Reprinted from the Dacorum Independent, 16th December 1998 issue.

Damning verdict delivered on borough blueprint

"AIMLESS AND OUT OF DATE"

"Ten years out of date and lacking in direction" was the damning verdict delivered on a blueprint for the future of Dacorum this week.

Environmental consultant Paul Mobbs told a public meeting the Dacorum Local Plan was one of the worst examples of such documents he had ever seen.

And at the meeting organised by Tring Environmental Forum last week, residents expressed anger that the future of their historic market town was being decided without proper consultation.

JENI CONNIBEER reports.

DEVELOPERS will be rubbing their hands with glee at the Dacorum Local Plan, says Paul Mobbs.

The document has identified a string of sites for housing and opponents will be powerless to prevent schemes going ahead on them, he told the environmental forum meeting.

He said: "This plan is just a response to the structure plan. The county said we need this much housing and Dacorum have just said OK, taken the cake and sliced it at random. There is no overall strategy, there is no consideration of things like schools and no economic analysis."

The forum's analysis of the borough council's proposals reveals 700 new houses are planned for Tring, out of the borough target of 7,200 - 250 of those have already been built.

In the plan, industrial units in Brook Street, Akeman Street and on the Cattle Market have been identified as possible sites for future housing.

The Brook Street and Cattle Market sites have been earmarked for a minimum of 20 houses.

But traders and residents say the town relies on services found at these sites and there is no requirement for extra housing in an area which already has huge parking problems.

At the meeting fears were voiced over the possible loss of industry, which it was said would be extremely damaging to Tring and was completely out of keeping with the concept of sustainable development.

"It encourages more commuters with more car use as people have to travel further to work and to obtain the services they need," said Paul Mobbs.

Town Councillor David Metcalfe said Chris Kew, owner of the Tring Brewery site in Akeman Street, was furious his land had been put up for housing. "He didn't know anything about it until he received our leaflet through his door," he said.

And Tring Brewery, which leases the land from Mr Kew, was in the dark about the council's intentions for its premises. "The directors shall be looking into this," said a spokesman.

Ex-county councillor Trevor Marwood complained of a lack of consultation. "It is 888 pages long and we have only nine weeks, including Christmas, to make constructive comments," he said.

Paul Mobbs believes it opens far too many doors for developers.

"It is far too long and there is far too much in it - the public should only concern itself with reading half of it because the rest is irrelevant," he said.

 Response to the Dacorum Local Plan  Paul Mobbs  THE FULL TEXT

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