Forthcoming Working Group Meetings

We have five working group meetings currently scheduled.

Our Natural Environment and Green Spaces Working Group will discuss considerations such as the disused railway, Bengeo quarry, leisure & recreation and play areas in Bengeo Ward on Tuesday 26th September (venue TBC).

Our Homes & Development Working Group will meet at The Greyhound in Bengeo Street  on Wednesday 27th September at 8pm.

Our Traffic & Transport Working Group will meet at The White Lion in Bengeo Street on Wednesday 27th September at 7:30pm.  Some of the key considerations include the sustainable transport in Bengeo (cycle lanes, bus services, etc), parking issues, pedestrian concerns, speed limits, B158 and through Bengeo traffic, etc. Volunteers who would like to be involved in looking for future solutions in Bengeo are most welcome to join.

Our Business Working Group  will met at 3-5 Cowbridge  on Friday 29th September at 6pm.  We would like to hear from businesses, retailers, and employers big and small in Bengeo Ward (which includes St Andrew St, north of North Road, and Three Lakes). Have your say and help shape the Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan for the next 15 years.

Finally, our Culture & Community Working Group will me at The Greyhound in Bengeo Street on Thursday 12th October at 7:30pm.

Please get in touch if you are interested in either of these Working Groups.

Working Groups Workshop Report

On Tuesday 12th September a workshop for volunteers of the BNAP working groups took place at Hertford Theatre.  The five working groups focused on the areas of

  • Home and Development
  • Culture and Community
  • Natural Environment and Green Spaces
  • Transport and Traffic
  • Business

The workshop was led by Hertford Town Council Planning consultant, Jacqueline Veater, who will be guiding BNAP through the drafting of the neighbourhood plan.

Now that the area of the Bengeo Ward has been officially designated, the next stage will be to prepare a draft for the plan.  Over the course of the workshop, Jacqueline outlined the different stages of the development of the neighbourhood plan and the vital role of the working groups in the process.

As a starting point, the groups were asked to identify a future vision for the Bengeo Ward; volunteers discussed what they most value about living or working in Bengeo ward and areas that could be improved.  

Some of the key topics which were discussed include:

  • Access to green spaces
  • Maintaining the sense of a village community whilst also having a strong central area for people to meet
  • Quality of schools
  • Support for Local businesses to encourage business enterprise
  • Green travel/ initiatives

The working groups broke off into their topic areas to discuss key issues which will then be formed into practical objectives which will help BNAP to formulate an action plan and gather evidence to support the policies.  As a guide, volunteers are encouraged to come up with objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Realistic and Time bound (SMART).  

The objective outcomes and discussions from the working group meetings will help us to write questions for a detailed survey that will ask Bengeo Ward residents about all the issues that matter to them.  The questionnaire will be one of the most effective ways for us to gather views from a large percentage of residents/businesses in the area.   The responses that we receive will help us to write policies that will shape the future of the Ward.

The next step in the process will be individual meetings for each of the working groups within the next few weeks.  These meetings will allow the working groups to focus on their specific areas and continue identifying key objectives which will be presented at the next steering committee meeting on 5th October .

This initiative is an exciting opportunity to improve our local area and we welcome your feedback and involvement.  If you would like to join one of the working groups or volunteer in any other way please get in touch.

Workshops for Working Group Volunteers

Local residents are invited to a practical workshop for members of BNAP Working Groups and Steering Group at 7:30pm on Tuesday 12th September 2017 at Hertford Theatre. Places are limited so please confirm your attendance.

The workshop will be led by Hertford Town Council’s Planning Consultant and it will focus on:

  • Turning the issues that have been raised so far into draft objectives and a vision
  • Formulating questions to be included in the Neighbourhood Plan survey
  • Collecting evidence to support the planning policies
  • Practical hints and tips on good practice for neighbourhood planning.

We look forward to seeing you then.