Key Documents

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On this page you’ll find a range of key documents that are informing the preparation of the South West Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Plan.

Further studies and documents will be prepared by the Councils as work on the JSP progresses. As additional material becomes available it will be published and added to this page.

Document

Overview

Downloads

Vision documents
Final Vision Document
A shared vision and set of principles that will be used to inform the JSP as it progresses.
'Realising our Potential' consultation documents (2022)
Regulation 18 Communications and Engagement Plan A Communications and Engagement Plan has been jointly prepared by the South West Herts authorities and sets out the approach to cross authority engagement, and in particular the ways we will help promote the South West Herts ‘Realising Our Potential’ document. This Plan elaborates on the approach to consultation set out within the adopted Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).
South West Herts - Your Future

Before preparing the Plan, we wanted to get a better understanding from those who live and work locally about what they like about the area now and what we should be prioritising as we look to shape the future. To help with this we carried out a ‘SW Herts Your Future’ poll in early 2020. This report summarises the feedback from this engagement.

'Realising our Potential' Consultation Report

These consultation reports summarise the engagement undertaken on the ‘Realising Our Potential’ (Regulation 18) document.

Part 1 of the report sets out the range of engagement undertaken and Part 2 of the report summarises the responses received and the changes to the Joint Strategic Plan vision and principles recommended as a result:


Sustainability Appraisal
Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report - November 2023This Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report has been updated to reflect feedback received through the 'Realising our Potential' consultation and to ensure it reflects the final endorsed vision and supporting principles.
Technical work

South West Hertfordshire Economic Study

This report by consultants Hatch provides an update to the South West Herts Economic Study, last undertaken in 2018-19. The main aims of the study were to:

  • review economic and commercial property market trends since the last report and consider how these have been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic
  • quantify the future demand for office, industrial and storage & distribution space in South West Herts over two planning periods;
  • assess whether sites allocated in Local Plans are adequate to meet this demand and if not, how this shortfall could be addressed.

The study looks to two time periods - 2021-2041 and 2021-50 - to reflect the timeframes of both Local Plans and the JSP.

  • South West Hertfordshire Economic Study (September 2024 PDF)

South West Herts Local Housing Needs Assessment Update

Local Housing Needs Assessment (LHNA) report has been prepared by Iceni to provide an up-to-date evidence base on overall housing needs in SW Hertfordshire, the needs for specific types and size of homes, and the housing needs of specific groups within the population of demand from specific housing market segments. It forms part of the evidence base for both local plans and the Joint Strategic Plan (JSP).

The LHNA confirms that South West Hertfordshire represents a functional Housing Market Area (HMA) but recognises that there also strong housing market relationships to London, and localised relationships with some other adjoining areas, in particular between St Albans and Welwyn Hatfield.

  • South West Herts Local Housing Needs Assessment Update (March 2024 PDF)
Policy Review - South West Hertfordshire Green Infrastructure Policy Review

This note summarises current and emerging national and local policy on green infrastructure (GI) as well as the Hertfordshire County Council Green Infrastructure Study that was produced in 2011 and supplemented by part 2a and part 2b in 2022.

This is with a view to developing a strategic policy approach to green infrastructure for the South West Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) that is in accordance with national and local policy, and that takes into account best practice. It concludes by making some high level comments on how the JSP may approach GI to best support the implementation of the GI Plan across the County and support future local policy approaches in individual districts.



Position Statement - South West Hertfordshire Water Infrastructure NeedsThe purpose of this position statement is to outline the current position with regard to infrastructure needs for both potable water and wastewater across South West Hertfordshire and consider whether there are any expected ‘showstoppers’ with regard to supporting expected growth levels.
SW Herts Strategic Infrastructure Baseline StudyAn assessment of the current position regarding key strategic infrastructure and the role that the JSP could play in enabling and coordinating future provision.
Technical Note - Establishing a South West Hertfordshire Settlement Hierarchy

The purpose of this note is to establish a South West Hertfordshire Settlement Hierarchy that will inform the preparation of the South West Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Plan (JSP). It reviews and reflects the Settlement Hierarchy studies produced to date at district level.
Climate resilience studyA report setting out the approach being taken in current / emerging Local Plans regarding climate change and advising how we could help address these issues at a more strategic level through the JSP.
Developing a Vision

We have drawn up a draft vision for South West Herts. This was prepared by the South West Herts authorities with input from Members, officers, key external stakeholders, supported by consultants Prior & Partners. This draft vision has helped informed the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan (SW Herts JSP), ‘Realising Our Potential’ document and final agreed vision and principles.
Other supporting documents
JSP Update - May 2023A short document that provides an update and overview of the JSP - as of May 2023.
FAQs
A summary of frequently asked questions relating to the Joint Strategic Plan.


Topic Papers

This series of topic papers was prepared to support the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan (SW Herts JSP), ‘Realising Our Potential’ document. They are intended to elaborate and explain the issues covered in the document on a thematic basis.

Their coverage and the range of topics will be expanded as we move through the plan-preparation process.



Statement of Community InvolvementThe formal document that sets out our approach to carrying out consultation on the Joint Strategic Plan.



On this page you’ll find a range of key documents that are informing the preparation of the South West Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Plan.

Further studies and documents will be prepared by the Councils as work on the JSP progresses. As additional material becomes available it will be published and added to this page.

Document

Overview

Downloads

Vision documents
Final Vision Document
A shared vision and set of principles that will be used to inform the JSP as it progresses.
'Realising our Potential' consultation documents (2022)
Regulation 18 Communications and Engagement Plan A Communications and Engagement Plan has been jointly prepared by the South West Herts authorities and sets out the approach to cross authority engagement, and in particular the ways we will help promote the South West Herts ‘Realising Our Potential’ document. This Plan elaborates on the approach to consultation set out within the adopted Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).
South West Herts - Your Future

Before preparing the Plan, we wanted to get a better understanding from those who live and work locally about what they like about the area now and what we should be prioritising as we look to shape the future. To help with this we carried out a ‘SW Herts Your Future’ poll in early 2020. This report summarises the feedback from this engagement.

'Realising our Potential' Consultation Report

These consultation reports summarise the engagement undertaken on the ‘Realising Our Potential’ (Regulation 18) document.

Part 1 of the report sets out the range of engagement undertaken and Part 2 of the report summarises the responses received and the changes to the Joint Strategic Plan vision and principles recommended as a result:


Sustainability Appraisal
Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report - November 2023This Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report has been updated to reflect feedback received through the 'Realising our Potential' consultation and to ensure it reflects the final endorsed vision and supporting principles.
Technical work

South West Hertfordshire Economic Study

This report by consultants Hatch provides an update to the South West Herts Economic Study, last undertaken in 2018-19. The main aims of the study were to:

  • review economic and commercial property market trends since the last report and consider how these have been affected by the Covid 19 pandemic
  • quantify the future demand for office, industrial and storage & distribution space in South West Herts over two planning periods;
  • assess whether sites allocated in Local Plans are adequate to meet this demand and if not, how this shortfall could be addressed.

The study looks to two time periods - 2021-2041 and 2021-50 - to reflect the timeframes of both Local Plans and the JSP.

  • South West Hertfordshire Economic Study (September 2024 PDF)

South West Herts Local Housing Needs Assessment Update

Local Housing Needs Assessment (LHNA) report has been prepared by Iceni to provide an up-to-date evidence base on overall housing needs in SW Hertfordshire, the needs for specific types and size of homes, and the housing needs of specific groups within the population of demand from specific housing market segments. It forms part of the evidence base for both local plans and the Joint Strategic Plan (JSP).

The LHNA confirms that South West Hertfordshire represents a functional Housing Market Area (HMA) but recognises that there also strong housing market relationships to London, and localised relationships with some other adjoining areas, in particular between St Albans and Welwyn Hatfield.

  • South West Herts Local Housing Needs Assessment Update (March 2024 PDF)
Policy Review - South West Hertfordshire Green Infrastructure Policy Review

This note summarises current and emerging national and local policy on green infrastructure (GI) as well as the Hertfordshire County Council Green Infrastructure Study that was produced in 2011 and supplemented by part 2a and part 2b in 2022.

This is with a view to developing a strategic policy approach to green infrastructure for the South West Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) that is in accordance with national and local policy, and that takes into account best practice. It concludes by making some high level comments on how the JSP may approach GI to best support the implementation of the GI Plan across the County and support future local policy approaches in individual districts.



Position Statement - South West Hertfordshire Water Infrastructure NeedsThe purpose of this position statement is to outline the current position with regard to infrastructure needs for both potable water and wastewater across South West Hertfordshire and consider whether there are any expected ‘showstoppers’ with regard to supporting expected growth levels.
SW Herts Strategic Infrastructure Baseline StudyAn assessment of the current position regarding key strategic infrastructure and the role that the JSP could play in enabling and coordinating future provision.
Technical Note - Establishing a South West Hertfordshire Settlement Hierarchy

The purpose of this note is to establish a South West Hertfordshire Settlement Hierarchy that will inform the preparation of the South West Hertfordshire Joint Strategic Plan (JSP). It reviews and reflects the Settlement Hierarchy studies produced to date at district level.
Climate resilience studyA report setting out the approach being taken in current / emerging Local Plans regarding climate change and advising how we could help address these issues at a more strategic level through the JSP.
Developing a Vision

We have drawn up a draft vision for South West Herts. This was prepared by the South West Herts authorities with input from Members, officers, key external stakeholders, supported by consultants Prior & Partners. This draft vision has helped informed the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan (SW Herts JSP), ‘Realising Our Potential’ document and final agreed vision and principles.
Other supporting documents
JSP Update - May 2023A short document that provides an update and overview of the JSP - as of May 2023.
FAQs
A summary of frequently asked questions relating to the Joint Strategic Plan.


Topic Papers

This series of topic papers was prepared to support the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan (SW Herts JSP), ‘Realising Our Potential’ document. They are intended to elaborate and explain the issues covered in the document on a thematic basis.

Their coverage and the range of topics will be expanded as we move through the plan-preparation process.



Statement of Community InvolvementThe formal document that sets out our approach to carrying out consultation on the Joint Strategic Plan.