<p> Minutes of the ANTAS AGM, held at the Town Hall, Berkhamsted on Saturday 29th November 2014</p><p>Present: Dr Peter Diplock, President, Keith Robinson, Chairman, Andrew Sangster, Hon.Secretary, Jane Clark, Hon.Treasurer, Tony Fooks, John Davies and Vernon Porter, Committee members, together with representatives of the Amersham, Aylesbury, Berkhamsted, Chesham, Chiltern, Hertford, High Wycombe, Hitcham and Taplow, Hitchin, Marlow, Oxford, Potters Bar and Radlett Societies, and the Welwyn Planning Group.</p><p>1. Welcome: Gorden Bluck opened the meeting on behalf of the Berkhamsted Citizens Association by inviting The Mayor, Cllr Matthews to address members. He noted that the town had been growing since 1066 when William the Conqueror was offered the crown there before travelling on to London. There is a well established conservation area enabling the retention of old buildings in the town and there is particular pride in the saving of the Town Hall from demolition by last minute efforts of citizens and industry. He noted how well regarded and influential the Citizens Association is in its working with the local authorities and congratulated it as it celebrates its ninetieth anniversary.</p><p>2. Apologies for absence: There were fourteen societies represented at the meeting. Apologies had been received from The Vice-President, Chris Woodman, Webmaster, Beaconsfield, Bishop’s Stortford, Buntingford, Buckingham, Harpenden, St Albans and Wendover Societies. There had been no replies from the Cookham and Welwyn Garden City Societies.</p><p>3. Minutes of the 19th Annual General Meeting – 2013: Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 19th October at Beaconsfield were approved by the meeting and signed by the Chairman.</p><p>4. Matters arising: There were no other matters arising.</p><p>5. Chairman’s report: First may I congratulate Berkamsted Citizens Association on their 90th Anniversary. It is very appropriate that we meet here on this auspicious occasion. I regret that, due to other commitments, the Chairman, Susan Johnson, could not be here, but thank Gordon Bluck for his excellent appearance off the substitute’s bench. At the end of my year I must express my grateful thanks to the Committee for the fact that I have not had to do too much. To: Andrew (Sangster) our Secretary and post office, everything goes/comes through him. Jane Clark (Treasurer) who keeps the books. Tony Fooks our link with Civic Voice and the font of all knowledge. Chris Woodman our webmaster who keeps everyone in touch with events. John Davies and Vernon Porter who make up the rest of the committee and assist each of the above. My big disappointment is that no-one is prepared to come forward to replace me as a fairly inactive figurehead. From my own Inbox I know that all member societies have been kept in touch with what is happening in the environmental and planning world. I would wish that ANTAS were more pro- active in putting ideas to Civic Voice. As an initial step I suggest that some time is spent over lunch discussing the topics (at least). My suggestions are: Community Assets and the various societies’ experiences with their local planning authority and whether S.106 agreements based on fixed formulae are fair to supermarkets and employment uses and as a corollary should residential land make a greater contribution because social, educational, medical and commuting costs are solely due to that use.</p><p>6. Treasurer’s report: The Hon.Treasurer, Jane Clark, reviewed the attached accounts that had been circulated to the meeting. She noted that expenditure was less this year because there had only been one venue payment and that the value of envelopes held had been written off due to deteriorating condition. As a result there had been a significant increase in the bank balance. Acceptance of the accounts was proposed by Tony Molesworth and seconded by Tony Fooks and approved by the meeting. The Meeting also agreed to maintenance of the current subscription rate of £15 and to not taking a subscription holiday.</p><p>7. Election of Officers: The President, Peter Diplock, took the chair for this item and the following item of the agenda. He expressed concern that no one had come forward and offered themselves for the Chairman role, pointing out that little time is involved. It was recognized that the Executive Committee would have to appoint a chairman for its meetings from its ranks. Andrew Sangster and Jane Clarke offered themselves for the posts of Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer respectively as proposed by Jon Green and seconded by Terry Betts. Both were elected unopposed. The Hon. Secretary advised the meeting that he would step down from the role at the 2015 AGM.</p><p>8. Election of Executive Committee: John Davies, Tony Fooks and Vernon Porter offered themselves for re-election, and Keith Robinson for election to the Executive Committee (proposed by Terry Betts, seconded by Jon Green). As there were no other nominations they were elected un-opposed. </p><p>9. Confirmation of President and Vice-President: At this point the Chairman thanked the President and Vice-President for offering to continue in their roles and put their confirmation to the meeting. This was carried unanimously.</p><p>10. Newsletter: As the webmaster was unable to attend the meeting there was no discussion on this item.</p><p>11. Civic Voice: Tony Fooks gave the following report: Civic Voice has had its most productive year to-date. Dr Freddie Gick the new Chairman since the AGM of 2013 has faced some difficult periods in the last 12 months with ever increasing pressure coming from all sources such as the following:- Government Officers, DCLG and National Organisations. CV supports and leads on:- Areas of Planning /Localism Act, Launch of New national Quality Design awards Protection Local heritage/English Heritage, Hosting the First Sandy’s Lecture Launch of Civic Voice Manifesto Attending party political conferences to publicise Civic Voice and societies’ concerns Arranging and supporting the national organisation for support and protection of First World War Memorials. Not to mention visits to Local societies throughout England Finally chairing the Regional Civic Voice Group. The most recent advent has been the Convention / AGM of the Civic Voice held at Canterbury on the 24th/25th October. Clearly it was one of the most successful occasions that Civic Voice has held with over 150 delegates present. Canterbury Civic Society hosted the event and arranged tours of the historic town and cathedral. A reception dinner was held in Canterbury Cathedral Lodge with a welcome by the CEO of Canterbury City Council. This was followed by a presentation given by Jonathan Foyle CE of World Monuments Fund on the Cathedral and its story through three lives.</p><p>On the Second day the forum business of the AGM was conducted with reports of the year’s activities, review of the accounts and the appointment of new members to the Trust Board. The March Christian Trust awards were made to groups and individuals for their commitment to Civic Voice. Several Work Shops were held during the day covering:- National Association of Local Councils Local Listing Systems War Memorial Trust Department of Local Communities and Local Government Assets of community value Civic Voice manifesto, details of which can be found on the Civic Voice web site. Vernon Porter attended the AGM as the representative of ANTAS. </p><p>What impact does Civic Voice have on such organisations such as ANTAS and Local Civic Societies? With all the activities I have mentioned, not to mention a lot more if you visit the web site, I am sure each society will in some way relate to one if not more of the subjects involved both locally as well as nationally. I would therefore urge all societies to support ANTAS. I can report that ANTAS is seen by the Civic Voice Board as a classical set up for regional involvement, creating networking opportunities for all. This allows ANTAS to feed into Civic Voice at national level.</p><p>Finally it was announced at the AGM that the Regional Groups / organisations were being formalised and recognised by the Board as an advisory arm to it activities. It was also announced that this would be chaired during the next 12 months by Tony Fooks of ANTAS and the High Wycombe Society.</p><p>12. Society Reports: The reports received from member societies electronically are attached at the end of these minutes.</p><p>13. Any other business: There was no other business.</p><p>Following completion of Items 1 to 11 there was a lively talk given by Gillian Wain, Co-Chairman, Fleet and Church Cookham Society, on the topic ‘The power of social media in the civic movement’ with several examples of use. A copy of the talk content was circulated to member societies on 1.12.14. A vote of thanks was given by Tony Fooks who gave advance notice that Laura Sandys, currently an MP and Daughter of Duncan Sandys, would be the speaker at the 2015 AGM Society Reports</p><p>Aylesbury The Society has continued to mark it’s 40th anniversary with another new project which has already received promises of sponsorship and grants. The project involves a new mural painted on the underside of the High Street bridge spanning Grand Union Canal. The Society is working in conjunction with local companies, the local arts centre, youth groups and British Waterways. This project is in addition to our campaign to erect either a statue or a bust of the radical politician, John Wilkes. Over recent months the Society has lost many of it’s older members, including the recent sad death of Peter Worrell, Chairman between 1983 and 2004. Unfortunately, the Society is not replacing these members with enough new members and the total number of addresses on our books now stands at just over 200. The knock-on effect is that attendances at our events and monthly meetings has been, and will continue to be, low. This is despite the fact that the Society’s campaign to save the former Aylesbury Police Station, due to be demolished by the County Council early in the new year has gained a lot of publicity in the local paper and through our Facebook page. TheAylesbury Remembered Facebook has conducted a petition and now has over 1,500 signatories supporting our campaign. This petition is entirely due to the fact that we published articles on the Old Police Station on our website and on our Facebook page, and the publicity that it gained from these pages. Our Facebook page continues to attract a lot of interest, and in one week alone we had over 800 hits. Our task now is to convert this interest into hardcore membership. During August this year the District Council received many planning applications for conversion of offices to flats and for shops into A2 and A3 usage. We often feel that this is done deliberately by developers in the belief that during the holiday period these applications will not be noticed. Our committee, however, has been vigilant and we have managed to both comment and object to many.</p><p>Amersham Significant changes in the past year have included; 1. Revised objects of the Society agreed at our AGM in October 2014: (a) To preserve and improve the character and amenities of Old Amersham and its historical environs, promoting the town’s prosperity and vigour. (b) To promote standards of architecture, conservation, planning, design, maintenance and use of buildings and infrastructure compatible with the character and quality of life in and/or affecting the old town of Amersham. (c) To foster community spirit amongst those interested in the Old Town by organising lectures, visits and other events. (d) To promote an interest in, and the study of, the history of the area through cooperation (including, where relevant, joint activities) with Amersham Museum. 2. A positive effort to build relationships with our local authorities has resulted in:  Amersham Society help in clearing parked cars from main streets in Old Amersham to enable effective street cleaning;  Amersham Society assistance in initiatives of Amersham Town Council including: Amersham in Bloom, Chiltern Cycling Festival, Heritage Day, Christmas Pudding Race! 3. Following serious flooding in February 2014, the Society has  campaigned to ensure that the Environment Agency and local authorities have provided clear information for residents.  questioned the effectiveness of the Environment Agency’s flood prevention measures last winter and have pushed for more vigorous action now to prevent flooding in future. (See what the Environment Agency is doing below).  held discussions with Amersham Town Council about the willows that overhang the river in Barn Meadow.  educated ourselves by working alongside the Chiltern Society Rivers and Wetlands Group about appropriate actions to remove obstructions that will prevent flooding and maintain the health of our chalk stream.  established a Misbourne River Watch Group to periodically check on a two mile stretch of river through the town, removing blockages where we can and alerting relevant authorities if heavier equipment or expertise is required. 4. Parking and traffic management in the Old Town In the next year (or more) we intend to prepare the ground for making another attempt to resolve issues which created an unproductive storm some years ago, by:  Educating ourselves and our members about the range of ways in which similar problems have been addressed in other communities in the UK and further afield;  Building relationships with shopkeepers and other businesses, residents and local authorities so that a common understanding of issues can be established and options can be considered objectively. If ANTAS members have ideas and experiences that may help to inform our thinking we would love to hear from you.</p><p>Berkhamsted Berkhamsted Citizens Association (BCA) celebrates this year the 90th anniversary of its foundation. To celebrate this, the BCA will be reprinting its very popular Footpath Map; has installed a new public notice board; and restored the Sparrows Herne Trust turnpike marker (one of only two surviving), which English Heritage is considering for listing. And the BCA will be having a party in April! But our activities also monitor what is happening in the community, especially the planning sector. Briefly, the following:</p><p> The threat by a developer to gain change of status for Green Belt in order to build 800 houses on land between the town’s edge and the A41 by-pass, being fought by us and a number of protest groups, ended finally this summer in the developer’s failure. Grand Union Investments and its South Berkhamsted Concept failed to get release of the land from GB in its High Court case against Dacorum Borough Council (DBC). Dacorum managed to defend the integrity of its Core Strategy. The BCA takes the view that new housing needs to be built, and our role is to fight to have it built to a high standard, with sufficient additional infrastructure and, most importantly, not on Green Belt. Our message to inform and preserve GB has elicited a few new members, especially now the protest groups are seen to have unrealistic goals. However we are aware that the recent exercise in examining the boundaries of the Green Belt around London has resulted in a few GB sites becoming identified for small-scale development in Berkhamsted, and we have expressed concerns while simultaneously engaging with DBC in exercises to design acceptable layouts and infrastructure. The most recent consultation on housing allocations within the Dacorum Core Strategy has thrown these sites into relief; and the general public has expressed some views, although not enough for our liking.  Dacorum Borough Council has recently reviewed the extent of the Berkhamsted Conservation Area and agreed not only to an extension but also to the introduction of local listing and new Article 4 Directions in the conservation area; something we have campaigned for over many years. A recent talk by one of the DBC report’s authors to this Association drew a large audience. However we are alarmed at the Borough Council’s recent disbanding of its own Conservation Department, incorporating it into general Planning, Enforcement and Strategic Planning. We will keep a watchful eye on the outcome of this decision.  The battle goes on over the installation of a large electricity sub-station in the forecourt of the station, in front of the historic and attractive (and recently locally listed) brick arches, in the sensitive part of the CA next to the castle and the canal; and its surrounding three metre high galvanised steel palisade. We accept now that the sub-station and its surround are not going to be moved; but we hope for painting and screening. A similar battle over the introduction of unsightly and ill-positioned traffic signs, not least outside our historic parish church, has led to us challenging Herts Highways. Some have been moved, or removed; but one wonders at the wisdom of disbanding the DBC Conservation role when this happens.  Our High Street continues to thrive, with the inevitable addition of yet more cafes and restaurants. We now have a M&S Simply Food, a Bill’s, and a popular sushi/juice bar, as well as some extra independent businesses. Our former police station is to be transformed into retirement flats in the very centre of the town; and more sheltered accommodation is being built at the other end of town on another brownfield site. But the real talking point, and one which has divided the town, is the imminent arrival of a Lidl on a brownfield site in Gossoms End. Berkhamsted made the national headlines over whether it considered itself ‘too posh’ for the German discounter. The jury is out, but most people here welcome competition in the grocery sector, and the affordable housing the development brings with it. The only real concern is the traffic it will generate.  The Association works in conjunction with the 3 tiers of local government and the Canals & Rivers Trust (C&RT) to enhance the canal and its environs. The canal is to get an upgraded towpath wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists through the main section of the town, courtesy of Herts County Council and Town Council funding. The BCA and the Berkhamsted Community Partnership jointly will pay for new mooring rings there. Partnership working at its best!  The Association has maintained a dialogue with the Borough Council over the use of S106 monies for affordable housing (if anything in Berkhamsted can be considered affordable) and the upcoming CiL levies. However we are not convinced that CiL will be everything it is cracked up to be. Local monies raised and given to the Town Council to spend will be a drop in the ocean. The BCA continues to struggle to attract enough committee members, particularly younger residents, to cover the needs of our activities. Some new members come from attendances at our programme of talks and walks, but few want to help to organise anything. Has anyone had any success in this area?</p><p>Buckingham Buckingham Neighbourhood Development Plan (BNDP) Suffered a major setback when in the consultation process with Aylesbury Vale DC, the DC Planning Office circulated an out of date map. Conspiracy or cock-up? The Society believes it is probably the latter, brought about by a chronic lack of expertise within the Department. Either way, it has resulted in yet more delays, which allows developers to push ahead with applications which are not within the scope of the emerging plan. With one exception, applications are all for Greenfield sites surrounding the town. Scale of Development It is the large, ‘one-size-fits-all’ scale of the proposals that are most damaging. Building between 4- 700 houses on one site, all of which conform to the current prevailing “design” norms, not only destroys the character of the place, it places unacceptable burdens on the existing infrastructure systems. Drainage and roads being perhaps the worst hit. Local Plans In common with other societies, it seems that our ANTAS region faces an onslaught from speculative development plans. Several Local Plans have been turned down by the Planning Inspectorate which they have deemed ‘unsound’. Aylesbury Vale’s suffered this fate earlier in the year. If conspiracy exists, it is beginning to appear as though it is one between the Government and the Developers. Quoting the MP for Stratford-on-Avon: “The physical harm being inflicted on the countryside as a result of the coalition’s planning reforms could become the defining legacy of this Government” Between March 2013 – March 2014, 39 out of 58 major housing developments turned down by local councils and taken to appeal were approved by the Inspectorate. Councils lack the resources to defend their decisions at Appeal. It has become a farce. Civic Day Civic Day was a great success and gained a precious few more members. The Society combined forces with other town groups and organisations, including the Town Council. Change of Chair After three excellent years in post, Kathy Robins stood down as Chair at the Society’s AGM last week. Roger Edwards was unanimously elected to replace her for the next 3 years.</p><p>Chesham The main activity of Chesham Society this year has been making a submission during the public consultation on the draft Chiltern District Council Delivery Development Plan Document (DDPD). This is the follow up to the 2011 Core Strategy. One of its principle functions is to demonstrate how the new housing target set out in the Core Strategy will be achieved. The Chesham Society chose not to comment on the housing target but rather to focus on the infrastructure Delivery Schedule (IDS), a modest 18 page document appended to the DDPD. This is meant to address the infrastructure required to support the additional housing, an equally important issue. It is unquestionable that the infrastructure of Chesham cannot even cope with the current population. Sewage was discharged into the River Chess for over four months early in the year, there is over abstraction of water from the aquifers, pollution and congestion in Berkhampstead Road etc. There are very detailed but still seemingly inadequate plans for housing but no such work being undertaken on infrastructure. The IDS is a hopelessly inadequate document Examination in Public by Mr Whitehead from the Planning Inspectorate The DDPD has to be approved by Central Government and this process is achieved by a Government Planning Inspector holding an Examination in Public. This commenced on the 11 November. District Council housing targets not credible Chiltern District Council (CDC) firstly established that the Duty to Cooperate process had been properly conducted and attention then turned to housing development and examination of numerous schedules in which CDC had detailed where new housing was to be built. The Inspector conceded that in a recent similar Inquiry the Authority (Wokingham) had been able to demonstrate that it could substantially achieve its housing target in four large development sites. CDC is by comparison far more constrained, with large areas of Green Belt, Areas of Natural Beauty etc. However on examination of CDC's proposals the Inspector believed he had found instances of double counting and had doubts about the validity of some of the predictions for infill and windfall sites. Inquiry Suspended. The Inspector opened the second day of the Inquiry by saying that on reflection overnight he had severe doubts that the CDC's DDPD could be found to be sound. Numerous questions had not been satisfactorily answered and a lot more coherent evidence was required. He considered that it was not therefore wise to continue. Informal discussions had been held with Council Officers and he was proposing to suspend the Inquiry for a maximum of six months to allow the Council time for the necessary additional work. Suspension of a Public Inquiry is an unusual step but it has to be acknowledged that CDC are facing a challenging task in providing new housing within the beautiful countryside that we enjoy. Chesham Society’s concerns The Chesham Society was timetabled to participate on the last day of the Inquiry and voice concerns about the IDS and we were hoping to persuade the Inspector to secure more detailed work on our infrastructure before housing development escalates. Discussion of this important subject being discussed under Any Other Business unfortunately is indicative of the importance that planning authorities attach to the environment. The Chesham Society of course has concerns about the increased housing requirements within the DDPD covering the period up to 2026. However the Core Strategy does give us security and there are many aspects of the DDPD which are excellent. The future The Inspector in summary has said that it is difficult to see what changes can be made to the DDPD to make it sound and adoptable. CDC has advised that it will be commencing a public consultation with local organisations and the communities in December prior to preparing a new Local Plan for the period to 2036 which will include an assessment of housing needs carried out with adjacent local authorities and a review of the Green Belt. In these circumstances the Inspector has stated that he believes it is hard to justify further significant work on the DDPD and that CDC should withdraw the DDPD and concentrate on the new Local Plan. The most recent assessment of housing demand in Chiltern District is 5,000 to 6,760 new dwellings. This order of increase cannot be achieved from use of infill of Green Belt and redundant brownfield sites but will require whole fields in the Green Belt. The Chesham Society is in discussion with its local councillors and CDC. It intends to be fully involved in the public consultation stage and comment on the new Local Plan when it becomes available for review. This will require extra resource within our Society. Unfortunately we currently have key vacancies on the committee which are proving hard to fill. Maybe the spectre of an extra 2000 plus houses around Chesham may aid our planned recruiting drive for new members.</p><p>Hertford Civic societies usually oppose the introduction of yet another supermarket in their town-centres. Hertford Civic Society finds itself in the unusual position of trying to stop a supermarket leaving. Waitrose is the anchor store in the shopping centre created in the late 1970s. It is well sited adjacent to the bus station and a multi-storey public car park which it does not control. Over the years it has served the community well, particularly those who rely on the bus to do their shopping and those who choose to shop on foot or bicycle. The Waitrose store was one of the first and the company would like to replace it with one of the latest design and layout. To achieve that aim it has been party to a planning application for an out-of- town superstore on a garden centre site between Ware and Hoddesdon and some three miles east of Hertford. In the meantime the owners of the shopping centre have published proposals for a comprehensive redevelopment with the aim of retaining Waitrose’s presence and including a surface car park for its customers. Waitrose has rejected this proposal on the grounds that it does not fully satisfy its needs and, in its view, would lead to a disruption in its business in the area. There does however seem to be a wide variation in the views expressed by its Managing Director that the future of food retailing lies with smaller stores providing for daily shopping trips ( views supported by his competitors) instead of the major weekly shop at out-of-town stores, and its plans for the Hertford area. The planning application will almost certainly be rejected on grounds of unacceptable development in the Green Belt and impact on adjacent town-centres. We have argued that although the need test is no longer required under the NPPF, the lack of need in the area up to 2026, as revealed in a recent study commissioned by the Local Planning Authority, would lead to the proposal, through trade draw-off, having a very significant impact on the viability and vitality of Hertford and Ware town- centres. It is also a reason for refusing this development in the Green Belt. However, this does not resolve the future health of Hertford town-centre. If Waitrose cannot be persuaded to stay it is unlikely that another food supermarket operator will want to occupy its current premises, given that the big four and Aldi and Lidl already have stores either in the town or in the vicinity. The loss of a major quality food store right in the centre would have a devastating effect on the retail activity of the town. We are currently in correspondence with Waitrose urging them to change their plan. </p><p>High Wycombe In 1918, at the end of World War I, there was talk of High Wycombe needing additional housing. Some dared to venture that we might need as many as one thousand extra houses in future, in part to support the workers in the fledgling new aircraft construction industry which was expected to prosper in the Hughenden Valley. In 1927 when the Borough boundary was extended significantly to accommodate building land for new housing estates on the hills, the concern in the valley was already what to do with “Wycombe’s aerodrome”, the acres of factory space with their own private railway siding, desperately seeking investors. Things don’t always go to plan. And they never have. When our current Wycombe District development plan (the Core Strategy) was adopted in 2008, 5 areas of potential development were “reserved”. Some were controversial – all were green-field sites, they included nature reserves and some land that had previously been in the Green belt, but they were “known” not to be needed for the planned volume of new housing (which at that time stood at 400-450 new homes per annum). It was still hoped that at some point before touching this land Wycombe would be able to put up the “Full” signs. With the government-imposed change in methodology for calculating the “assessed housing need” and the expectation that local authorities can show evidence of provision of “shovel-ready” development sites to satisfy a 5-year housing supply at the level of assessed need, the WDC local plan is now expected to support a growth of 500-700 new homes per annum. Although our local plan still had until 2026 to run, it has been completely undermined by this change in outlook. WDC have been obliged to release all the reserve sites for development, with the expected public outcry, and still it falls short of the government requirement. As a society, we initially challenged the figures. Our MP, Steve Baker, secured an adjournment debate in the House of Commons which I was pleased to be able to attend. He outlined the problem that as a town we are completely surrounded by areas of AONB and Green belt and are already approaching “full”. We have received some criticism recently for not joining in the various protests at each of the reserve sites but we have not wanted to appear to support one area over another. Instead we have started to work with WDC to determine and analyse the problems associated with the release of the sites e.g. the need to plan for “infrastructure” including roads. Here too, there is a controversial proposal on our doorstep for an additional motorway junction and all the disruption that could cause. There is one area of green land in High Wycombe, however, which holds a special place in our affections and which has so far escaped the planners’ eyes. That is “The Rye”. In 1927, in the interests of progress, the burgesses of our town may have lost the right to pasture their cows there, but only 50 years ago in 1964-5 the “Rye Protection Society”, a predecessor of the High Wycombe Society, actively fought to prevent a road going across it, and eventually took their case to a joint committee of the House of Commons and House of Lords and WON! The land is reserved for the recreation of the people of High Wycombe for all time. Next summer, we are joining forces with the Open Spaces Society to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the RPS achievement – we intend to hold a “Big picnic” on the Rye on 9th August to which you are all cordially invited! Meanwhile round in the Hughenden valley, where once we had ambitions to construct aircraft and motor cars, and where for many years (1927-2003) we made air compressors, the industrial buildings have now been flattened and there are plans for new development on these brown-field sites: a new Day Opportunities Centre with County Council offices above; a new ExtraCare home and now a proposed Star & Garter home. Needless to say we have been taking every opportunity to respond to consultations and will continue to do so.</p><p>Hitcham and Taplow This is our 56th year but Taplow only has approx 750 houses of which about one quarter are members so we must have one of the smallest number of houses on our patch. We have at last had the long awaited planning application in for the Mill Lane Opportunity Site by Berkley Homes. The Parish Council, our Society, the Chiltern Society, local residents’ associations, and many residents have written to SBDC at length to protest. It is an application in the Green Belt in a conservation area, and inappropriate for multiple reasons which are too many to list here. Berkley Homes have had meetings with SBDC and have written to our Society with long explanations as to why our concerns have been answered or not valid. We have asked for a meeting with them together with representatives from the PC, and at least one of our Residents’ Associations which we hope might be forthcoming. The one thing we have all achieved is to get them to redesign the footbridge over the river to something more acceptable and less of an eyesore. We will keep plugging away but I fear it might not get us very far. We would dearly like them to stick to the SPD which state that the site could take 100 houses. They have written that 3 flats = 1 house and have applied for 257 units, including 6 storey blocks of flats! This would obviously put more strain on our already creaking infrastructure. We were worried about a sensitive site in a Conservation Area in the GB where a ruthless owner had cut down trees and cleared it illegally. He applied for planning permission as anticipated and was pretty comprehensively turned down. One small victory! This brings me to an important issue. How do we get SBDC to enforce conditions? They seem not to do so. We have brought a number of issues to their attention and got no-where. Anyone out there with any ideas? We held another successful very well attended Village Green Party but we made a small loss. We allowed the Sea Scouts to hold a raffle at the event and they were pleased with their result. Our AGM was on Friday 28.11.2014 when the post AGM speaker’s subject was the history of one of our Interesting Houses in Taplow and its former occupants. We always get through the AGM as quickly as possible, then break for coffee and biscuits and have a speaker. This helps to swell the numbers attending and gives a chance to socialise.</p><p>Hitchin Hitchin Town Hall The original dream of the Town Hall being saved as a community venue has turned sour. The Council originally wanted to convert the Grade II listed building into a new, District-wide museum, depriving Hitchin of its only significant community space. A sustained campaign eventually persuaded them to change their minds, agreeing to locate the Museum in adjacent buildings, and keeping a refurbished hall for community use. A new, not-for-profit company was set up to represent the community interest, and to run the hall on completion. A Development Agreement was signed with the council, and a substantial grant was secured by the new company, to be followed by community fundraising. All concerned with the new company have put in a huge amount of effort, entirely on a pro-bono basis. . However, the partnership envisaged between the council and the new company has proved illusory. Council officers have made unilateral decisions contrary to the Development Agreement. These have irreversibly damaged the listed building, including the construction of a concrete block wall across the stage itself. Remarkably, the council has even given itself retrospective listed building consent for the changes. The council’s actions have so diminished the projected income from the hall as to have derailed the new company’s financial plan. As a result the grant has now been lost. The council denies any responsibility, and the new company has therefore had no alternative but to serve a formal Notice of Breach on the council. With the council now trying to shift the blame onto the new company, it is far from clear how this is to be resolved. One thing is clear: the result of the council’s actions could be council taxpayers needing to find an additional £1m to complete the work. Draft Local Plan - housing Early in the summer, the council released a short-list of potential housing allocations which met the council’s tests for suitability. To the horror of all in Hitchin, the list included an area of Green Belt land consisting of the historic parkland of Hitchin Priory together with unspoilt countryside beyond stretching to the villages of Gosmore and Charlton. The area is rich in public rights of way, and with extensive views across to the Chilterns AONB, providing a vital area for recreation to the people of Hitchin and beyond. A major campaign was launched by all Hitchin’s civic groups working together. This included a guided walk attended by 300 people in July, and a census of users of the area in September. Whether as a result of this pressure or for other reasons, this area has now been dropped from the preferred housing allocations in the just published draft Local Plan.</p><p>Walking through Priory Park July 2014</p><p>Marlow Society</p><p>The Wycombe District Council holds an annual “Quality Counts” day during which participating architects, developers, community societies and planning officers visit a number of sites in the district to discuss the success, or otherwise, of current and recent developments. This provides a valuable exchange of ideas and is very helpful to amateurs such as myself. Marlow is scheduled to undergo four significant redevelopments in the next 12 months. The Wycombe planners set deadlines for comments/ objections and then extend the period without any notification. Applications are being made that fail totally to match approved development plans and planning officers allow significant changes to lodged plans to be made without any notification. This makes it essential to monitor relevant web pages several times each week. Developers working in Marlow take over verges and pavements. Bucks Highways make a fatuous statement about following parking restrictions in the planning approval documents but the actuality is that this is not enforced, pavements are blocked and verges are wrecked. Unrestricted parking on verges continues to destroy the appearance of our town and parking on pavements impacts significantly on pedestrians and results in wasteful damage. Marlow suffered major flooding problems this year from both river and ground water. The coordinated response of the local authorities and emergency services was excellent but some householders are only now returning to their homes. The performance of the EA has been lamentable. Many of its statistics on flooding have been shown to be wrong. Progress with our Local Plan is very slow due, we are told, to problems coordinating with adjacent authorities which are working to different timescales. We anticipate a gap in 2006-17 during which developers may have the chance to pounce. The WDC recently released 5 greenfield “reserve” sites in order to follow government instructions on house building. The green belt around Marlow is threatened as all the reserves have now been committed.</p><p>Oxford In terms of Local Planning, Oxford has and approved Core Strategy, Sites and Housing Plan and a couple of Area Action Plans. See http://www.oxford.gov.uk/PageRender/decP/Planning_Policy_occw.htm for details of all documents. Given that the recent Strategic Housing Market Assessment for Oxfordshire calls for 100,060 new homes by 2031 with Oxford alone said to need 28,000 new homes compared to a planned 8,000 extra by 2028. Oxford City Council seems to be objecting to the draft Local Plans submitted for examination by neighbouring district councils that fails to accommodate any of the city’s overspill. URBED, with whom we have been working, won the Wolfson Economic prize for their proposals on Garden cities. See www.oxfordfutures.org.uk for more details. The County Council is struggling to produce an updated Local Transport Plan that reflects the changing likely level of traffic growth. We have been urging them to look at shifting transport modes, from car to mass transit and what they call Active Travel (walking and cycling) rather than simply assuming x% growth across all modes. Oxford cannot accommodate more car journeys. There is some evidence that the County are taking this on board, but may communities, especially outside the City, remain dependent on car use. Final Planning approval has been given to the major Westgate shopping development. We remain unhappy with much of the design and fail to understand how the extra shoppers they say the development till attract will be able to get to the site at peak times. </p><p>Radlett Three main points: 1. On the problem of recruiting members to the Committee:-</p><p> a. Some people don’t like committees;</p><p> b. Some people think campaigning is a waste of time;</p><p> c. Some good people have no time; 2. On Planning – three things I’ve learnt since taking over as lead planning representative for RSGBA – a statutory consultee of Hertsmere Borough Council:-</p><p> a. Every scrap of land in Radlett is being eyed-up for 5/6 bedroom dwellings with a cinema, pool, snug, games room, fitness room and dog shower…</p><p> b. The Planning Department of HBC will no longer make it a planning condition that building contractors – clear-up, repair damage to highways or stick to normal working hours/days…</p><p> c. If Officers refuse an application to which the Society has raised an objection, it’s hardly ever based on the reasons that we raised…</p><p>3. On what we want for the Neighbourhood Plan for the Civil Parish of Aldenham:-</p><p> a. To maintain Radlett as a desirable place for people to live and to have whole life experiences there;</p><p> b. Good design of buildings and good design of public realm;</p><p> c. Above all, to protect the Green Belt against loss to housing development; SOS has already indicated that housing need does not amount to special circumstances; the three main things that allowing new housing on former Green Belt land will fail to guarantee -the provision of the necessary infrastructure, -that local people will buy or be able to afford to buy, or -long-term sustainability. A.N.T.A.S. INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT YEAR ENDING AUGUST 2014 2012/2013 2013/2014 INCOME SUBS 23 X £15 345.00 305.00 DONATIONS 15.00 34.44 BANK INTEREST 1.24 0.03 TOTAL INCOME 361.24 339.47</p><p>EXPENDITURE HIRE OF HALLS -88.00 -280.00 LOSS ON LUNCHES -53.00 STATIONERY/PRINT/POST -18.44 WRITE-OFF OF ENVELOPES -41.82 TOTAL EXPENDITURE -129.82 -351.44</p><p>SURPLUS OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE 231.42 -11.97</p><p>BUILDING SOCIETY ACC BALANCE B/F 718.41 730.38 LOSS FOR THE YEAR -11.97 INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE 231.42 TOTAL 949.83 718.41 REPRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE ACC @AUG 14 811.83 522.59 CASH 16.00 STAMPS 138.00 179.82 718.41 TOTAL 949.83</p><p>Jane Clark( treasurer)</p><p>I have examined the records and receipts of ANTAS for the year to August 2014 and I am satisfied that the above accounts are in accordance therewith.</p><p>Mrs P Mitchell Independent Examiner</p><p>DATE 1ST NOVEMBER 2014</p>