The Friends of Great Ashby (FoGA) actively support our local councils; Herts County Council (HCC), North Herts District Council (NHDC), Stevenage Borough Council ( SBC), & the Great Ashby Community Council (GACC).
This includes advocating on behalf of the Great Ashby Community, without having any preferred solutions, but simply to create as much local engagement and influence as is sensible.
The focuses we have are all focused on delivering the strategic polices of HCC to have an
Opportunity to live in thriving places
- Well-designed, active, vibrant communities where families can live, learn and work locally
- A cleaner, greener and more environmentally sustainable county
- Our natural and diverse habitats protected from inappropriate growth
- Residents engaged in local issues
- HCC Corporate Plan 2019-2025 and the NHDC Council Plan which “Puts people at the heart of everything they do”.
Existing & Future Infrastructure
| Parking in Great Ashby |
Lobbying GACC to persuade NHDC & HCC to look at and propose solutions to the challenges we face.
Central Government plans to introduce legislation to prevent parking on pavements, makes this urgent.
The FoGA Proposal is below:
Forestry School & Eco-centre
An idea is being explored to develop this in the District Park. This has been put to Cllrs Jarvis & Tyler.
Additionally, it has been suggested that the GACC could look at investing the local Green Belt and Woodlands to protect it as a community asset. This would be effective under Public Health Act 1875, s 16; Local Government Act 1972, Sched. 14, para 27; Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1980, s 44; Open Spaces Act 1906, ss 9 and 10; Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, s 19
| Traffic along Great Ashby Way |
Researching & understanding the safe volumes and speeds that will ensure traffic calming is sensible.
The development of GA1 & GA2 is likely to increase traffic. We would like to see early communication of the plans.
Proposal being formulated
Allotment Project – per GACC Funding & Precept Plan
The Great Ashby Community Council (GACC) have been collecting funds for an allotment project.
In April 2021, FoGA and the GACC Chair, Cllr George Davies & Vice Chair, Cllr Jessica Davies, met and agreed a joint project plan.
Currently GACC have between £20k and £40k for the project.
FoGA are chasing the GACC to provide value for money.
| Enhanced Cycling Provision |
Encouraging safe cycling through from Great Ashby and into the Stevenage network.
The HCC transport plan appears ambitious and we would like to understand what social changes might be needed in Great Ashby.
The FoGA proposal is below:
GA children from NHDC continued access to St Nicholas play centre
SBC fund the St Nicholas play centre provides active supervised play in the early evening during the week, on Saturdays, and during school holidays.
FoGA has made a small contribution to keeping access open for NHDC, but have relied on the goodwill of the local SBC councillors to keep access open.
We now need to persuade the GACC (Cllr George Davies), NHDC (Cllr Terry Tyler) and HCC (Cllr Steve Jarvis) to help keep it open for the estimated 40 to 50 families making regular use of the play centre.
| Schools in Great Ashby |
We are served by an excellent JMI school, we would like to understand how secondary schooling can be equally provided.
Some years it is hard for our children to attend the school of their choice. What should the future look like?
FoGA are pleased that the NHDC administration have negotiated a clear solution with HCC & SBC for the future of senior schools.
| Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) |
We would like to understand how a plan of proactive attention & response to ASB, can ensure our community is calm.
We would like to understand what powers and resources the local community can influence & what the benefits would be.
The FoGa Proposals are below:
| Services |
Doctors, dentists and shops are difficult to profitably sustain in Great Ashby, despite the size & wealth.
We would like to explore the reasons for that and discover potential solutions.
NHDC and SBC should work co-operatively to ensure
The impact of GA1 & GA2 needs to be assessed and the right kind of professional support is being sought.
‘More & Better’ Community Engagement & Consultation
NHDC tend to be very focused on Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock & Royston, which means Great Ashby gets left out, and we are simply not SBC’s concern.
The GACC could represent us better, but there seems to be apathy about what GA wants.
Ideally a clear vision of what the community of residents would like and what will happen when the new developments are built. Community engagement is essential.
Please see the FoGA efforts for Community Engagement June 2020.
GACC Residents Survey 2019:
Diversity in Elected Councillors
FoGA members have individual preferences, but common social goals. Diversity is one.
Using their skills and resources, FoGA work to support currently under represented groups.
FoGA welcome anybody who would like help in standing for office. Currently we are encouraging women to stand for GACC.
NHDC has an engagement sub-committee, which should consider carefully what is needed to encourage more residents to stand as councillor. Research continues by FoGA members.
Vegetation Blocking Pathways
FoGA are campaigning to have the GACC, NHDC, SBC & HCC take a more joined up approach.
The problem arises where the vegetation is blocking a highway or path, but grows from a private dwelling the councils appear reluctant to act.
We would like to see the GACC join up the process, or NHDC/SBC with HCC.
FoGA have offered to support vulnerable residents see https://friends-of-great-ashby.org/the-adept-living-foundation-alf-cic/
The detailed history is set out in this blog: Over grown and encroaching vegetation
With thanks to CMS, HCC, NHDC, GACC and SBC
Friends of Great Ashby 