Welwyn Hatfield 2021

This is a consultation document for Hatfi eld’s draft Sustainable Corporate and Community Plan.

It is now open for public consultation until 31 January 2009

Please submit your comments to: • Paul Underwood at [email protected] or 01707 357220

CONTENTS:

Subject Page

Foreword 2 The Borough’s Sustainable Corporate and Community Plan 2 - How it all fi ts together 2 - How the draft plan has come together 3 - The Sustainable Communities Act 3 - A draft vision for Welwyn Hatfi eld 2021 3 - Challenges and opportunities 3 - The Welwyn Hatfi eld Area 4 Safer and Stronger Communities 5 Sustainable Development 6 Affordable Housing and Quality Neighbourhoods 7 Health and Well Being 8 Jobs, Prosperity and Skills 9 Inclusive Communities 10 Sustainability – what it means to us 11 Ways to let us know what you think 12 Foreword 2

By John Dean, Chairman of the Welwyn Hatfi eld Alliance and Leader of the Council, and Michel Saminaden, Chief Executive of the Council

The provision of high quality services is a priority for Welwyn Hatfi eld Council and our many partners in the Welwyn Hatfi eld Alliance. These range from housing and leisure services to those we and our partners are required to provide, such as refuse collection, recycling and planning services, policing, health services, children’s services, older people’s services and education.

The Alliance aims to improve the way that local services are planned and delivered. It helps local agencies and others to focus on improving the quality of life and leadership in a locality. The Alliance has minimal resources of its own and relies on negotiations and pooling of resources between partners.

We all want Welwyn Hatfi eld to be a safe, pleasant and well planned borough, where people can prosper, participate in community life and enjoy good health, and where our communities meet the needs of local people today as well as future generations. Our aspiration is for a borough that is environmentally sensitive, vibrant, built to a high standard and fair for everyone. A place where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

This consultation document sets out the big strategic challenges we face and the main opportunities we share between now and 2021. By combining our corporate and community priorities into a single joint plan we have set out a clear commitment to meet jointly the needs and issues that you tell us are important. We believe this co-ordinated approach has led to greater clarity about the things that matter most to you and will lead to better local services.

The purpose of setting up this engagement programme is so that partners, the people of Welwyn Hatfi eld, and businesses can let us know what they think needs to be done to promote the sustainability of the area. We believe we will succeed if we work together, agree and hold to a clear sense of direction, and have a determination to make a difference for existing communities and future generations.

The Borough’s Sustainable Corporate and Community Plan

Work on this plan began in May 2007. At that time An overarching vision for we took our Community Strategy and the Council’s the area Corporate Plan into a single planning framework. We recognised that despite many agency specifi c ‘plans’ there is only one Welwyn Hatfi eld, with many partners, each contributing to the overall local quality of life Shared long term objectives to 2021 of the borough. We are on course to complete, by May 2009, the plan’s transition into the Sustainable Corporate and Community Plan. Agency specific corporate plans – council, police, primary care trust, university etc

How it all fi ts together The above framework allows each Alliance agency to continue developing their own corporate programme specifi c to their own area of work, within This consultation document sets out a simple high an overarching set of agreed, sustainable, long term level framework within which all Alliance partners and objectives for the Welwyn Hatfi eld area. For example the borough council can work: the Council’s own Corporate Plan, reviewed during 2008, has been structured around fi ve themes which has allowed many council teams to contribute towards the sustainable long term objectives for the area. 3

How the draft plan has come together ideas to improve local sustainability. Those selected will be submitted to government in Summer 2009. A very wide range of plans and strategies have informed this draft Sustainable Corporate and Community Plan. As well as listening to residents and A (draft) vision for Welwyn Hatfi eld 2021 partners evidence has been drawn from many sources. By 2021 Welwyn Hatfi eld will be a vibrant and culturally During the summer and autumn of 2007 and 2008 rich place, where people want to live and work. we completed a wide-ranging community engagement Everyone will have access to decent housing and enjoy programme to gather feedback across many issues of a high quality of life within healthy, safe and inclusive high importance to residents. This included workshops communities and neighbourhoods; where people have on specifi c topics, attendance at local events with a the opportunity to benefi t from growing prosperity, high footfall, Alliance workshops with many partners while also reducing their impact on the environment. such as health services and the police, a survey with our The borough’s settlements will retain their distinctive local Borough Panel and Council managers, Councillor character and in response to housing growth we will surveys and surgeries, engagement work on the Local have strengthened our town centres, reinforced existing Development Framework, work with our Youth Council neighbourhoods and created new ones. and focus groups on our local area vision.

In February 2008 we completed a further consultation Challenges and opportunities programme with Alliance partners to identify and agree what matters and what matters most in Welwyn Hatfi eld, Work so far has begun to identify some of the main in relation to the Herts 2021 Plan. This has ensured challenges and opportunities we face, across six key the draft Welwyn Hatfi eld Sustainable Corporate and issues between now and 2021, to realise our vision: Community Plan is fully aligned to the

Forward framework and Local Area Agreements, as well as residents and local partners’ aspirations for the area. • Safer and stronger communities • Sustainable development To succeed we will need to tackle the complex • Affordable housing and quality neighbourhoods issues Welwyn Hatfield faces over the next decade • Health and well being or so, seeking to meet our aspirations for a safe, • Jobs, prosperity and skills prosperous, healthy and just society that lives • Inclusive communities within its environmental limits. This consultative programme seeks to strengthen the role of We will need to shape and agree our draft vision and communities and partners in deciding what needs agree, fi nalise and prioritise our long term objectives to be done, through constructive dialogue and and short term actions to deliver it. We will then debate. This will help us understand the necessary publish the Sustainable Joint Plan in May 2009. trade-offs and make engagement part of the decision-making process itself. Residents and partners have started to This draft Sustainable Corporate and Community Plan identify some of our main challenges: is open to consultation until the end of January 2009. Once fi nalised, the draft long term objectives and short • Serious acquisitive crime linked to drugs markets term actions will be converted into measurable targets. • Tackling the climate change agenda • The impact of housing growth on the local environment and infrastructure The Sustainable Communities Act • Levels of teenage pregnancy and smoking • The number of over 16’s not in employment, The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 asks local councils to give their residents more control over education or training improving their community. We are using the • Pockets of social and economic deprivation despite engagement process set out on page 12 to generate overall affl uence 4

And some of our main opportunities: The two towns are approximately 5 kilometres apart and accommodate over 80 per cent of the Borough’s • Building safe, sustainable communities and population between them. Outside the two main neighbourhoods settlements, Welwyn Hatfi eld boasts many distinctive • Managing natural resources for future generations villages and other vibrant rural communities set in rolling countryside and wooded areas. • Delivering housing growth within mixed sustainable communities Major businesses and employers with signifi cant • Improving health, well being and access to operations sited in the Borough currently include healthcare for all T-Mobile, the University of Hertfordshire and • Increasing the number of unskilled jobs available Oaklands College. As well as attracting inward locally investment and providing local employment • Helping older people maintain their independence opportunities, they add considerably to the money spent on local goods and services.

The Welwyn Hatfi eld Area Welwyn Hatfield covers a total area of just under 130 square kilometres, with its southern sections Welwyn Hatfi eld is a unique blend of old and new, currently covered by the metropolitan Green Belt town and country, 35 kilometres north of London in around Greater London. The Borough is highly mid-Hertfordshire. Comprising two new towns (one of accessible by both road and rail. Motorway which is a Garden City), and surrounding Parishes, the connections are good with the A1(M) passing Borough is a mix of well-planned urban and unspoiled through the Borough north-south and linking with rural areas. the M25 to the south. The main east coast railway line runs through the Borough from London to the north east of England and on in to Scotland.

Population estimates indicate that the total population of the Borough now exceeds 105,000 people. This makes Welwyn Hatfield the fifth most populous local authority in Hertfordshire living in a total housing stock of just over 44,000 at the end of March 2007. Around 25 per cent of the population are aged 19 or under, and a further 22 per cent are aged 60 or over. The average age of the population was 38.8 years in 2001. We have a resident White population of 93.7 per cent, with South Asian and African-Caribbean ethnic groups accounting for a further 3.7 per cent of the population at the 2001 Census. Early projections based on current housing growth indicate a population around 128,000 living in well over 50,000 households in 2021.

Welwyn Garden City is internationally acclaimed as a Over 90 per cent of the population rated their overall classic example of early town and country planning, health as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ at the time of the based on the vision of social reformer Sir Ebenezer last Census, and 62 per cent of all people aged 16-74 Howard. It was designated a new town in 1948. classifi ed themselves as economically active at that Hatfi eld was also designated as a modern new town time. Life expectancy in Welwyn Hatfi eld was recorded in 1948, based around the aircraft industry and sited as above the England average at 78.3 years for males close to its more historic settlement. Hatfi eld has and 82.7 years for females in 2001. undergone major redevelopment in recent years as new businesses, and the expansion of the University of Hertfordshire, have replaced previous industries. Safer and Stronger Communities 5

Overall Welwyn Hatfield is a safe place to live, with one of the lowest crime rates in the country and Long Term Objectives 2009 – 2021 community safety is vital for the future well being of Welwyn Hatfield. The biggest contribution o Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in our to reducing crime is to have strong supportive neighbourhoods and town centres communities where trust and mutual respect prevail. o Improve people’s confi dence and feelings of Everyone – agencies, communities and residents being safe – must play their part in preventing and reducing the opportunities and temptation to get involved in o Promote community cohesion, local identity crime and disorder, to strengthen people’s resilience and civic pride to it, and to reduce the effect of criminal behaviour o Reduce the devastating effects of fi re on on individuals and communities. communities, residents and their property

However we also face a number of challenges. Short Term Actions 2009 – 2012 Perceptions of crime, fear of crime, anti-social behaviour and drug dealing are higher than would o Tackle alcohol-related disorder be expected given the relatively safe nature of the o Improve the service for victims of domestic violence borough. Low level crime such as vandalism and graffi ti leave many people feeling unsafe while o Protect vulnerable people anti-social behaviour in our communities including o Protect victims of sexual offences that related to alcohol is also a strong concern for some of our residents.

We want everyone in Welwyn Hatfield to be and feel safe. One of the highest priorities of all for the Alliance is to work with schools, youth organisations, the police, drug action teams and others (such as health agencies, the University and the County Council) to educate people about the consequences of crime, to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and nuisance. Overall recorded crime in Welwyn Hatfield is significantly reducing – 28 per cent down between 2003/4 and 2007/8.

The local Community Safety Partnership has acted together over recent years to deter, catch and punish those who perpetrate crime in the borough. Pockets of anti-social behaviour and burglary from people’s homes remain higher than we would like, and we will continue to focus on tackling them.

We know that anti-social behaviour can make life a misery and makes people feel vulnerable to more serious crime. It is a complex problem with no easy solutions. We will encourage our local communities to work with us in preventing and solving problems in their neighbourhood, telling us what is acceptable and working towards respect for those common values. Sustainable Development 6

Welwyn Hatfield is home to over 105,000 people, elsewhere this will put great pressure on some of with over 80 per cent living in urban areas. We are our infrastructure, services and the environment if it unique in that we are the only borough nationally is not planned in a sustainable way. Residents who containing two new towns. Welwyn Garden City live in rural areas are remote from some key services was planned and built according to the vision and without a car. If we are to reduce reliance on the principles of social pioneer Sir Ebenezer Howard, car, a step change is needed to public transport and is known throughout the world as one of the provision, quality, quantity and patronage and other finest examples of modern town planning and services in rural areas. landscaping. Hatfield developed as a modern new town around the aircraft industry. Following the The rising cost of waste management and statutory closure of British Aerospace this part of Hatfield has carbon reduction targets are challenges which are undergone major regeneration and redevelopment. with us now. Climate change projections will also The University of Hertfordshire is based at Hatfield impact on the way we provide our services and and their new de Havilland Campus opened on the sustain the local economy. former aerodrome site in 2003.

Our priority is to make sure that the environment of Long Term Objectives 2009 – 2021 the borough is protected, improved and nurtured for future generations. The borough is steeped in history o Ensure sustainability principles are central to future since Roman times and stretches from Woolmer Green planning and decision making in Welwyn Hatfi eld in the north to Little Heath on the edge of Potters o Ensure new development provides a sustainable, Bar. There are residential settlements in the north well designed living environment supported by at Welwyn, Digswell, Oaklands and , and in the south at Welham Green, Brookmans Park physical, social and green infrastructure and Cuffl ey. Elsewhere set into the countryside and o Protect and enhance the landscape, water wooded areas are the villages of Essendon, Northaw resources, historic and environmental assets and Newgate Street and the tiny Parishes of Ayot St o Promote use of renewable and low carbon Lawrence and Ayot St Peter. energy sources o Plan for a shift in travel away from car use towards Considering the Borough is so close to the centre public transport, walking and cycling of London it is an asset to the area that so much of it is rural. Landowners such as the Gascoyne Cecil Estate and at Brocket Hall maintain historic Short Term Actions 2009 – 2012 parklands and farmland across the District that combine with extensive woodlands to give a varied o Work with partners to reduce their carbon footprint landscape. The Council owns and manages land o Make household recycling and re-use easier for all that contributes to this at , o Increase waste awareness within the local community and Danesbury Park. Most of o Build understanding of our local history and heritage our rural areas are currently protected by Green Belt designation.

There are challenges however. Local character and uniqueness, which attracts many people to live and work in the area, is potentially under threat from changes in society which may lead to growing coalescence between currently distinct communities. It is increasingly important to safeguard those elements we value most in the face of rising pressure for change.

The East of England Plan requires that a further 10,000 new homes are provided in Welwyn Hatfield from 2001 to 2021. Together with housing growth Affordable Housing and Quality Neighbourhoods 7

Welwyn Hatfield is an attractive place to live We will keep under review all options for the future and work, and consequently house prices are management and investment in our homes, and we considerably higher than the national average. will encourage increasing community involvement in We experienced a 151 per cent increase in the the management and delivery of our housing service. average property price from December 1996 to We aim to continue to improve our housing service so December 2006, rising from £103,130 to £258,610. that it becomes recognised by tenants and others as While current financial turbulence is seeing prices an excellent service in terms of both its quality and its fall the non-availability of borrowing is restricting ability to deliver high value for money. access to the market.

Welwyn Hatfield Council’s housing service, like Long Term Objectives 2009 – 2021 the rest of Hertfordshire, receives more housing applications than it has vacancies arising from o Deliver all new affordable homes within mixed its housing stock. sustainable communities o Ensure all new housing is safe, supports community Although housing affordability is a national issue, cohesion, and is compatible with today’s lifestyles high property prices in this area make it diffi cult to encourage ‘key workers’ to settle here (such as o Develop housing social care and support services teachers, social workers and fi re fi ghters). High o Improve private sector housing standards prices also make it diffi cult for young people to move into their own accommodation, potentially to the Short Term Actions 2009 – 2012 detriment of young families. Many people in high housing need are forced to look outside Welwyn o Deliver a minimum 30 per cent affordable Hatfi eld, and often outside Hertfordshire, to fi nd an housing on eligible sites affordable home and then commute relatively long o Encourage housing associations to create distances to work. sustainable communities with properties built Over 10,000 new homes are planned for Welwyn to lifetime homes standards Hatfi eld between 2010 and 2021, but simply o Tackle the signifi cant problems of parking increasing the supply is not enough without also o Meet the decent homes standard for the addressing wider community and infrastructure needs. council’s housing stock New housing – whether for sale or rent – must be designed in a way which is safe, supports community cohesion, is compatible with today’s lifestyles and has the appropriate infrastructure to go with it.

The serious shortage of affordable housing in Welwyn Hatfield may be helped by providing more affordable homes for local people through the re-letting of existing Council and Housing Association housing. The construction of more homes with our Housing Association partners, remains a high priority for us.

Our ambitious affordable housing programme will continue to deliver as many new homes as possible, subject to land availability, economic viability and the funding we need to build them. We also expect to meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard for 100 per cent of our own housing stock of 9,400 homes by 2010. Health and Well Being 8

The health of Welwyn Hatfi eld residents is generally good. Smoking is the single greatest cause of premature illness and early death in Welwyn Hatfi eld. There is increasing concern about growing mental health-related issues.

People should be encouraged to attend regular screening sessions, e.g. for strokes, to identify those most at risk and to help take preventive measures as early as possible. We will also be looking at ways to ensure suffi cient resources are available to educate people regarding health and well being issues such as reducing teenage pregnancies. Wherever possible this should be in ways that engage with people and involve them in developing solutions.

Encouraging people to be active is an important way to prevent illness in later life, and many people in Welwyn Hatfi eld are not suffi ciently active. We will continue to provide facilities for people to exercise and promote events that help people to lead active and healthy lifestyles. It is incumbent on us all to ensure we have a good diet and take regular exercise to avoid unnecessary illness or even in the most severe cases premature death. If current trends continue, Long Term Objectives 2009 – 2021 at least one third of adults, one fi fth of boys and one third of girls will be obese by 2021. o Increase rehabilitation services tackling drug and alcohol addiction o Promote whole person health – body, mind and spirit o Reduce teenage pregnancy levels o Increase physical activity levels in the over 16s o Encourage physical activity for all the family o Reduce the level of childhood obesity o Ensure the best possible local health services

Short Term Actions 2009 – 2012

o Encourage healthier eating and lifestyles for all ages o Encourage employers to promote healthier lifestyles in their staff o Encourage smoking cessation As the population is set to grow between now and o Educate people about health and well being 2021 it is vital to ensure that our health and social o Hold interactive and engaging events on care sectors are organised appropriately to support health and well being the needs of our population. A key challenge is to o Work with local health authorities to ensure consider what care can be best delivered at home, services are fi t for purpose in the community or in our hospitals. Almost one o Understand and tackle the emerging mental half of all people of retirement-age living alone health problems have a limiting long-term illness. Jobs, Prosperity and Skills 9

Welwyn Hatfield is a relatively prosperous place and an important player in the thriving regional Long Term Objectives 2009 – 2021 economy. Business sectors such as finance, electronics, ICT, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals o Encourage job growth in line with increases in and teaching are well represented locally. housing provisions The workforce is generally skilled with employees o Provide education and training to support a long holding higher education qualifications well above term sustainable workforce the national average. Earnings also exceed the national average. o Promote vocational and foundation skills for young people to maximise their employment opportunities o Provide opportunities for everyone to contribute to and benefi t from our prosperity

Short Term Actions 2009 – 2012

o Increase targeted learning and skills training for the unemployed o Support and encourage existing employers to remain in Welwyn Hatfi eld o Promote new business growth o Get more young people into education, This successful local economy can mask some pockets employment and training of high unemployment and people of working age o Maximise opportunities arising from the with no educational qualifi cations or vocational 2012 Olympics skills. This, in turn, leads to social as well as economic o Increase the number of unskilled jobs inequality and exclusion. Welwyn Hatfi eld currently available locally has a high number of 16 -18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training. This means they cannot participate in the success of the local economy, and more needs to be done to engage them in employment and learning opportunities.

Good transport links are essential to Welwyn Hatfield’s economy. Traffic flows in the borough are higher than the national average and congestion is a growing problem on both road and rail links. Two thirds of residents currently use their car as their main mode of travel to work.

Welwyn Hatfi eld had 20,027 people commuting out and 28,467 people commuting in to the borough for work in 2006. 57 per cent of working people who live here also work here, and 18 per cent of working residents commute into London. However, the borough has a low level of business start-ups compared with the rest of Hertfordshire.

With the need to create a signifi cant number of new jobs as part of housing growth to 2021 and beyond, we need to ensure most of them are available to local people who can then spend money in the local economy. Inclusive Communities 10

Life expectancy in Welwyn Hatfield is above the We also want to provide opportunities for people national average and people are continuing to live of faith to come together and do more of the great longer, testament to the high standards of living work that many already do – work which can be and good quality of life enjoyed by residents. as varied as promoting healthier living, supporting young men leaving prison, or renovating a much This can present challenges in terms of the number loved public garden. and proportion of older people increasing in future years. Welwyn Hatfield can expect to see a Our priority is to promote trusting and respectful significant increase, possibly as high as 20 per cent, communities that support the needs of a 21st century in the number of over 75s in the period to 2021 and population but retains locally unique characteristics. beyond. It is clear that an increased level of health We will work hard to create and maintain lively and provision and social care support will be needed to vibrant neighbourhoods, where everyone has the meet their needs. chance to develop their personal skills and confi dence to participate in local community life. Many older people prefer to be supported in their own homes rather than move to more specialist accommodation, utilising technological Long Term Objectives 2009 – 2021 advances where they can. Some will also want the opportunity to continue working, to enjoy lifelong o Tackle poverty and reduce income and health learning, to volunteer and to remain physically inequalities especially in deprived areas active in their leisure pursuits. o Encourage public, voluntary and community sectors to come together around a shared vision There are some significant and persistent pockets of deprivation. Some local people suffer from linked to support and build strong and vibrant local social problems such as poor skills, poor attitude to neighbourhoods and communities work, low income, anti-social behaviour, poor health, o Encourage everyone to value our children and depression and family breakdown. We want to young people and share the responsibility of strengthen services to all our communities, particularly raising them those where these problems are most prevalent. By o Increase the independence of the elderly in tackling poverty wherever it exists, and emphasising their community the whole person, we hope we can improve local o Promote trusting and active relationships between prospects, networks and life opportunities. people with different religions and beliefs and those of none Children and young people are also far more likely to be both the victims and perpetrators of crime and anti-social behaviour than the rest of the Short Term Actions 2009 – 2012 population. Their vulnerability needs to be reduced. o Improve access to services especially for those made vulnerable by their circumstances o Improve information and advice services for older people o Encourage improvement in the emotional health of children and young people o Build effective partnerships between faith-based organisations and local decision-making bodies o Increase opportunities for older people to work, volunteer and learn o Identify and agree a challenging but achievable work programme for voluntary and community sector development in Welwyn Hatfi eld

Sustainability – what it means to us 11

What do we mean by sustainability? It is of course very many things. One way of summing it up is putting environmental limits around our aspirations for a prosperous, healthy and just society. Alliance partners have considered how sustainability relates to Welwyn Hatfi eld and have concluded that the agenda embraces:

• Climate change and energy • Management of natural resources • Building sustainable communities • Public health • Jobs, Learning and Skills • Social and demographic inclusion • Housing • Sustainable transport

Climate Change and Energy Housing

1. Reduce greenhouse emissions 21. Put housing near local facilities or create new 2. Minimise energy use in new buildings neighbourhoods where large scale development is 3. Reduce air pollution required 4. Reduce noise pollution 22. Increase energy effi ciency in housing 5. Encourage service providers, businesses and 23. Tackle homelessness voluntary groups to carry out environmental 24. Invest in the quality of the housing stock assessments and implement change 6. Encourage use of Fairtrade products Management of Natural Resources 7. Improve awareness of climate change issues 25. Reduce energy and water use Building Sustainable Communities 26. Recycle resources 27. Enhance urban green spaces including parks 8. Strengthen the sense of community 28. Protect wildlife habitats 9. Develop facilities and services locally to help reduce the need to travel Public Health 10. Encourage people to get more involved in shaping their services 29. Reduce factors leading to ill health 11. Minimise crime and the fear of crime 30. Improve access to health facilities 12. Maximise the use of brownfi eld sites 31. Provide healthy and safe working environments 13. Enhance the quality of the built environment for staff 14. Make all new developments safer and more 32. Reduce inequality in people’s health and wellbeing secure by design Social and Demographic Inclusion Jobs, Learning and Skills 33. Encourage lifelong learning 15. Maintain and enhance neighbourhood 34. Increase the equality of information shopping centres 35. Increase access to the arts and leisure 16. Maintain and where possible increase local 36. Improve employment opportunities for young employment opportunities and older people 17. Encourage investment in skills, technology and 37. Increase employment opportunities for local communities disabled people 18. Encourage sale and purchase of local products and produce Sustainable Transport 19. Help businesses set up and grow 20. Support self help schemes such as Credit Union 38. Improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists 39. Encourage people to use public transport, to walk, cycle or car share to work Ways to let us know what you think 12

• Email your answers to the three questions that follow, to the address on the front page

• Join us at one of the workshops set out below

• Go online at www.welhat.gov.uk and complete the Sustainable Corporate and Community Plan Questionnaire

Questions: Climate Change, Energy and Natural Resources Wednesday 14 January, 10am 1. Are the long term objectives and short term Woolmer Green Village Hall, Hall Lane, actions right? Is there anything missing? Woolmer Green Join the Environmental Network, the Transport 2. Does the vision statement describe your Partnership and local residents to tell us what you think. aspirations for the Welwyn Hatfield area? If not, what’s missing? What should be removed? An Inclusive Society Thursday 15 January, 10am 3. Looking at page 11 which describes The YMCA, Peartree Lane, Welwyn Garden City sustainability. What are the three most Join the Inter Faith group, the Children’s Trust Partnership important things to address locally over the next and local residents to tell us what you think. three years? Health and Wellbeing Wednesday 28 January, 10am Birchwood Leisure Centre, Longmead, Hatfield Workshop Programme January 2009 Join the Health Partnership, the Cultural Consortium All meetings will last two hours and local residents to tell us what you think.

Affordable Housing & Quality Neighbourhoods Wednesday 7 January, 10am Focus Groups February 2009 Fairway Suite, Panshanger Golf Course, Welwyn Garden City After the above workshops have been completed Join the Strategic Housing Forum, the Community three Focus Groups will test and tighten what we Network and local residents to tell us what you think. have learned and finalise the vision statement:

Building Safe Sustainable Communities 1. Focus Group 1 Thursday 8 January, 10am Wednesday 11 February The Pavilion, Ottway Walk, Welwyn 7.30pm at Campus West, Welwyn Garden City Join the Community Safety Partnership, the University of Hertfordshire and local residents 2. Focus Group 2 to tell us what you think. Monday 16 February 7.30pm at Campus West, Welwyn Garden City Jobs, Learning and Skills Monday 12 January, 10am 3. Focus Group 3 Breaks Manor, Link Drive, Hatfield Wednesday 18 February Join the Learning Partnership, the Chamber of 7.30pm at Campus West, Welwyn Garden City Commerce and local residents to tell us what you think.

A summary of the result of each meeting will be sent to all attendees. If you are unable to join us at any of these events due to work or other commitments, and would like to meet us to discuss your ideas, please call Paul Underwood on 01707 357220 or email [email protected] to arrange a meeting.