To receive any petitions, comments and questions from the public including:
1. Knebworth Parish Council
2. Kimpton Parish Council
3. Ashwell Parish Council
Decision:
· Paul Ward and Claire Graham, Knebworth Parish Council, were in attendance to give a presentation.
· Graham Lee, Ashwell Parish Council, was in attendance to give a presentation.
· A number of other people were present from Town BIDs to contribute to the discussion.
Minutes:
The Chair welcomed Paul Ward and Claire Graham from Knebworth Parish Council to give a presentation on the response to and impact of Covid in the parish, which included:
· Had been a garden village for around 130 years and much of the development over the years had centred around the station.
· The pavements in the village were already wide and social distancing requirements caused further issues with space on High Street and was having a negative impact on footfall in town.
· The Parish Council lobbied to have the imposed barriers removed from the High Street, as car parking was required to encourage people into the businesses.
· There had been changes in commuting patterns by residents in the village and this had a subsequent impact on the requirements for hospitality and personal services in the village.
· The Parish Council had worked to ensure the pub in Knebworth was saved and protected throughout the pandemic.
· Businesses altered their models and practices, which included embracing social media/online communications.
· Concerns that any reduction in parking and increase of change of use of sites could have a negative impact on village centre.
· A Neighbourhood Plan had been developed alongside NHDC to focus on how the village can cope and maximise the potential of development and expansion.
· Attempt to understand what the future changes will mean to Knebworth and its infrastructure.
· Possibilities of investments which develop and compliment the existing village.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Ian Albert
· Councillor Mandi Tandi
In response to questions, Paul Ward advised:
· There was a good diversity of businesses in the village, ranging from small industrial to family owned shops.
· Businesses reported that additional broadband capacity would be helpful.
· Knebworth, with 2500 houses and population of over 4000, was becoming an oversized village and understanding the challenges of these developments was challenging. However, there was not a desire to see this develop into a town.
· The sites highlighted in the presentation for development were likely to go ahead and therefore it would be expected that some sensible decisions and investments would be made into the village from these.
· Where people can see positive outputs of developments, from Section 106 funds, they will be more accepting of these changes.
The Chair welcomed Graham Lee from Ashwell Parish Council to give a presentation on the response to and impact of Covid in the Parish, which included:
· Ashwell had a higher than regional average proportion of elderly residents, but there was a significant proportion of families with school aged children and working parents.
· Pre-Covid working aged residents generally commuted by train or car to work.
· There were 4 retailers, 3 pubs and several other services in the village and these saw only 25% of there turnover came from local households.
· During the pandemic there were issues with accessing NHS services, with face-to-face appointments suspended, and communication between the surgery and residents was poor.
· The pharmacy was able to offer flu jabs but could not offer the Covid vaccine due to stricter criteria.
· Working parents were having to juggle working from home and childcare – the reopening of schools for key workers helped with this.
· Elderly people in the village were left isolated and while some attempt at Zoom events was made, it was not suitable for all residents.
· All pubs in the village suffered, but they were supported by furlough scheme and lockdown grants and were now opening and back to seemingly normal levels.
· Sports activities for children and adults were cancelled, which had an impact on both the user and the provider, with loss in rental income.
· Local shops did benefit at the initial outbreak of the pandemic, with local residents remaining local and developing their offer and opening times to reflect this. However, as retail opened more widely there was a return to bigger national chains.
· The pharmacy worked tirelessly throughout pandemic, offering advice and medical deliveries for vulnerable residents.
· Footpaths and byways in the village were used significantly during lockdown, which did see some negatives (e.g. litter).
· There was a return to the ‘new normal’, with more residents working from home and retailers going back to usual opening hours.
· The community had generally been accepting of behavioural changes from Covid, e.g. mask wearing, social distancing, etc.
· There was little evidence of sustained changes in business models.
· A full time Post Office in the village would be beneficial, as the existing one was currently part time.
· Broadband improvements would be helpful.