, our environment is sustained and our infrastructure is developed to cope with any additional housing over the next 20 years. The local plan has been developed following four previous major public consultations over the last few years. This will be one of the last opportunities for the public to comment on the final documents before they are submitted to the Secretary of State for examination next Spring. 
“Members of the public are warmly invited therefore to attend our meeting on 27 September and can contact the Scrutiny Support Officer Catherine Comfort for more details on 01727 819529 or by email at scrutiny@stalbans.gov.uk. Comments can be sent to Chris Briggs, Spatial Planning Manager for Planning, at slp@stalbans.gov.uk by 1 November on the Plans’ emphasis, clarity and legal soundness. Don’t miss your opportunity to have a say.”
It is expected that the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy, which currently sets out planning strategy for the District, will be revoked in Spring 2013. Submitting the Council’s Strategic Local Plan to the Secretary of State for examination in the spring will ensure that strategic policies are in place to replace those lost in the regional spatial strategy.
The meeting on 27 September is open to the public and will take place in the Council Chamber at the Council’s offices from 7pm. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, you can view a webcast of the meeting live or at a later date on the Council’s website. 
The agenda for the meeting is available on the Council’s website.

Nelson Avenue Footway

The footway at the north side of  Nelson Avenue near Cell Barnes Lane has been replaced with tarmac to make it safe. Rob has already agreed that the work to replace the pavement will continue next year so that all of the Nelson Avenue footway is safe. This is part of the local budget that Rob is using to make improvements to the area.