Codicote Neighbourhood Plan 2024 - 2031 Submission

6 Amenities Policies Comment

6.1 Amenities Objectives

6.1.1 The objectives relevant to this section are:

Objective 4 To ensure the High Street remains attractive to existing and new shops and services.

Objective 5 To ensure provision of social. leisure, health and education facilities keep pace with population growth and wider needs of the diverse community.

Objective 6 To protect precious green spaces for recreation and leisure use.

6.2 Amenities Introduction

Shops, Restaurants and other Services

6.2.1 There are a variety of shops and services located along the village High Street: such as grocers, hairdressers, dry cleaners, newsagents, restaurants. Premier Stores, 152-154 High Street and the Post Office and General Stores, 80 High Street, along with Codicote Pharmacy, 123 High Street, and the Farm Butchery, 75 High Street, provide essential services for residents who may have difficulty travelling further afield. The Grade II listed Goat, High Street, is the oldest pub and acts a community hub hosting several darts teams, live music, a folk group, car school and a range of evening events and activities. The Globe PH also on the High Street and the Robin Hood and Little John Public House (Grade II listed) on Rabley Heath Road provide much valued community places for residents to meet in an informal social environment.

Primary School

6.2.2 Established in 1857, Codicote mixed infants and juniors is a Church of England school and has close links with St Giles church in Codicote. It takes children from nursery age to when they leave for secondary school. Pupil numbers as at Spring 2024 were 263.

6.2.3 The school has been awarded 'outstanding' in two consecutive Ofsted inspections making it a school of choice for families with young children. This has encouraged families to move into the parish but, consequentially, the school is oversubscribed year on year, and class sizes have been driven up.

6.2.4 The school has a strong and established leadership team, and staff members 'stay put'. There is a strong sense of unity amongst the staff, and this promotes a safe and nurturing environment for the children.

6.2.5 Children have opportunities to explore the outside with on-site gardening activities, a healthy wildlife pond, and a host of school pets. An Eco-team led by a senior teacher encourages the children to think about the environment. A well-stocked playground and playing field including table tennis, trim trails, a zip wire and a climbing wall facilitate healthy playtime activities.

6.2.6 The children can join the netball and football teams, and the school achieves great results in inter-school competitions. Throughout the year there are opportunities to attend lacrosse, cross country, athletics, and tag rugby events; dragon boat and bell boat racing is an annual activity.

6.2.7 An annual 'Art Day' is a popular event - themed around a chosen artist and painting; poetry day and world book week are always celebrated. Every year the school enters a local dance event, showcasing the children's skills alongside other schools up to GCSE age. The 'Christmas extravaganza' sees the production of five shows; summer 'music club' gives the older children the opportunity not only to perform in the show, but to join 'Props Club' to make their own props and scenery.

6.2.8 The school has a strong academic history with Sats results being amongst the best in the county. As a result, the school is regularly oversubscribed.

6.2.9 The existing school site and buildings have been expanded to cater both for the ongoing short fall in capacity, plus the increase in demand that will arise from future residential developments. These expansion proposals have retained the existing public footpaths, although temporary arrangements are in place whilst building is ongoing on the adjacent housing site.

Pre-School

6.2.10 Codicote Pre-School is currently located at St Giles Parish Centre on Bury Lane. It has been part of the village for a long time and has evolved from starting as a playgroup at the back of the PMH, then moved to more formal early years education as a pre-school for 2 years and up, re- locating to the Parish Centre and most recently offering childcare from 9 months, as of September 2024, alongside the pre-school. The services and places they can offer are limited by the times the building is available and space in the Parish Centre.

6.2.11 The new families moving to the village and introduction of government funding for working parents has increased demand for the academic year starting in 2024, with a doubling in demand expected when funding increases from 15 hours to 30 hours for children aged 9 months plus in September 2025. The pre-school has accessed some of the S106 funding from developments to support a doubling of sessions offered (09:00 to 15:00 Monday to Friday term time) and widening age range (from 2-4 year to 9months - 5/ reception age) and used it to improve facilities and resources.

6.2.12 The Pre-School is oversubscribed and has the long-term aim of having their own space/building with enough space to be able to accommodate all the families in the parish that need their services near to the School to support families.

6.2.13 GP and Dental Surgeries, Medical Centre and Hospitals

6.2.14 There is no GP surgery, dental surgery or medical centre within the village and no medical centres within easy reach for parish residents.

6.2.15 The nearest doctor's surgery is over a mile away in the village of Welwyn. This GP's surgery is already under stress coping with the existing number of patients in its catchment area. Appointments are currently bookable by telephone via a clinician triage system; release times being 8am prompt for a same day morning callback and 12pm prompt for same day afternoon callbacks. Although these services are offered, they are oversubscribed and often booked out. Outside these times there are a limited number of next day morning appointments that can be booked in advance. Where possible the matter will be dealt with over the phone. However, if needed, the clinician can organise a face-to-face appointment. On line consultations can also be made via the eConsult platform. This is open 24hrs a day, and a response will be provided by the end of the next working day. Many residents now travel further afield to the doctors in Knebworth and Welwyn Garden City.

6.2.16 The nearest dental surgeries are also in Welwyn. There are two. Both are private. The nearest NHS dental practices are further away in Knebworth and Welwyn Garden City.

6.2.17 There is a local chemist/pharmacy in the High Street that is much appreciated, especially by the older residents, and is considered to provide an excellent service.

6.2.18 There are two hospitals within a 20 minute drive of the village, depending on the time of day. The Lister Hospital in Stevenage is a 730 bed district general hospital with an A&E unit. General wards are supported by critical care (intensive care and high dependency) and coronary care units, as well as pathology, radiology and other diagnostic services. There are specialist sub-regional services in urology and renal dialysis. Following an investment of £150 million in new facilities, Lister hospital is now the specialist hospital for emergency and inpatient care for east and north Hertfordshire and south Bedfordshire. In terms of Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating this hospital requires improvement but it scores a 4/5 star rating with patients.

6.2.19 The new QE2 hospital in Welwyn Garden City is intended to provide residents with the most required facilities. It has no A&E department and scores a 3.5/5 star rating with patients.

6.2.20 Access to GP facilities is highlighted as a major concern based on parish survey results (See Codicote Neighbourhood Plan Consultation Statement). Residents have expressed a strong desire to see GP facilities established locally.

Sports Facilities

6.2.21 Historically, Codicote has had a strong sporting tradition. The largest recreation area is the Bury Lane Sports field. Purchased during the 1980's from a benevolent landowner, this area is used for football, cricket, mini-rugby and tennis. In 2015, after many years of fund raising, the John Clements Sports centre was opened on the site. This has a large sports hall, shower and changing facilities, and a bar. It is currently used for exercise classes and carpet bowls. The hall can also be hired for events. Adjacent to the sports centre is the original sports pavilion that is still used by the football and cricket teams.

6.2.22 The sports centre with its adjacent sports field and tennis courts provides excellent facilities for a wide range of sporting activities:

• Cricket - Codicote Cricket Club was reformed in 1983 and is currently focussing on attracting younger players to the game.
• Football - Codicote Football Club was formed in 1913 and plays in the Spartan South Midlands League, Division One.
• Football - Codicote Youth Football Club is committed to attracting as many children to the sport as possible. All coaches are Level 1 accredited. There are currently teams participating in the U6, U7, U8, U10, U11, U14 and U15 age groups.
• Rugby – In the first two and half years of its existence the Codicote Mini Rugby Club has attracted around 50 youngsters to train in the 3-5 and 6-9 age groups.
• Tennis – Codicote Tennis Club has over 100 members with three all-weather courts. The club has achieved the LTA Tennismark status – a Clubmark best practice accreditation implemented by Sports England which recognises that Codicote LTC maintains good standards and operates best practice.
• Circuit training and Pilates classes run weekly.
• Indoor Bowls - The bowls team play in the Welwyn & Hatfield Carpet Bowls League.
• Table tennis – The Codicote Table Tennis Club was officially formed in 2009 although it had been played socially for some years.

Figure 7: John Clements Sports and Community Centre

6.2.23 The Peace Memorial Hall, in the High Street, is the venue for the Codicote Badminton Club, with teams playing in the Stevenage Badminton League, and the Letchworth and District Badminton League.

6.2.24 There are also two scout huts in the parish; one on Bury Lane and the other on Canonsfield Road. Both provide essential facilities for children's activities.

Peace Memorial Hall

6.2.25 The village hall is also known as the Peace Memorial Hall and was built to honour those who saw active service in the two world wars. It is located on the High Street in the centre of the village. It has a large hall with a stage, side room, kitchen and toilet facilities. It is used for a wide variety of activities and events. Regular bookings include Parish Council meetings, mother and toddler groups, sewing classes, WI meetings, church coffee mornings, martial arts classes and dance. The hall has also played host to antique markets, music performances, bingo nights, race nights, christenings, wakes and weddings.

Cemetery

6.2.26 Codicote parish does not have a non-denominational cemetery. Outside the parish there is a non-denominational cemetery and crematorium at Harwood Park in Stevenage.

6.2.27 St Giles Church Codicote does have a consecrated graveyard and, as such, the type of funeral/ceremony is governed by the faith practiced here. This graveyard is predicted to be approaching maximum capacity.

6.2.28 Parish Council powers extend to the acquisition and maintenance of cemeteries, but not to the acquisition and maintenance of graveyards, which are the responsibility of the relevant religious authority.

Allotments

6.2.29 The allotments provided by the Parish Council are located to the north of the village near the church. They are leased to residents of the parish and there is generally a waiting list, such is their popularity.

6.2.30 Alongside the allotments is an area which was planted as a community orchard by the local environment group several years ago. It has a collection of some of the oldest varieties of English apple trees, pear trees, plums and cherries. Each year an 'Apple Day' is held, and in years when there is a bumper crop the fruits are sent to make juice.

Figure 8: Allotments and LGS2

Open Spaces

6.2.31 Codicote village has a wide variety of green spaces, some of which are protected from development by their current designation as common land, the village green or playing fields. Others, although equally beneficial to the health and social wellbeing of the community, have no such designation. Specific sites of environmental and wildlife interest are described Natural Environment Policies.

6.2.32 Two other green areas of note are The Pound and The Hill. The Pound is located towards the northern end of the High Street and was originally an area for securing stray animals. It is designated as a Non-designated Heritage Asset in this Neighbourhood Plan (see Policy COD 21). A plan to create an area of natural planting resulted in the site becoming a little 'overgrown' as laurels and ivy gradually took over, but recent work has cleared a lot of the ground cover and overhanging tree canopies in readiness for more subtle planting.

6.2.33 The Hill, or the village green as it is known is on the High Street at the junction of the High Street and St. Albans Road. This grassed area looks particularly attractive in early spring when the abundant planting of snowdrops, crocuses and small daffodils are in flower. It is home to a cherry and a walnut tree. There are seats, the village sign and at Christmas, the village Christmas tree. The Hill is designated as a Local Green Space in this Neighbourhood Plan (see Policy COD 11).

6.2.34 The community is also very lucky to be invited by the land owner of The Great Field, which is adjacent to LGS1 Bury Lane Sports Field, to use the field for community events. Village Day is held on the field, along with the two-day Whitwell Steam and Agricultural Show, and Goat Fest which runs for three days, each year. A photograph of the field can be seen at Figure 42

Recreational Areas

6.2.35 The parish has four main recreation areas: the Valley Road play area is a small, enclosed site aimed at younger children, with swings, a small roundabout and a multi-functional climbing frame. This site has recently been refurbished thanks to the efforts of a valiant group of local mums and dads. This same group has also refurbished the larger recreational playing field off St. Albans Road which comprises a set of football goal posts and football playing area, exciting play equipment for both younger and older children, and a net for basketball shooting practice. With plenty of seating, this area is particularly popular with families in the summer months. A tiny but well used space lies between numbers 9 and 10 Old School Close, Bury Lane, in addition to the sports facilities, has play equipment for the young, and exercise equipment for older residents.

Police Support

6.2.36 The village no longer has a police station or a resident police officer. Police coverage is now provided by Neighbourhood Officers – a Police Constable and Police Community Support Officer who, along with two other PC's and another PCSO, are tasked with covering a number of villages in what is called the Hitchin Rural area. There is concern within Codicote parish, as well as within other villages in the Hitchin Rural area, that police support will not keep pace with further residential development.

6.3 The High Street

6.3.1 The High Street is the centre of commercial and community activity in the village. However, is it also a residential area. The many functions of the High Street make it a vibrant place to be, day and night. This exacerbates the parking problem caused by lack of off-street parking spaces for the High Street residents, shop and restaurant workers, shoppers, and visitors to the community venues. Solutions are being sought which will slow down traffic and reduce pavement parking, to improve the pedestrian environment.

Figure 9: The many functions of the High Street

6.3.2 The Parish Council will continue to search for an opportunity to provide short term parking spaces for customers and those using the community facilities. The Codicote Design Codes and Guidance Appendix D contains a section on the High Street issues.

6.3.3 The aims of the Neighbourhood Plan are to maintain a range of shops in the High Street to provide a service for residents. This is particularly important for residents who cannot or chose not to drive and rely on the local facilities the village centre offers. Public transport to large retail areas from Codicote is poor.

6.3.4 Active shop frontages are important to maintain vibrancy and they should be in keeping with the character of the conservation area.

6.3.5 The Local Plan identifies 13 local centres, including Codicote, across the District where the District Council will promote, protect and enhance the provision of shops, services and eateries. In those local centres, Policy ETC6 states that planning permission will be granted for new shops and services of less than 500 square meters gross, at ground floor level, where this would continue to provide a range of uses to meet day-to-day needs and maintain the vitality and viability of the centre. A map of the Codicote Local Centre, defined in the Local Plan is reproduced at Appendix K.

6.3.6 Provision of off-road car parking facilities is essential to ensure that pavements are safe and accessible in the village. A project to provide a car park to relieve parking congestion in the High Street is included as High Priority in the Project Plan in Appendix E.

6.4 Commercial Premises and New Commercial Space

6.4.1 A digital search of businesses in Codicote revealed that there are many active businesses located elsewhere than in the High Street (see table in Appendix L).

6.4.2 New businesses will be welcomed if they support the existing commercial offer in the village. In the first instance, new businesses should be located in the Business Area on Codicote Road, if premises are available. The diversification of a farm business, to support the rural economy, may be acceptable, provided the proposals are of an appropriate scale and character and are ancillary to the agricultural business.

6.4.3 It is anticipated that new business space will need to provide a travel plan or statement in accordance with the HCC Travel Plan guidance and should provide clear objectives and targets to reduce congestion. The Travel Plan guidance for development management can be found on Hertfordshire County Councils website.

6.5 Valued Community Facilities

6.5.1 There are many valued community facilities in Codicote, described above in Paragraph 6.2. Their retention is important to residents and the capacity of these facilities will be tested as the village grows with the completion of development on the housing sites identified in the Local Plan. The replacement of these facilities would be supported, provided they are better and more accessible to the diverse parish community.

6.5.2 The Neighbourhood Plan Policy COD 8 lists (in no particular order, i.e., not ranked) the specific facilities that the local community value, backed up by evidence from public consultation (See Codicote Consultation Statement), and the reasons they should be retained. New and improved community facilities will be welcomed if they meet the criteria, specific to Codicote, listed in Policy COD 9.

6.5.3 The Parish Council will consider applying to NHDC to list some or all the valued community facilities as Assets of Community Value (ACVs) as described on their website:https://www.north-herts.gov.uk/community-assets.

Figure 10: The Goat PH

6.6 Protected Recreational Open Spaces

6.6.1 The four parish recreational open spaces are described above. Open space has already been lost to housing development without its replacement being secured. To protect the remaining open spaces used for recreation, Policy COD 10 in this Neighbourhood Plan specifies the open spaces that should be protected, and the supporting text describes their use.

6.6.2 NHLP has a policy, NE5 which applies to the protection of general areas of open space and is not sufficiently stringent to protect the areas, actively used by the community for recreation, in Codicote. NHLP Policy NE6 is a comprehensive policy for the provision new or improvement of existing open space.

Figure 11: Bury Lane Sports Field PROS1 and LGS1

6.7 Local Green Spaces

6.7.1 Local Green Spaces are areas which are considered special to the local community. Neighbourhood plans can designate Local Green Spaces which complement policies for sustainable development in the Plan. Local Green Space designation must meet the specified criteria laid out in paragraph 106 of the NPPF as follows:

"a) in reasonably close proximity to the community it serves;

b) demonstrably special to a local community and holds a particular local significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value (including as a playing field), tranquillity or richness of its wildlife; and

c) local in character (not an extensive tract of land)."

6.7.2 The village of Codicote is surrounded by agricultural land and woodland. Some of the green spaces in Codicote village contribute to the character of the conservation area, others represent important green infrastructure. All the spaces designated as Local Green Space are of significant value both to residents and visitors who use these areas for recreation. Many also function as a haven for wildlife. They greatly contribute to the village's distinctive character and are fundamental to its green, rural setting.

6.7.3 Some of the Local Green Spaces are within the village settlement boundary and others are in the Green Belt. The Government's Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) (Paragraph: 010 Reference ID: 37-010-20140306) tells us that Local Green Spaces can be designated on Green Belt land where the designation could help to identify areas of Green Belt that are of particular importance to the local community. The PPG goes on to say that different designations serve different purposes. If, for example, a designation such as Scheduled Monument already exists on a potential LGS, then consideration should be given to the additional local benefit of the LGS designation. Land designated as LGS can also be nominated for listing by the local authority as an Asset of Community Value.

6.7.4 The definition of what makes a Local Green Space special is not defined in the NPPF. However, best practice examples include defining characteristics of particular local significance such as beauty, historical significance, recreational value, tranquillity or richness in wildlife.

6.7.5 The importance of three additional spaces came to light through consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan. LGS13 Singlers Marsh was requested by Welwyn Parish Council who had designated the remainer of Singlers Marsh as Local Green Space in their Neighbourhood Plan. Its inclusion in this Plan means the whole of the Marsh area will be similarly designated.

6.7.6 The designation of LGS14 was requested by a resident. In Feb 2012 an orchard and hedges were planted by Codicote school and the Codicote residents at the former Wyevale site, this was organised by Wyevale's Don Ellwood and Codicote Environment group. The Woodland Trust's Jubilee Wood Project (diamond jubilee) donated 100 saplings for this. The trees included apple, pear and hedgerow plants. The orchard was planted in the shape of a tree. This can be seen in overhead satellite images. When Taylor Wimpey purchased the site, they agreed that the orchard would be protected for the parish residents.

6.7.7 Local Green Spaces designated in this Plan are listed in Policy COD 11. Tables showing the assessment of these spaces for designation and detailed maps of each space can be found in Appendix F.

Figure 12 Orchard Planting LGS14 Vale Orchard (left) & LGS13 Singlers Marsh (right)