Ickleford Neighbourhood Plan 2022 - 2035 Submission Version March 2023

10. Community

Community Facilities

10.1. Ickleford has a number of facilities for residents. However, for main shopping needs such as groceries and clothes, residents tend to travel by car into Hitchin or further afield. The NPPF and the Local Plan recognize it is important that these facilities are situated within local communities so that they are accessible, help to reduce the need to travel and provide opportunities for people to participate in activities within their own community.

10.2. The village centre has a number of amenities and facilities close together, which has been recognised as an important aspect of the village's character.

10.3. The Questionnaire sought residents' views on both current and potential new amenities. When asked how the centre could be improved and on their priorities for investment, it was clear that traffic issues, parking and pedestrian safety were important issues.

10.4. In terms of amenities, it was striking how many people would welcome somewhere in the centre serving refreshments that was not a pub, such as a café/coffee shop or bakery. A large number of respondents would also welcome the return of a post office. Improvements to the shop, or another shop, would also be popular.

10.5. Several people highlighted how much they like the village centre as it was and would be uncomfortable with any changes that affected its character. Some suggested the area could be improved through maintenance and additions, such as flowers or more seating.

10.6. Ickleford's main retail facility is Ickleford Stores which provides services such as groceries, newspapers and magazines, sandwiches, hot food and drinks, an off-licence, garden plants, Paypoint, cash machine and parcel delivery and collection. Situated opposite the church on Arlesey Road, this small but busy shop receives trade from through traffic as well as residents. 

10.7. The three pubs in the village all have their own parking facilities, parking in the Old George is supplemented by additional parking set aside for St. Katharine's Church.

• The Old George
• The Plume of Feathers 
• The Cricketers

10.8. St Katharine's Church is the only place of worship in the village. The recently completed 'St Katharine's New Room' will provide a community space at the church. This is likely to host the previously running Mums and Tots group and over sixties group as well as being available to other community groups. The church also hosts the popular Ickleford Community Larder, offering both larder basics and rescued food.

10.9. The Village Hall is the main venue for a number of groups and clubs in the parish. These include, The Parish Council, Beavers Cubs and Scouts, Brownies, The Women's Institute, Pilates, Keep Fit, Line Dancing, Senior Fitness, Ballroom Dancing, Danse Herts and Ickledrama (a drama club for local children), Toddler Tales, Sing and Sign, and Phonics for Robots. It has a large main hall with a stage, a smaller secondary hall and a spacious well -equipped kitchen. It is regularly hired out for events such as plays, birthday parties and craft fairs. Ickledrama students are collected from the school gate and walked over to their drama classes.

10.10. The Ickleford Sports and Recreation Club sits as part of the recreation ground. It offers organised football, cricket, pétanque and squash to adults and youths in Ickleford and surrounding areas. During the winter, there are football leagues for both youth and adults. These consist of Hitchin COMETS (youth boys) and Hitchin ladies (adult). There are also darts and pool leagues. During summer there is the adult cricket league, plus the 'All Stars' cricket club, providing the opportunity for the youth to try out cricket. Pétanque have leagues in the summer and the two squash courts run leagues throughout the year. The club room looks out over the recreation ground and fields beyond, and is equipped with a bar, pool table, darts and TV sports. There is an independent food trailer (Icklecafe) available at weekends that provides coffee/tea/burgers to members and the community that use the recreation field.

10.10. The village play area is set within trees next to the recreation ground.

10.12. Little Park is a further green space behind St Katherine's Close. It contains a grassy area and 18 allotments.

10.13. The village Primary School is a single form entry school for infants and juniors, with places for 210 pupils. It is oversubscribed most years with approximately half the children attending from outside the Parish. It sits adjacent to the village green and is a key driver of foot traffic in the area. Parents and carers congregate on the green beneath the trees at pick up and drop off times. As a Church of England school, it maintains close links with St Katharine's Church across the green, with children attending services there. While COVID restrictions temporarily reduced the ability of the school to host events, these are returning. They include school events such as plays, assemblies, sports days and parent evenings, and PTA activities such as quiz nights and children's discos. The school also hosts community events such as the St Katharine's Christmas Fayre, exhibitions and meetings. The school makes its facilities available for hire, e.g. for birthday parties. The Shotokan Karate club also holds its Wednesday evening classes for adults and children in the main hall and dining room. In addition to its role in educating the parish's children, the school is a focal point for social interaction between residents. Friendships built up at the school gate link people and form part of the fabric of village life. Community events in the central spaces of the green and the school add to this. Many residents have lived in Ickleford for a long time. This has allowed successive generations to attend the school, further deepening connections between people. It also provides an important way for new families with young children just starting school to integrate into the community. 

10.14. A red telephone box library was installed in its original position on the Village Green in September 2021 with books for residents to borrow and return.

10.15. Hairdressers: CLHair is a hair, beauty and skincare salon located in the heart of the village.

10.16. Ickleford Equestrian Centre is a riding school and Pony Club centre. It offers riding for children and adults, hacking, Saturday pony club, school holiday activities, horse care courses and livery for horse owners.

10.17. Fast Food Outlets: The Happy Plaice fish and chip van visits the village on alternate Monday evenings.

10.18. There is an independent food trailer (Icklecafe) available at weekends that provides coffee/tea/burgers to users the recreation field. It has also attended other events.

10.19. Funeral Directors: The Co-operative Funeral Director (Formerly Jennings undertakers) is located on Arlesey Road close to the centre of the village.

10.20. Alleyfield burial ground. Alleyfield is a non-denominational burial ground for present and former Ickleford residents and anyone having connections with the village. It is managed by a group of local Trustees.

10.21. Bus shelter in village centre commemorating the Silver Jubilee of King George the V and Queen Mary

10.22. The policy is intended to retain these facilities and services to maintain Ickleford as a sustainable village. For the facilities listed in Policy C1, proposals which result in the loss or permanent change of use of Classes E (including retail, offices, cafes), F1 (learning and non-residential institutions) and F2 (Local community uses) to other uses will only be supported where the applicant has demonstrated that there is no reasonable prospect of the site or premises being used for ongoing retail or community uses.

10.23. Conversion, demolition or change of use to a use which is not for the community will be resisted unless a replacement would prove more suitable for the needs of the community. The applicant will need to put forward evidence that the existing use is no longer commercially viable and prove that a genuine attempt has been made to market the enterprise as a going concern for at least a year.

10.24. Local Plan policy ECT7 also restricts the loss of such facilities, it does allow for loss if there is another shop service or facility of a similar use within an 800m walking distance. Whilst the context for this approach is understood, in a village such as Ickleford where the facilities are concentrated in the centre, this policy could potentially result in the loss of 2 or 3 of the local facilities which would drastically reduce the range of facilities available to residents without car travel. Accordingly, all proposals to all the facilities listed in the Policy C1 which would result in their loss will be required to provide evidence of viability and marketing.

10.25. New facilities and improvements to existing facilities will be encouraged and supported, including new community facilities and services adjoining the settlement boundary as set out in Policy CGB2b of the Local Plan.

Recreation and Green Spaces

• Ickleford Recreation Ground with its children's play area, football, cricket, pétanque pitch
• The enclosed green space of Little Park (behind St Katherine's Close)
• Natural open areas including Christmas Common (natural flower meadow), Whitsun Common and Ickleford Common
• Upper Green and Lower Green
• Other areas of registered common land around the village (see Annex 9)
• Numerous footpaths and bridleways including the Icknield Way, Hicca Way, Hambridge Way and many other popular routes around the Parish used by walkers, horse riders and cyclists. Some of these routes traverse the lavender farm (see Annex 2).

10.27. The Parish Council owns Upper Green (the central village green). Herts County Council leases the recreation grounds to the Parish Council who in turn lease them to Ickleford Sports and Recreation Club.

10.28. Allotments are well used and located at Little Park behind St Katherine's Close. They are owned by North Herts District Council and managed by Ickleford Parish Council.

10.29. Within new development, the requirement for new open spaces for sport and recreation alongside new development is included in the Local Plan and these standards will continue to apply. 

10.30. Open spaces can always be improved, through management plans, improvements to access and boundary treatments.

Ickleford Primary School and Local Plan Allocated Site IC3 (Land at Bedford Road)

10.31. Hertfordshire County Council has a statutory duty to plan school places. Allocated housing site IC3 (Land at Bedford Road) in the NHDC Local Plan contains a reserve site for a new primary school should that be needed in the future. It will also be developed for 150 homes, so is an important development in the Parish. The Local Plan sets out the following criteria for its planning and development:

• Transport Assessment to consider the cumulative impacts of sites IC2, IC3 and LS1 on the junction of the A600 and Turnpike Lane for all users and secure necessary mitigation or improvement measures;
• Approximately two hectares of land secured as a reserve site for a primary school;
• Appropriate junction access arrangements to Bedford Road;
• Sensitive incorporation of Footpaths Ickleford 013 & 014 as green routes around the edge of the site including appropriate measures to reinforce the new Green Belt boundary along their alignment;
• Integration of Bridleway Ickleford 015 as a green corridor through the site;
• Sensitive treatment of priority deciduous woodland habitat or, where this cannot be (fully) retained, compensatory provision elsewhere within or adjoining the site;
• Development proposals to be informed by site-specific landscape assessment;
• Sensitive integration into existing village, particularly in terms of design, building orientation and opportunities for cycle and pedestrian access;
• Archaeological survey to be completed prior to development;
• Detailed drainage strategy identifying water infrastructure required and mechanism(s) for delivery; and
• Development should prevent unnecessary mineral sterilisation by taking into account the mineral resource block and any subsequent mineral safeguarding mechanism.

10.32. Consultation has shown that the village school has an important role in village life. As the population of Ickleford and the surrounding towns and villages grows, there may become a need for more primary school places.

10.33. The large majority of residents (76%) considered it very important that the school remains in its current position. If more school places were required in the future, most (81%) would prefer development of the current site, rather than a new school east of the Bedford Road. The possibility of change at the school was clearly an emotive subject. Residents provided many detailed comments and often used expressive language to convey their views. The position of the school in the heart of the village was seen by many as integral to the village's character and sense of community. The building itself was also often highlighted as an important visual feature.

10.34. Discussing the school and its possible expansion highlighted concerns around parking and safety. Many felt parking was currently a problem and would need careful consideration before any expansion. A number of people thought more walking and cycling should be encouraged. Use of a new site off the Bedford Road was also seen as problematic by many. There were serious fears around pedestrian safety and of further congestion on a very busy road. Accordingly, any transport assessment for the allocation site must acknowledge the cumulative impacts of new extensive development in Stotfold and Henlow in Central Bedfordshire.

10.35. More details of the responses are available in the Consultation Statement.

10.36. The school is a Grade 2 listed building and together with its frontage wall and gateway arch with the date of 1848 are key features in the heart of the conservation area. Any expansion must not adversely affect this historic aspect of the school building and its green frontage setting.

10.37. The option of expanding the school should be investigated as an alternative to the provision of a new primary school at the north-western edge of the village on allocated site IC3. 

10.38. Should Hertfordshire County Council decide that the provision of a new school on site IC3 is necessary, a masterplan should be prepared in consultation with the local community for the site. Similarly, any proposals for the current school buildings and grounds must be consulted upon prior to any planning applications being submitted. Ickleford Parish Council will work with NHDC and Hertfordshire County Council to achieve the best outcome for the siting of additional primary school accommodation if needed to meet the needs of children in the village.

Local Businesses and Agriculture

10.39. A number of companies have their registered office in Ickleford. These include larger companies with their own dedicated premises and smaller businesses run from home. Businesses with premises in the Parish include:

• 'The Old Manor House' [commercial and office space], currently used by:
  • MoveAssist International Limited. A global mobility technology company
  • MJM Data Recovery Ltd. Data recovery services for all types of storage media
  • W.J Rendall Ltd. Letting
  • WJF Cars. Car Dealer
• Hitchin Lavender (see below)
• Holme Farm Turkeys. Family farm rearing seasonal turkeys

10.40. Hitchin Lavender. The Lavender farm at the north of the village is a popular local attraction. During the flowering season thousands of visitors from a wide area come to see and pick the lavender, including coaches of overseas visitors from London. The lavender and sunflower fields are situated in attractive countryside on the side of a hill with open green space and refreshment kiosks at their base. There are also lavender display gardens, a small museum and a popular tearoom set in a 400-year-old barn. Lavender products are sold in a cabin by the field and in the barn. The farm also hosts numerous workshops led by local people across the site. These include yoga, photography, flower arranging, storytelling and movement for pre-schoolers. The owners host various fundraising events, such as band nights and barn dances. In the summer months the farm is a major employer of young people in the village. 

10.41. The fields are accessible via local footpaths and bridleways. However, direct pedestrian access from the village involves walking underneath a railway bridge without a footway, just before a sharp bend in the road. This is considered highly dangerous and puts some residents off walking to the site. Visitors using the bus to reach the farm cannot, however, avoid this route.

10.42. The business section of the questionnaire looked at the general economic health of the village and the possible future options for sustaining the community. Over 80% of respondents looked favourably towards the community's social aspect; the opportunity to act together to contribute to the village with projects whilst also having the chance to meet and engage socially. Similarly, as might be expected from other areas of the questionnaire, the agricultural landscape and natural environment scored highly in respondent's views, the village having already lost much of its horticulture enterprises some years ago but still very much embedded in agricultural farming culture.

10.43. The Neighbourhood Plan Questionnaire, which took place during COVID restrictions, found 32% of working people were 'working from home' at this time and 19% were 'working from home and elsewhere'. While these proportions are likely to have decreased with the removal of restrictions, full or partial homeworking is likely to remain important for many residents.

10.44. The Neighbourhood Plan does not allocate employment sites, but it supports the viability of local businesses and their expansion, where this is proportionate and appropriate in the individual circumstances. Home working is also seen as a means of encouraging business and creating a sustainable community with less commuting and a more sustainable lifestyle, saving individuals the cost of travel and increasing their leisure time.

10.45. The diversification of agriculture and agricultural buildings is supported in principle. However, development must be of a scale and intensity appropriate to its context, must not impact detrimentally on residential amenity, and must have an acceptable impact on the character and scale of the village and its rural hinterland.

10.46. The provision of high speed broadband is particularly important in rural areas and in supporting the viability and sustainability of rural enterprise and homeworking