Following on from the success of their Hoddesdon Tomorrow exhibition which was visited by over 300 local residents over 6 days in September,
the Action4Hoddesdon campaign group held a public meeting Thursday 1st October at Hoddesdon Parish Church. Chaired adeptly by Rev Jeremy
Brooks, nearly 200 people saw presentations by Broxbourne Council of its Draft Town Plan followed by Action4Hoddesdon’s alternative
"People’s Plan" for the future of Hoddesdon.
Alan Jeffery, who was one of Action4Hoddesdon’s speakers said:
"As Broxbourne Council had made no effort to organise any kind of public discussion about the town’s future, we felt it crucial that local people had a chance to debate their plans, and judge them in comparison to the range of policies on key issues that we are proposing instead."
During the meeting Action4Hoddesdon gave the group’s response to Broxbourne Council’s plan:
- pointing out how disappointed they were that it contained virtually no concrete proposals despite being six years overdue.
- They voiced their astonishment that three key reports had not been completed in time to be included in it, making it virtually impossible for people to consider and judge major issues without proper background evidence being provided.
Stephen Poulter, who presented the group’s response, said:
"We were very angry about the inclusion in the Draft Plan of Broxbourne Council’s massively unpopular proposals on expanding Brookfield Farm, which everyone knows can do nothing but harm the prosperity and growth of Hoddesdon. We gave the opportunity for the Council to justify why it was in the plan, and then took a vote proposing it be removed which was backed by a large majority of people present. The Council have promised they will now remove it from the document."
At the end of the meeting Broxbourne Council invited Action4Hoddesdon to a meeting to discuss their proposals in more detail. Alan Jeffery commented:
"We are obviously pleased that the Council want to open a dialogue with our group, and we have agreed to meet on the basis that they will be seriously considering our proposals which have received the backing of nearly 400 residents, plus our local MP Charles Walker."