Issue - meetings

C Taylor introduced the report and said that the report can be split into two parts, 1) the growth and activity of the Maylands area and 2) the activities that the Economic Wellbeing Team have been involved in across the borough.

Currently, the Maylands Gateway is waiting for the police service to decide whether they want to relocate to Maylands and vacate their current site in the Town Centre as part of the Forum development. The land is council owned and there has been persistent interest in the land. The land is in a good location and there are only a few sites of this size available. If the police decided not to move to the Maylands site then the land will be marketed. The Homes and Community Agency owned land was under a bidding process in August. They have received 15 bids for further consideration. On the Aviva owned land there is currently a proposal going to the Development Control Committee on 17th December for a retail development. There has been constant interest in the land at the Maylands site. It is important to consider the financial and employment implications of any new development in the Maylands area. 

An Enterprise Zone bid was unsuccessful in 2011 but a new application has been submitted by Herts LEP and if successful, it could generate enough money to pay for the road improvement/construction and site servicing infrastructure. The Maylands Urban Realm Improvements contract is about to be issued and they should be on site in the New Year. This project will involve widening the pavements, planting trees and improving the lighting. C Taylor said that this was something that the businesses in Maylands had been pushing for. The Maylands area is under independent ownership which means the urban realm then suffers. Hopefully this regeneration will also encourage walking and cycling through the area.

The Maylands Business Centre Extension on the site adjacent to the current site will aim to move forward providing additional industrial units and currently there are 19 businesses on the waiting list. Dacorum Borough Council have also purchased Woodhouse, a corner site at the Heart of Maylands and the plan is for the ground floor to become an office space acting as a satellite to Maylands Business Centre. It was agreed from the start that the site would need to have an active ground floor with residential units above as this is an employment site.

Councillor G Adshead asked if the Smiths building would provide 300 new jobs for the area or if these jobs will be transferred from Watford.

C Taylor said that these 300 jobs will be transfers from Watford but over time, people may leave due to the relocation of the site.

Councillor Ashbourn asked the officers that once all the parcels of land have been settled and developed, what is the long aspiration for the Maylands area.

C Taylor said that the last site has been taken and an employment study will be undertaken going  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44