Dacorum residents, business-owners and visitors urged to have their say on future of the borough

The council is calling on Dacorum residents to help shape the future of the borough.

From today (Monday), residents can comment on Dacorum Borough Council’s revised draft Local Plan – which aims to shape the future of the borough up until 2040 – for six weeks.

Residents, those with a business based in the borough, and even regular visitors, can share their views in the consultation on the Revised Strategy for Growth, which will influence the creation of the new Dacorum Local Plan 2024-2040.

The plan aims to ensure Dacorum is a good place to live and grow up, as well as thriving as a hub for business and industry.

This includes the delivery of new homes, jobs and investment across the borough, planning for important infrastructure such as schools, transport and health facilities, protecting and providing parks and green spaces, and responding to the challenges of climate change. It will also provide the policies to be considered when decisions are made on planning applications.

The consultation will take place online either through the council’s new interactive platform, Let’s Talk Dacorum, in person at local events, and by post, ending on Monday December 11.

Feedback will be considered in December and then a summary Consultation Report will be compiled for spring. A pre-submission version of the Local Plan will be published in October, in time for formal submission by mid-2025.

Cllr Sheron Wilkie, Dacorum Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Place, said:

“It is so important that as many of our residents and businesses as possible have their say as part of this consultation, as their views will help to shape plans for the borough for many years to come. Dacorum is a wonderful place to live – a fantastic area for families to call home and visit - with incredibly diverse towns and villages, and it is an important location for business.

“The feedback we receive from this consultation is vital to ensure that Dacorum can keep flourishing, and that the right decisions on housing and infrastructure will be made, while we make absolutely sure that our natural environment is protected and, of course, that sustainability and the challenges of climate change are top priorities.”

Examples of changes made to the Revised Strategy for Growth, as a result of previous consultations, include a proposed reduction to the overall housing target, from 1,017 to around 900 new homes a year, a reduced number of homes proposed at Berkhamsted, Tring, and villages and a focus on transforming Dacorum’s largest town, Hemel Hempstead, by delivering new growth and infrastructure via the Hemel Garden Communities programme.

In answer to comments on maximisation of housing on brownfield sites, the council has set out new opportunities to regenerate Hemel Hempstead’s town centre and other urban areas, as well as the removal of 12 sites shown for housing in the Green Belt due to concerns over its loss.