Improvements to Hilltop shopping parade

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has recently made improvements to the Hilltop shopping parade in Highview, Hatfield, including the installation of two children’s “climbing boulders”.

The improvements are part of an ongoing project instigated by Hatfield West ward councillors Ron Wheeler and then-Mayor John Hawkins who sought to work with local residents and businesses to create a sense of pride in the area. The aim was to make physical improvements to the area, to address problems that the local community had identified.

The first phase of the project happened in February in the form of a community fun day which included a music workshop. During the day the ward councillors and Community and Environment Officers consulted with residents and shopkeepers to explore the positive and negative points of the area, what could be done to remove or reduce problems and what people wanted to be done to the shopping area.

Some of the things local people asked for included:

• New planting.
• Installation of a dog waste bin.
• The shop fronts to be cleaned and painted.
• Nearby garages to be painted.
• The post box to be painted.
• A small amount of play equipment to be installed in the central, visible area
• A focal point/functional artwork

Since February the council has added additional planting, installed a dog waste bin and had the post box repainted.

The climbing boulders, which were installed on Monday 1 October, provide an activity that is safe and challenging. The boulders are fully weather proof and safety tested. At present they are surrounded by a black specialised safety surface, through which grass will soon grow.

Read the full story in the press release.