By Email
Ms Sara Saunders
Head of Planning and Building Control
East Herts Council
Wallfields
Pegs Lane
Hertford
SG13 8EQ 1 June 2020
Dear Ms Saunders
OLD RIVER LANE (ORL), BISHOP’S STORTFORD
Thank you for your letter of 28 May in response to mine of 12 March and 25 May. The Civic Federation are pleased to receive your confirmation that a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will be prepared for the ORL site later this year and that the Civic Federation will be engaged early on in the process. We are, however, disappointed the Council has apparently not seen this as a reason for deferring the start of work on the Multi-Storey Car Park, which we understand is due to commence on 15 June.
We are also concerned with your statement that the SPD will include the masterplanning framework for the site. Policy BISH8 makes it clear that the SPD will be used to inform the masterplanning for the site, and, by implication should precede the masterplanning process. Since City Heart were appointed some time ago, your letter might be taken as meaning that any masterplanning they have already undertaken will be used to guide the SPD rather than the other way around. I hope you can reassure us on that point.
Finally, in my letter of 25 May, I requested a copy of the brief to which City Heart have been commissioned to fulfil. I should be grateful if you could let me have a copy.
Yours sincerely
John Rhodes
President