The Parish Council has lodged an objection to this proposal with Dacorum Borough Council on the grounds of visual impact, inappropriate development in Green Belt, and loss of arable land. In objecting the Council fully recognizes the urgency of the climate crisis, the energy crisis and the critical need for greater energy-independence. Large-scale, diversified and efficient sources
of renewable energy are necessary for our future, and we understand that solar
energy plays a role in that. The full text of the Council’s objection is available for download. Details of the proposals may be found on the Dacorum BC website.

The Parish Council meets at 7.30pm on Thursday, 20 February in the Church Room at Potten End. The agenda can be downloaded and contains links to all the supporting papers. Ashridge House The meeting will start with a presentation from Mr David Evans of Ashridge House who will provide an update on public events, long-term plans including improvements to the site, buildings and landscaping, and plans to make rooms available to the public at times whilst continuing to to be a business school, conference centre and wedding venue. Local Government re-organisation The Government has announced plans to re-organise local government and has asked Hertfordshire County Council and its districts, including Dacorum, to submit interim plans by 21 March 2025 with full proposals to follow by 28 November. The Government has made it very clear that it expects the plans to be for one or more new unitary councils in Hertfordshire, i.e. there will no longer be two levels of authorities within the county. At the moment there is no more information.  The elections for county councillors will take place as scheduled on 1 May 2025. There is no information on the future role for Parish and Town Councils. Consultations Dacorum are consulting on their “Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan“, comments need to be made by 23 March. Highways There are a number of road closures in and around the parish over the next three months for a variety of reasons.  Leighton Buzzard Rd will be closed overnight between 18 and 22 February for resurfacing.  Nettleden Rd will have traffic management from 24 – 26 February for Affinity Water Hempstead Lane will have traffic management from 24 February – 16 May as Cadent replace old gas pipes Red Lion Lane will be closed for Open Reach on 25 February Frithsden Lane will be closed from 10 – 12 March for surface dressing by Herts Highways Roman Road will be closed from 17 – 22 March for drainage investigations by Herts Highways Hempstead Lane will have traffic management  for work by Affinity Water. For more up to date information on roadworks please refer to Causeway one network. Good luck! Open Spaces The Council will be considering a proposal to light a beacon to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day on 8th May. The pond has been included in a study being undertaken by Heriot-Watt University into frogs and as a result you may see small temporary floating enclosures in the pond as part of an exercise to help understand environmental stressors affecting tadpoles and their habitats. Dacorum successfully prosecuted a fly-tipper for illegally dumping waste on Nettleden Road – if you see fly-tipping anywhere it really is worth reporting it (see the link at the bottom of this email), and not just to get it removed. Planning The Council will consider the following applications at its meeting (reference numbers relate to the Dacorum Planning Portal): Crossways, Little Heath Lane – variations to an approved planning application (24/02575/ROC) Frithsden Vineyard – formation of a new winery (23/01894/FUL) Frithsden Vineyard – variation to an existing approved application for a new dwelling (25/00323/ROC) 4A Vicarage Rd – alterations to roof, new porch and canopy, new windows (25/00218/FHA) Social Care and other support Report It If you see anything around the parish that doesn’t look right, like fly-tipping, dead animals, missed bin collections, problems with footpaths, anti-social behaviour, illegal parking, then the first port of call is to report it using Dacorum’s on-line reporting tool. Always keep a note of the reference number they issue in case we need to follow up on it. HertsHelp Hertfordshire County Council run a service called HertsHelp which can be contacted either by email at info@hertshelp.net or by phone on 0300 123 4044. It provides access to a wide range of services grouped as follows: struggling to cope, care and carers living healthier transport, bus passes and blue badge home services and equipment cost of living If you know anyone who might benefit from any of these services, please encourage them to get in touch. Hertfordshire Directory The Hertfordshire Directory is an online tool to make it easier for people to find the help they need it as soon as they need it, bringing together services, groups, and providers across the county that offer support and advice in a range of areas. There’s already a wide range of services and providers listed in the Directory, from day centres and dance groups to counselling and community activities, but they’d like many more. If you know of a service that could improve people’s lives and is not listed on the Hertfordshire Directory, then contact Anne Ardley, Directory Project Officer anne.ardley@hertfordshire.gov.uk Dates for your diary The next council meetings will be on 20 March (when Alice Missler from Hertfordshire CC will be giving a short talk about HertsLynx) and 17 April, both at 7.30pm at the Church Room.

Highways

It looks as though the worst of the road closures are behind us at least for the next three months, although Cadent are returning for their third attempt to sort out the gas mains along Church Rd in the May half term. 

The parish council has submitted a grant application to the Police and Crimes Commissioner to trial new technology that will make speed monitoring much easier and will be replacing the batteries in the speed monitoring device along Water End Rd to see if that can be re-commissioned.

Open Spaces

The Council will be considering a proposal to commission the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust to produce a pond management plan to form the basis of future maintenance activity. It will also be considering a proposal to clear approximately 5m of the undergrowth on the Conservation Green (that part of the Green to the west of Hempstead Lane – the Martins Pond side) where it has encroached over recent years and to repair the sleepers that protect the edge of the Green along its boundary with The Green (the road), along with installing wooden posts at the corner of The Green with The Common and Hempstead Lane.

The new village sign has now been delivered and will be installed shortly on the Conservation Green, i.e. the opposite side of Hempstead Lane than it was previously because that location is prone to vehicles missing the turning and hitting it.

For many years the village has benefitted from a series of committed residents who have run football clubs for varying ages on the sports field; we are extremely grateful to everyone who has been involved. Unfortunately no-one has stepped forward to run a team for the 2026/27 season. If this is something you think you might be able to help us with, please get in tocuh.

Planning

Our thanks to Cllr Eamonn Brennan who missed the last parish council meeting because a planning application for Four Acres Farm on Nettleden Rd was scheduled to be discussed by the Dacorum Planning Committee. Unfortunately the entire meeting was taken up discussing a major development at Tring and the discussion about Four Acres was deferred to this coming Thursday – which means that Cllr Brennan will miss another meeting so he can argue the case for why the Parish Council objected to this proposal.

There have been a number of references in recent news letters about the risk of the government’s definition of grey belt to Potten End. The Parish Council would like to thank Borough Councillor Terry Douris for co-sponsoring a debate at Dacorum which has led to Dacorum writing to the government on this subject.

At the meeting on Thursday the Council will consider:

i. 26/00944/FHA – Cleft Oak Cottage, Hollybush Close, Potten End, HP4 2SN – Demolition of existing side garage and rear extension and construction of single storey side and rear extensions and two storey front and rear extensions and associated works.

ii 26/00979/FUL – Bakery Flat, 21 Water End Road, Potten End, HP4 2SH – Extensions to and conversion of existing dwelling and ground floor disused shop to create 1 x 2 bed and 1 X 3 bed self-contained dwellings with private amenity space.

iii 26/01034/LDP– Roseheath Wood, Bullbeggars Lane, Potten End, HP4 2RS – Construction of timber vehicular gates, brick piers, and a pedestrian side door to a maximum height of 2.0 metres, situated 17.5 metres from the site boundary and 24.0 metres from the edge of the adopted highway. Installation of 1.0-metre high brick flanking walls at the property entrance and the creation of permeable gravel driveway and visitor parking bay.

iv 26/01095/TPO– Williams Wood, Vicarage Road, Potten End, HP4 2RA – works to trees

Finance

The Council will consider a grant request from the Potten End Pre-school for £250 to support it’s summer fete.

May is the start of the Council’s year and as a result there is a lot of administration to get through, signing off the accounts for 2025/26 and agreeing the core elements of the council for 2026/27 – we’ll aim to get through these important but frankly slightly tedious processes as quickly as possible.

Details Of Meeting

Meeting held on Thursday 15th June 2017
In the Church Rooms, Potten End at 7.30pm
Continue reading “PC Meeting Thursday 15th June 2017”

Meeting held on Thursday 17th January 2019
In the Church Rooms, Potten End at 7.30pm
Continue reading “Parish Council Meeting Thursday 17th January 2019”