Planning Matters
Several significant applications are due to be considered by the KPC Planning Committee on 13th October. Please submit your comments to NHDC before the deadline if you have views, and/or raise them with the KPC Planning Committee. As in all Parish and District Council meetings, members of the public are welcome to attend committee meetings:
Knebworth GP Surgery: An application has been made for 1 Stevenage Road a proposal for eight one-bedroom flats on the site of the Knebworth GP Surgery – the deadline for comments to be made to NHDC is 9th October, and as HCC is responsible for the provision of the GP surgeries, Knebworth’s HCC representative, Cllr Richard Thake, is fully involved.
Solar Farms: At its last planning meeting KPC objected to the proposed Swangley’s Lane Solar Farm, having had extensive discussion and views expressed by residents, other members of the public and the developer, and will be considering a second solar farm at Crouch Green, on Three Houses Lane (deadline 16th October).
Knebworth Park Cricket Club: An amended application is due to be considered (deadline 30th October).
Other residential: A new application for the Bulwer Lytton House site in Lytton Fields (deadline 16th October) and an application for proposed development at 111 London Road will also be considered.
NHDC – Capital and Grant Funding Awards
Two awards of additional funding have been made by NHDC committees:
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A grant of £7,000 has been awarded to Knebworth Parish Council by the NHDC Rural Community Halls Capital Fund. This will allow a major upgrade to the heating system in the Village Hall, just in time for the cold winter months.
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The Knebworth Day Centre for the vulnerable and elderly received a boost when it received a grant of £1,000 from NHDC’s Southern Rural Area Committee to help with operational costs. Knebworth Day Centre, a not-for-profit organisation staffed by ten volunteers, has provided social activities for elderly and frail people for 25 years, and currently around 15 members meet every Monday from 10am to 3pm.
Parking – Proposals for Further Restrictions
I hope that some of you were able to attend the meeting in the Village Hall on 23rd September when proposals to introduce further parking restrictions in Pondcroft Road, Milestone Road, Deanscroft, Gun Lane, Gun Road and (to a minor extent) Station Road. There is also a proposal, although at an earlier stage, to introduce parking restrictions in Watton Road. Full details are available in the Library or on the Parish Council and NHDC websites. Please be quick as the deadline for comments is 3rd October – you can email comments to transport@north-herts.gov.uk.
Norton Green Common
Fly Tipping and illegal access to the SSSI on the Common continues to be a problem. Representatives of Natural England and HCC have just been out to look at the tipping and have proposed a solution to restrict access on the Common by introducing bollards right along up to the beginning of the SSSI. Knebworth Estates have agreed pay for the bollards as they will also stop access to their woodland, which has suffered from fly tipping in the past.
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