Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth presented the recommendation which was referred to the Executive on 22 November 2022 regarding a recommendation to agree the Masterplanning Framework as a material consideration for Development Management purposes.

Councillor J Goodeve proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported.

Councillor Ruffles seconded the proposal.

Councillor Goldspink said that she was confused by this proposal given that there was some opposition.

She said that the plan seemed to centre on whether there should be a quarry and if the quarry was not included whether housing could be built.  She said that situation was complicated to residents and that there was a campaign to stop housing being built in this area. Councillor Goldspink said she would be abstaining from voting.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that this site was an allocated site in the District Plan and it complied with the council’s policies. She said that there had not been a planning application submitted but it was anticipated that one would be forthcoming  shortly.

Councillor Wilson said that he supported the “Save Bengeo Fields Campaign” and was hopeful that an application would not go through but he understood the need for a Masterplan.

Councillor Curtis said that he was aware of the campaign and that green space should be retained and would not be voting but would be drafting a judgement to all ward Members and would vote in line with them..   

The motion to support this recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

          RESOLVED – that the North of Hertford –      Land West of Wadesmill Road,Bengeo      (HERT4, Phase 2) Masterplanning           Framework October 2022 be agreed as          a material consideration for Development    Management purposes.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth presented the Masterplanning Framework report for North of Hertford – Land West of Wadesmill Road, Bengeo (HERT4, Phase 2). She said that in the District Plan, Policy DES1 Masterplanning requires all ‘significant’ development proposals to prepare a Masterplan.  Masterplans should be collaboratively prepared and informed by community engagement.  For the North of Hertford – Land West of Wadesmill Road site, Policy HERT4 also requires a Masterplan to be prepared.

Councillor Goodeve said that Policy DES1 states that in order to ensure that sites are planned and delivered comprehensively, any application for development will be assessed against its contribution to the Masterplan as a whole.

Councillor Goodeve said that since the agenda report was published, an anomaly on the plans within the Appendix A Masterplanning Framework regarding the depiction of the northern boundary of the strategic site allocation had been identified and corrected.  An amended version had been uploaded to the website which superseded the previous document in the original agenda. She said that this required a slight amendment to the report recommendation to read “That the North of Hertford – Land West of Wadesmill Road, Bengeo (HERT4, Phase 2) Masterplanning Framework, October 2022, as detailed in Appendix A to this report, as amended, be agreed as a material consideration for Development Management purposes.

Councillor Ruffles said that it was very important that the design framework was set out as the debate about the future of the land continued. He said that a petition was presented to the last Council meeting about the future of the site and he said he had been very involved in public discussions. She said that the clarity of the design framework was very important and it would make the sure the future of HERT4 was properly controlled and in accordance with the ideals of the masterplanning process.

Councillor Buckmaster said he had read through the proposals and felt they were really good and hoped that they would be carried forward to any future planning application.

Councillor Kaye said he had been involved with the masterplanning process for Ware North and East and had seen changes made due to the collaboration between interest parties.

Councillor Goodeve proposed, and Councillor Boylan seconded a motion supporting the recommendation in the report. On being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – To recommend to Council that the North of Hertford – Land West of Wadesmill Road, Bengeo (HERT4, Phase 2) Masterplanning Framework, October 2022, as detailed in Appendix A to this report, as amended, be agreed as a material consideration for Development Management purposes.