Minutes:
Water Gardens
· There will be a model boat sailing event on Saturday 21 September between 9 am and 2 pm. Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary! You can bring your own sail or electric model boat or try one of Luton and District Model Boat Club's boats.
· The next main event will take place at the end of the month on Saturday 28 September. We’ve commissioned The Heroine Project Presents to write and perform an outdoor theatre story, entitled ‘The Serpent’s Tale’ revealing secrets about Susan Jellicoe, the Water Gardens and Hemel Hempstead. Performances will take place at 10 am, 12 noon and 2.30 pm. They will start in The Marlowes at the Rainbow Stage and continue into the Water Gardens
· I think at this stage it is good to reflect on the level of community activity that has taken place in the gardens since they were restored. This has included:
· The Big Garden Party – where there were over 500 attendees, despite the adverse weather that day
· 4 Dementia gardening sessions – 3 care homes and a dementia club now involved
· Further public sessions for model boating, Hemel sub-section of Luton & District Model Boat Club now being formed, 5 members recruited to date
· 8 garden maintenance sessions supported by the lead gardener, including a session where corporate volunteers buddied up with pupils from a local special school
· 30 children took part in a miniature gardens activity
· Big Painting Challenge - 8 amateur artists were challenged to capture the spirit of the colourful flower garden, judged by Susan Jellicoe’s nephew
· New leaflet on the Gardens, and information signage on composting, mason bees and heritage fruit trees in the Friends’ garden
· Overall, I feel that our hard work to build momentum and a diverse audience for the Water Gardens has come to fruition, particularly as we are providing access opportunities to both the community in general and groups such as dementia sufferers who have high care needs.
Building Control
· Members will of course note the proposals on the agenda this evening for the transfer of Local Authority Building Control services to Hertfordshire Building Control Ltd.
· Cabinet received the second of two comprehensive reports on this matter at its meeting last week on 10 September.
· As members will know, Local Authority Building Control services operate in a highly competitive market against a growth in private sector providers.
· Hertfordshire Building Control is a company set up and owned by seven of the local authorities in the County, and on joining on 1 October as planned, Dacorum will become the eighth member and joint owner.
· Together, with our partner Councils, I believe we can provide good quality, competitive and resilient Building Control services – which are there to ensure new construction is safe for its users and the public by compliance to national Building Regulations – through this new arrangement.
· Cabinet has considered these proposals in depth, and I would like to put on record my thanks to all Members and Officers involved.
Travellers Site, Featherbed Lane
· Members may be aware of the travellers’ encampment at Featherbed Lane, for which the Council received a planning application.
· Planning Permission has now been refused on the basis of the proposal being inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and of its impact on the character and appearance of the Green Belt.
· The Planning service served an Enforcement Notice on 11th September requiring all development to be removed (fencing and hard standing) and for the use of land to cease – i.e. to remove all caravans and vehicles from site.
· The Council is seeking a permanent injunction in respect of the site and this will be sought in the High Court, this Friday 20th September.
· I understand that the Council is expecting both the refusal of planning permission and the enforcement notice to be the subject of appeals. The applicant has until 9 October to make an appeal to the Secretary of State.