New website encourages Dacorum residents to have their say on what issues are important to them

Have your say on the issues that matter to you - as a new website launches to plan for the future of the area.

Dacorum Borough Council, working with Hertfordshire County Council and the four other councils which comprise South West Hertfordshire - Hertsmere Borough Council, St Albans City and District Council, Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council - are planning for the future of the area.

They are putting together the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan (SW Herts JSP) will look at the future of SW Herts to 2050.

The plan will look at strategic issues, including infrastructure, which cross council boundaries.

And the councils say that by working together, they will be in a stronger position to deliver, and better fund, the homes, essential local transport links, health services, educational facilities and employment that local people want to see, as well as ensuring that this part of Hertfordshire is sustainable, cleaner, greener and healthier.

The website - www.swhertsplan.com - has been set up to help people find out about the SW Herts JSP, and get involved in the process.

It will build on more than 14,900 comments submitted as part of the ‘SW Herts – Your Future’ engagement that took place in early 2020.

The JSP will need to take account of Dacorum’s Local Plan and the others being developed by the individual councils for their areas.

Dacorum Borough Councillor Alan Anderson, portfolio holder for planning and infrastructure said: "By teaming up in this way, the local authorities maximise the opportunity to obtain the infrastructure crucial to future development, without surrendering our ability to control the future development of our local areas.

"I encourage Dacorum's residents to have a look at the new website for the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan, and to get involved, as this will help us to obtain the best possible facilities for future development."

Cllr Chris White, Leader of St Albans City and District Council, who chairs the SW Herts councillor group comprised of representatives from all of the councils in the area said: “The councils in South West Hertfordshire are working together to set out our vision for the future in what will be a new Joint Strategic Plan for the whole of this part of Hertfordshire.

"This new website provides lots of information about the work we are doing and how local people can get involved.”

A series of videos from leaders across the academic, industry and voluntary sectors and a questionnaire asking what type of future might be possible in SW Herts is available to view online. This initial opportunity to help shape the vision runs until Tuesday, December 14.

There will be a further opportunity to influence the vision for the SW Herts Joint Strategic Plan when it is formally issued for comment in 2022.