Great Ashby Welcome Pack Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3 Great Ashby and Local History .............................................................................................. 4 Your Local Councils .............................................................................................................. 6 Neighbourhood Centre Amenities ......................................................................................... 6 Playgrounds & Parks............................................................................................................. 8 Woodland Walks ................................................................................................................. 10 Retail shops & Supermarkets .............................................................................................. 11 Pre-School, Schools & Education ....................................................................................... 13 Local NHS Services ............................................................................................................ 15 Pubs & Restaurants ............................................................................................................ 17 Nearby Attractions .............................................................................................................. 19 GACC Contact Details ........................................................................................................ 20 P a g e | 2 Foreword On behalf of the Great Ashby Community Council, I would like to welcome you to Great Ashby! We are delighted you have chosen our neighbourhood, and are sure you will enjoy living here. The Community Council have prepared this welcome pack to help new or existing residents get to know the area, as we believe Great Ashby offers the best of both worlds; proximity to the amenities of a large town, whilst being on the doorstep of rural countryside. Chair of GACC Introduction The Great Ashby community is a thriving and growing one; Stevenage Town has some superb amenities and facilities (such as the Gordon Craig Theatre, the Leisure Park and Fairlands Valley Park, to name just a few) and by living in Great Ashby you get both easy access to these places as well as the benefits of living so close to the immediate countryside. Indeed, it is a combination of these factors that attract so many people to Great Ashby. The Great Ashby Community Council is a little younger than Great Ashby itself as we were formed in 2011. GACC is working towards making Great Ashby as pleasant and an enjoyable a place to live in as we can. We look to support the community in many ways, with some of the current activities being landscaping the roundabouts, maintenance of a number of the playgrounds and the provision of dog-litter bins to name a few. We have provided financial grants for the Great Ashby community centre for a number of years, as well as grants for groups who run activities and classes within the community. We periodically conduct a neighbourhood survey so we are able to focus on what the community itself views as being important. So welcome again to the Great Ashby community we truly hope you enjoy living here. P a g e | 3 Great Ashby and Local History In the rural, leafy district of North Hertfordshire and located on the north eastern outskirts of Stevenage lies the civil parish of Great Ashby. Development began in 1999 and the area now boasts approximately 2200 dwellings with a population of around 5700, a primary school, an inclusive community church and a neighbourhood centre with local shops and a community centre. Many of Great Ashby homes enjoy a modern feel and provide private and social housing for our thriving community. A recent survey demonstrated that residents are very happy living here. There is a good community spirit and residents overwhelmingly state they feel safe, which is reinforced by low crime statistics for the area. Whilst Great Ashby is predominantly built on farmland, the area surrounding is rich in history: Great Ashby is fortunate to border the Weston Park character area with its gently sloping chalk plateau. This area contains ancient woodland containing oak and thorn, winding paths and intersecting lanes within an area of beauty and designated green belt. To the north and east of Great Ashby ancient woodland provides nature trails for walkers and the district park is popular with the local community. P a g e | 4 Between the nearby village of Graveley and the area of Chesfield Park lies farmland known as Forster Country, famed by the English novelist E.M. Forster, the author of A Room with a View, Howards End and A Passage to India amongst other novels. He famously described the surrounding countryside as being ‘the loveliest in England’. Also of note, some historic buildings are situated close to Great Ashby which show evidence of the remains of medieval life: probably most well known locally is the ruin of the Grade II listed 14th century church of St Elthelreda, which although sited within a private garden, is visible from the road in Back Lane. Historical websites also report other medieval sites to the north east of Great Ashby near to Halls Green and south of Weston where evidence was found of a 12th century medieval manorial site and Romano-British burials. South-east of Weston, there have been finds of prehistoric earthworks including flint scatters and pottery from the woods and fields indicating evidence of occupation dating back to the Neolithic period – suggesting settlement as early as circa 4000 BC. P a g e | 5 Your Local Councils The Great Ashby neighbourhood falls under two different local Councils depending on which area of the neighbourhood you live in. These councils cover planning, waste & recycling, parks and leisure. ▪ North Herts District Council (NHDC) – www.north-herts.gov.uk ▪ Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) – www.stevenage.gov.uk The Great Ashby Community Council is a parish level council set up in 2011 to support the North Herts District of Great Ashby. We support a number of projects to improve life for residents of Great Ashby. You’ll find minutes from the Council meetings on the Great Ashby Community Council notice board outside Budgens and also pinned on the notice board in the Community Centre. ▪ Great Ashby Community Council (GACC) – greatashbycouncil.org Hertfordshire County Council covers the whole of the county, and is responsible for roads, drains, schools and healthcare ▪ Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) – www.hertfordshire.gov.uk P a g e | 6 Neighbourhood Centre Amenities Blades Barbers Unit 1 St Francis House • Gents barbers • Closed Sundays • bladesbarbersstevenage.co.uk Budgens Unit 6 • Mini Supermarket • Open 7 days a week • ATM • budgens.co.uk Post Office Within Budgens in Unit 6 royalmail.com Sun Booth Unit 5A • Sunbed tanning salon Fortunes Place Unit 1 • Fish bar • Chinese Takeaway • Closed Sundays • fortunesplace.co.uk Dumb Blondes Unit 2 • Beauty Nail Hair salon • Closed Sundays • beautynailhairsalons.com Geoffrey Matthew Estates Unit 3 • Estate Agents • geoffreymatthew.co.uk Jhoots Pharmacy Unit 4 • Pharmacy • Free prescription collection & delivery • Closed Sundays • jhootspharmacy.co.uk Roebuck Veterinary Group St Francis House • Health care & advice for small animals • Manned 24hrs • roebuckvets.co.uk P a g e | 7 Playgrounds & Parks Playgrounds There are several children playgrounds located throughout the Great Ashby neighbourhood including: ▪ Snowdonia Way • Toddler swings • Older children's swings • Climbing frame ▪ Mendip Way and Cromdale Walk • Toddler swings • Other play equipment ▪ Cleveland Way • Toddler park ▪ Chilterns • Small play area ▪ Merrick Close • Small play area ▪ Fairfield Way / Great Ashby Way • Accessible roundabout ▪ Quantock Close • Toddler swings • Slides • Areas for older/younger children Parks ▪ Great Ashby District Park Picnic area • Play area • Woodland • Meadows • Free parking • Access by car via Serpentine Close from Great Ashby Way ▪ St Nicholas Park c0.5miles • 28 acre parkland • Play areas • Football pitch • BMX track • Fitness area • Access by foot from Great Ashby ▪ Fairland Valley Park c3.5 miles • 120 acre parkland • Lakes • Play areas • Water play facility • Woodland • Grassland • Sailing club • Café • Free parking ▪ Stanborough Park c13.4 miles • 126 acre riverside green area • Lakes • Watersports centre • Walking trails • Café • Car parking charges apply P a g e | 8 Locations of Playgrounds and Parks shown on the map below. P a g e | 9 Woodland Walks Covering all the mini walks below, with info board at the Great Ashby Community Centre. Brooches Wood Info board at start of walk off Cleveland Way. Claypithills Spring Running down the back of Quantock Close, info board off edge of District Park. Serpentine Wood Running between Serpentine Close and Thirlmere, with info board on Thirlmere side. Thirlmere Wood Around woods on other side of Thirlmere, no info board. P a g e | 10 Retail shops & Supermarkets Stevenage Old Town c2.5miles • Village feel • Coaching inns & pubs • Coffee shops • Restaurants • Independent shops • Free parking, restrictions apply Stevenage Town Centre c3miles • Pedestrianised shopping area • High street shops including Next, Boots, Wilkinsons & Primark • Range of parking options