C
Taylor gave a presentation to the Committee regarding the
improvement works throughout Hemel Hempstead.
-
The Masterplan sets the context of all the work
within Hemel Town Centre area and the document sets out the aims of
the improvement works and identifies suitable uses within the Town
Centre.
-
There are seven zones in the Masterplan starting
from the Plough roundabout to the Old Town.
Projects completed
-
The physical works in the Old Town are now complete
but this is not the end of the regeneration. The team are working
with retailers to develop an Old Town Partnership.
-
There is a new entertainment area and space for
markets. The Sunday Market is weekly and currently working with the
market provider to hopefully put on a Saturday morning food market
in the spring. All these plans are hoping to increase
footfall.
-
Retailers have expressed an interest in having an
ATM installed in the High Street which is being explored by
officers.
-
There have been four new shops opened in the Old
Town. There is a new tea shop which has 5-6
members of staff and are currently looking to take on more.
There is a new barber shop with a downstairs gaming room for
waiting customers. Also, there is a new coffee shop called
“Elbows Off The Table” and
the Acorn well-being Centre has relocated into the Old Town after
previously moving out of the Old Town.
-
There is a draft Old Town Strategy and the economic
regeneration of the Old Town will continue into the
future.
-
The Plough roundabout has got new lighting and
improved planting and new street furniture in Heath Park and is
seemingly quite well used by the public.
Nearing Completion
-
The Town Centre now has play areas, stage and a
fountain.
-
The Christmas event in the town significantly
increased the footfall and produced positive feedback.
-
One issue is the provision of electricity as there
was a problem with a substation. This should be solved by the end
of April and then the new footfall counters and the fountain can be
switched on. The providers of the fountain warned that if it was
used with the current electricity supply, the warranty would be
void.
-
The planters that have been installed in Bank Court
are moveable so can be moved for events. Also, it was important to
have the sightline through to the centre of the town so when the
Water Gardens are complete, it will be a lovely avenue into the
centre with the fountain.
-
The new Bus Interchange opened on 21st
December. There are now bus stops into and around Bridge Street and
the Marlowes. New shelters have been
installed with real time information on bus times. Arriva have a
new kiosk for tickets and toilets have been installed. There are
plans to turn the old bus station in Market Square to a leisure
scheme which will increase the evening footfall.
-
The new Bus Interchange has also finished under
budget by quite a substantial amount. There was a worry that there
was not going to be enough room for the buses to
manoeuvre but the feedback is that
there is plenty of room and is working quite well.
-
The Water Gardens work has started to turn it back
to what is was when originally installed. The silt has been dredged
from the river and will be moved in the next few weeks and work on
the bridges and community building will begin. It is hoped that in
the spring there will be some positive improvements.
-
It is hoped that the works will be finished in
September with a launch event. The Heritage lottery fund has funded
two thirds of this project.
-
The Forum is currently about two weeks behind
schedule but they are catching up quickly. Soon the top concentrate
will be installed in the next few weeks. The building should be
finished in October and staff will move over in January
2017.
-
The wrap around housing will be provided by RG
Carters and Endurance Estates who are currently in discussions on
the marketing detail for delivery.
-
The site of the Magistrates Court and the Health
Centre has been obtained so this land can be used as part of this
site.
-
The Health Centre has relocated in the Gazette
offices opposite the Civic Centre and there are active discussions
with the police about them potentially developing the old Civic
Centre site to acquire their current land site.
-
The Maylands Urban Realm will improve the quality of
public areas in the Maylands Estate. Paths will be widened and
flower beds planted. This contract has been offered and they should
be on-site February.
Councillor Ashbourn asked if there will be any planting in the
Water Gardens after the silt has been redistributed.
C
Taylor said there are plans for a flower garden area opposite Bank
Court. However, the original design was quite urban.
Councillor Anderson referred to the historical picture in C
Taylor’s presentation and pointed out that alongside
Waterhouse Street there are no trees on the verge so hopefully this
will allow grass to grow as it is used to be overrun by bird
excrement.
C
Taylor said wild fowl management was part of the
project.
Councillor G Adshead said that when this plan was first being
developed, there were plans to install electric signs to link with
phones.
C
Taylor said they are looking into a digital High Street and Hemel
Hempstead has been put forward as a pilot for a government scheme
to identify ways of enhancing the shopping experience.
Councillor S Hearn questioned whether the soil from the river
had been analysed before it was to be redistributed.
C
Taylor said that this has been done. They were expecting all of the
soil to be contaminated but the results were better than expected.
Some is safe to reuse.
J
Doe said that the worry was that the waste may have to have been
classified as specialist waste which would have had an extra cost
to dispose of. As this is not the case, it will be redistributed to
farmers.
Councillor Ransley said that a local Tring company have
developed the ‘My Town’ app. People can download it on
their phones and when they walk down the High Street, it alerts the
users to daily offers in the shops.
Councillor Fisher asked the timescale for the Market Square
redevelopment and what will it be used for in the
meantime?
C
Taylor said that it is hoped that the old office, Indian restaurant
and the toilets will be demolished and prices are currently being
submitted. However, this is unlikely to start in the next two
years. In the meantime, the building contractors will leave and
remove their equipment. There have been enquiries from car salesmen
and a go-kart operator to use the space. There needs to be a
balance between generating income and the cost of business
rates.
Councillor G Adshead raised an issue regarding the new LED
screen. He stated that some of the slides hang over the edge and
the text does not fit on the screen. Also, Councillor G Adshead has
noticed that sometimes the Bus Interchange signs say
‘information pending’.
C
Taylor stated that she was not aware of any issue with the bus
timetables but she will look into this. With regards to the LED
screen, they are working with a contractor to take over the screen
and run it properly. At the moment, she believes it is a formatting
issue and this will be resolved in time.
Councillor Anderson questioned if there were any issues over
chewing gum in the new Tow Centre.
C
Taylor said no more than usual. In the Old town, a machine was
sampled to remove chewing gum but it took a long time. In the long
term, an educational programme may have to be used to reduce
chewing gum ruining the new Town Centre.
Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe asked if community payback could be used
to clear it?
C
Taylor said it may be difficult due to the specialist equipment
needed and the chemicals used to remove it so there may be
insurance issues. However, it is something that could be looked
into.
Councillor G Sutton said the three main events since the Town
Centre had been redeveloped had all been great successes and the
footfall increased significantly. This would not have happened
without the excellent work from Chris and her team.
Outcome
The Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny
Committee noted the report.