Baldock, Bygrave & Clothall Planning Group – Background
This group (BBPlan) was created to enable residents, businesses and community groups in Baldock, Bygrave and Clothall to influence the conservation, enhancement and future development of the area, including proposals that come forward through the District Council’s Local Plan.
The Neighbourhood plan does not seek to duplicate work already included in the Local Plan. It focuses on specific interests of the local community that have been identified through our events and last year’s community survey. Successful at a 2021 referendum, the plan will be used by NHDC alongside the Local Plan to manage development in the area, and provide a basis for wider actions to enhance Baldock, Bygrave & Clothall.
Why a Neighbourhood Plan is needed
Baldock, Bygrave & Clothall share a lot of history and form a thriving community. Baldock has excellent schools, a successful High Street and a strong community spirit. Since the building of the bypass a lot of work has been done to enhance the centre of the town. With the ever increasing pressure to find new sites for housing, North Hertfordshire District Council has proposed the development of land around Baldock that has previously been considered unsuitable (some of which straddles the boundaries between Baldock, Bygrave & Clothall).
Whatever happens with this, it is important that any sites that are allocated for development are planned in the best way possible, that the impacts are managed and that every opportunity is taken to maximise any benefits that can be secured for the town and parish. The local community are well placed to understand those issues and develop a new vision for Baldock, Bygrave & Clothall that addresses local concerns.
So what is a Neighbourhood Plan?
In summary it provides a vision and policies for an area, produced and endorsed by local people, and which – now finalised – has equal weight to the District Council’s Local Plan as a framework for considering future development. It provides an opportunity to set out what is important about the area, how it might grow and improve, and specific policies that planning applications need to be assessed against (e.g. on design, green space, provision for pedestrians and cyclists, parking, etc). There are some limits on what it can do. It cannot override the ‘strategic’ policies in the District Council’s local plan (such as those on the overall scale of growth), but it can nevertheless be an important means of influencing the final outcome.
The Group needs as many members and support as it can possibly have. We urge all Bygrave, Baldock and Clothall Residents to get behind this initiative. For more details, please contact info@bbplan.co.uk
The current committee is made up of :-
Adrienne Waterfield Chair / Project Manager
Rob Hemmings Treasurer
Philip Hills Bygrave Parish Council Chair
Albert Sillwood Secretary
Shawn Nudd Planning Application Response Coordinator
Christine Watson Community Liaison Coordinator
Advisors :-
Helen Howard Clothall (with Luffenhall) Parish Chair
Stephen Proops Technical Communication Manager
Neil Brown Regular Planning Application Review
Members above stood for election in June 2021 and were re-elected. Rev’d Andrew Holford stood down as Chair, and Shawn Nudd joined the committee.
However in order to keep the group going we would very much welcome new volunteers. Please email info@bbplan.co.uk to let us know if you are interested, or would like further information.
Constitution of the Group –
set out in the pdf document – BBPlan Constitution
BBPlan Logo –
