District Plan Review Process

The District Plan 2005 sets out policies which guide the use and development of land within Welwyn Hatfield.  The process of replacing the Welwyn Hatfield District Plan Alterations No 1 began in late 1998. It was originally known as the 'District Plan Review'.

The adopted Welwyn Hatfield District Plan 2005 replaces the Welwyn Hatfield District Plan Alterations No.1 (1998). The council will use the new District Plan to guide the use and development of land and to assist in the determination of planning applications in Welwyn Hatfield. It has policies to control the design and location of new buildings.  It is in accordance with the Hertfordshire Structure Plan and government planning policies.  Overall, the aim of the Plan is to improve the quality of life in the district by providing for sustainable development.

Key Issues Paper

During the first stage of the District Plan review process the council held a series of consultation workshops between May and July 1998, involving parish councils, environmental and amenity groups, residents groups and young people, to discuss the linked themes of sustainable development and quality of life issues in the district.

The results of the workshops were reported to the council’s District Plan Panel in October 1998 and fed into the production of a series of Key Issues Papers including one on sustainable development, published in September 1999.

The Sustainable Development Issues Paper was intended to provide the context for an overall strategy for the plan and it identified seven key issues for the district, namely:

• Protecting the environment and preserving natural resources
• Maintaining and developing a sense of community
• Reducing dependency on the car
• Meeting local housing needs
• Maintaining economic prosperity and jobs
• Sustaining the countryside and rural communities
• Revitalising town and village centres
  

In response to the consultation on the Key Issues Papers there was strong support for the principle of sustainable development although concern was expressed over aims to reduce car use and parking provision. While there was a mixed response to the sustainability tests there was general support for the intention to use them to assess development.

Public Consultation on the Welwyn Hatfield District Plan Review

The Deposit Version of the Welwyn Hatfield District Plan Review was available for public consultation from January to March 2001. In response the council received over 1,700 individual comments (representations) on the Plan, of which 1,300 are objections and 300 in support.  A summary of the representations received and the Council’s responses can be viewed on this site.

In response to these representations, some changes were made to the Plan.  The new document, the Revised Deposit Plan, was made available for public consultation from June to July 2002.  The council received over 190 individual comments (representations) on the revised version of the Plan, of which 118 were objections and 64 in support. A summary of the representations received and the Council’s responses can be viewed on this site.

Pre-Inquiry Changes

In response to the representations to the Revised Deposit Plan, some changes were proposed to reflect people's concerns and to update the Plan.

The council has produced a document called Pre-Inquiry Changes to the Revised Deposit Version (December 2002), which was available for consultation from December 2002 to January 2003. It only contains the proposed changes to the Plan and so should be read together with the Revised Deposit Version. Only sections that have proposed changes appear in the Pre-Inquiry Changes. Both the Pre-Inquiry Changes and the Revised Deposit Plan can be viewed on this site. Printed copies of both are also available to view at the Council Offices, The Campus.

Public Local Inquiry

Michael Clark (FRTPI FRICS) was appointed as Inspector by the First Secretary of State to conduct the Inquiry. The Inquiry opened on 7 May 2003 and officially closed on 4 November 2003.