The balloons have burst, the buffet has been cleared away, and the dignitaries have dispersed. But a month after the official launch of city centre showpiece Jubilee Square, the long game has only just begun, as the district council has many years ahead before it finishes paying for the development. Although...
The brakes are off! SADC has announced preparations for a possible early submission of its long-awaited Local Plan, in a bid to shield against a wave of speculative development across the district. SADC planned to submit its draft Local Plan by April 2025, however, in light of the proposed changes to...
Can local campaigns fighting housing developments in the district succeed in the face of intense pressure on council bosses to hit targets? Even before the Government’s recent announcement of new house-building figures, SADC was in the unenviable position of having to accommodate thousands of properties on land which was largely Green...
An invitation by Harpenden Town Council asking for a formal partnership with the district council to jointly develop and agree a parking strategy for the town has been rejected. A recent extraordinary general meeting of HTC was dominated by discussion of the proposed parking changes, which could see the end of...
The St Albans district could be forced to take up to 70 per cent more homes than already included in its draft Local Plan, after the new Government ordered the biggest nationwide house-building drive in generations. All councils in England have been given new, mandatory housing targets to pave the way...
Fly-tipped rubbish left strewn around council housing land will be removed within seven days, councillors have pledged. The decision was made at the recent full council meeting, following pressure from the Labour group after ongoing issues in London Colney. Fly-tipping at Cotlandswick garages took a month and a half to remove, while...
There are no signs that the closed footpath from St Michael’s village into Verulamium Park will re-open any time soon, councillors have confirmed. The route from St Michael’s Street into Bell Meadow was shut for safety reasons back in May, after the footpath became slippery due to flooding from the River...
There will be no further debate involving all St Albans district councillors on Green Belt development proposed in the Local Plan, the leader of SADC has confirmed. The confirmation came as Cllr Paul de Kort was being quizzed by opposition councillors at the recent full council meeting. Labour’s Cllr Mike Hobday asked...
There will be no slackening of standards required to become a hackney taxi driver in the St Albans district, councillors have confirmed. A revised Taxi Licensing Policy proposed changing the knowledge test process by reducing it to a multiple choice routes-only test for taxi drivers and removing it completely for private...
District council leader Cllr Paul de Kort has revealed that the official opening of Jubilee Square will take place later this month. In a report to the full council meeting taking place this week, he confirmed that the sale to Watford Community Housing Trust completed on June 26. Cllr de Kort said:...
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