In this last article before Christmas, I thought I would get my crystal ball out and look into what could be happening to the town over the next year or so. One of the things you have to learn quickly in local government is the speed that decisions are made bare no relation to the real world. This is largely due to that funny idea that a council is accountable to the people who put them into power. Some of the new Councillors took the view that they were elected as representatives of the public and, as such, could pursue their own personal crusade. Others wanted to ask the public before making any decision about anything. Somewhere between these two extremes appears to me to be about right. As a council, we hope we have been more accessible than previous councils with the newsletter called the ‘Conqueror’, public meetings called and a regular ‘surgery’ that over the past year have had the three conservative Borough Councillors as well as most of the independent Town Councillors in attendance at some time or the other. These will continue during the coming year, generally in the Foyer of the Town Hall on the third Saturday of the month, so make a note in your diary. The newsletter has evolved, but most will agree that it is still not quite right. The public meetings started with the hungry hundred, then we had the faithful fifty and the most recent meeting would be considered as poorly attended. You have to admit, we have tried, and we will continue to look for acceptable ways to gauge the views of Berkhamstedians.

We lost a golden opportunity to affect the ‘traffic calming’ between St. Johns Well Lane and Kings Road owing to an indecent haste in getting the thing finished in time for Christmas, but like Waitrose, it is over and done with. Herts County Council have got funds to design the next ‘enhancement’ to take place between Three Close Lane and Cedar Road (or it may be Swing Gate Lane). This particular project will be part of the Conservation Area Partnership with English Heritage and is designed to improve the eastern approach to the town. I live in hope that we will have more time to consider the proposals in depth before any commitment is made. Whilst on the subject, I am assured that the works already started may well be finished in the fullness of time providing funds can be made available from county. You may be interested to know that the mayor, Cllr. Peter Such attended a public meeting at Wadebridge, Cornwall, which was one of the other towns inflicted with a ‘demonstration project’, and the meeting resolved to request national government to make funds available to correct the more unliked and unworkable features as the County and Borough Councils failed to see why they should pay to put them right. As a Council, we will be watching for the outcome of their representations with interest.

On a lighter note, after many years of having the ‘de-lisle’ clock telling fibs and each face disagreeing with each other, we think we have found a way of getting it repaired. The Youth Council should hold its’ first meeting early in the new year having had a long gestation period, but will come under the wing of the new Community Action Committee under the chairmanship of Cllr. Stan Sharpe. This committee will hold just two meetings in the committee cycles before the end of this municipal year and it is intended to pick up on community activities that have, until now, slipped through the net. Other items that will have to be addressed during the coming month include the future of the AgrEvo site, the old Waitrose site (assuming someone does not move in fairly promptly) and future housing in the County.

You notice that the last item is not quite the same as County and Borough are suggesting. They start from the premise that the County has to house its’ own predicted housing requirement and this has been agreed broadly by the Borough Council. My personal problem is that Berkhamsted has developed over the years along a valley bottom and only able to extend up the steep sides once builders had cracked the problem of houses slipping back down the hill. This has meant the town has a shortage of ‘urban open space’ and does not meet current guidelines for the population. We are also surrounded by metropolitan green belt which was intended to provide ‘breathing space’ for towns around London and ensure that urban sprawl was curtailed. If you have a view or wish to know more, then the Borough wants to hear your views and will be providing a chance to find out more direct from Borough officers and Councillors at a public exhibition on January 9th in the Berkhamsted Civic Centre from 6 p.m.. to 9 p.m.. The County Structure plan will be examined in public starting March 1997 and the Borough need written comments by 31st January in order that they can make final representations to County.