The Parish Council meets at 7.30pm on Thursday, 18 December the Church Room. The agenda can be downloaded and contains links to all the supporting papers, some of which are replicated below. Everyone is able to attend and comment on agenda items or raise matters that are of concern.

Highways

446 people or c. 40% of village residents responded to the survey about whether a raised platform should be installed at the Potten End crossroads.

• 426 of those respondents or 96% were in favour,
• 14 were against
• 6 were neutral.

282 people added comments illustrating the depth of feeling about speeding through the village and the safety of that junction. 

Whether you were for or against the proposal the Council would like to thank you for taking the time to participate. There’s a summary of the results and comments and a full transcript of all the comments on the Council’s website, both the summary and individual comments make really interesting reading. The results have been forwarded to our County Councillor as this is an issue for Hertfordshire Highways and we will keep you informed of what happens next.

The gas main replacement programme ran into technical problems both at the original site at the Potten End crossroads and when they moved into Little Heath Lane and so all work has now been suspended until the New Year. This doesn’t bode well for the original 4 month timescale but we’ll keep you advised of developments.

All roadworks over the next three months are summarised here or for more up to date information please refer to Causeway one network.

Planning

Since the last meeting the Council objected to revised plans for the replacement dwelling at Frithsden Vineyard (25/01407/ROC). 

At its meeting on Thursday the Council will consider the following applications:

• 2 Little Heath Cottages – loft conversion and new front porch (25/02912/LDP) 
• 15 The Back – demolition of existing timber shed and garage and construction of new outbuilding with pitched roof (25/02819/FHA)
• 7 The Laurels – tree works (25/03029/TPO)
• Mollcroft, 69 Hempstead Lane – outline planning application for the construction of up to three self/custom built dwellings (25/02852/OUT)

Over recent months there have been a number of planning applications for large (c. 1.7m – 2m high) solid double driveway gates which the Parish Council has been supporting but which have been refused by Dacorum. The most recent (Hollybush Wood – 25/02547/FHA) was refused on the grounds that “their design, scale and solid appearance fronting the highway, would not harmonise with the character of the surrounding street scene and would reduce openness. The visual harm is such that the development fails to retain or protect features essential to the character and appearance of the countryside”. If you’re considering installing this type of gate the council would urge you to undertake careful research on what has been allowed recently and not to assume that just because you can see examples of similar historic installations that they will be permitted now.

On a related matter there is a Herts Highways requirement that gates should be set back 6m from the road so that vehicles driving up to them don’t obstruct the road. Again, if you’re thinking of installing gates please make certain that you’re aware of any requirements like this.

Open Spaces

The Council will be considering a proposal to increase rents for an allotment plot.

Having had to defer maintenance work to the pond until Spring 2026, the Council has agreed to a further deferment so as not to disturb the frog mating season; we’ll get there in the end!

The safety surface underneath the swings has been replaced and the fence has been extended along Plough Lane to stop children running out from between parked cars. The Council will be considering a proposal received from a resident that the fence should be filled in to prevent children climbing on it.

Residents in Vicarage Rd who back onto the sports field have been discovering quantities of golf balls in their gardens. The sports field is there for everyone’s use, but if you are using it for golf practice please ensure that your choice of club keeps balls within the space available; it might not be the weather for sitting in your garden, but no-one wants to be peppered with golf balls.

Finance

There is an ongoing saga about grants paid by Dacorum BC to parish and town councils and which constitute 30% of our income. Somehow and despite everywhere outside of Hemel paying a tax called precept as part of council tax, LibDem and Labour councillors on the council have decided that Hemel is subsidising the rural areas.

There are two grants under consideration. 

Dacorum BC has decided to reduce the Wardens Grant by 50% in 2026/27 and to withdraw it altogether from 2027/28. The Parish Warden is responsible for collecting litter around the parish and a significant amount of maintenance work ranging from hedge cutting to ivy removal as well as supporting parish events like the Christmas lights around the pond and the road closure for the remembrance service. The Parish Council believes that the services of the warden are necessary to maintain the parish at its current level and this unfortunately means that the precept which funds the parish council and forms part of your council tax will have to increase.

Dacorum has decided to pay a second grant, the Concurrent Services grant, in full in 2026/27 but its payment after that will be subject to further discussion and everything suggests that Dacorum wants to reduce the cost of this support. Broadly speaking this grant helps fund maintenance of the open spaces around the village like The Green, the Spencer Holland Recreation Ground and the sports field. Again the Parish Council has decided that it doesn’t wish to reduce the current level of service. We won’t know what the impact will be until we receive a proposal from Dacorum, but it’s likely to lead to more pressure on precept from 2027/28.

Turning to more constructive matters, the Council will receive updates on the four community improvement projects it has agreed to fund from money received from new property development – a new scout hut, the development of the Old Green to help the school, a new goal on Spencer Holland, and improvements to the caretaker’s accommodation at the Village Hall. The Council will also consider a grant request from the Bowls Club.

The parish council is responsible for maintaining, and ensuring the safety of, the equipment on the Spencer Holland Recreation Ground. It has recently replaced two swing seats and chains, and resurfaced the area under the climbing frame. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has just given both the play area and sports ground clean bills of health following its annual inspection.

Members of the parish council often report problems such as fly-tipping, potholes in roads, fallen trees on footpaths and overflowing waste bins. Actually this can be done directly by any member of the public. Our Useful Links contain information on how to do this – they are simple processes and can lead to a speedier resolution than first trying to contact a council member.

The next meeting to be held will be at 7.30pm on Thursday 19th July 2019 in the Potten End Church Rooms. All meetings include an opportunity for the general public to contribute.  The council aims to have minutes posted on this website within seven days of each meeting.

Hertfordshire County Council have announced that part of The Common (marked in red on the map) will be closed on 11 July for tree felling, along with a 520 metre section of the Nettleden Road north west of the village (not shown on this map).
If you have any queries about these works or the temporary road closures, please contact Colin Cromar tel.01379 676 462 at TMO Highways or Joanne Robinson tel.0300 123 4047 at Hertfordshire County Council