3. SW Herts today
South West Herts today is a great place to live, work and spend leisure time.
It is a place defined as much by its urban character and proximity to London as its rural character, countryside and access to fantastic green and open spaces. From rural villages to historic market towns, a New Town, a small city and outer London feel, there is a great diversity of character across the area.
But there are still issues that we need to address, especially when planning for the future.
What you’ve already told us…
Before beginning work on the Joint Strategic Plan, we wanted to get a better understanding from those who live and work in SW Herts 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.
One of the key messages from the poll was that 86% of local people felt happy about living or working in SW Herts. Their favourite things about the area were parks, open spaces and its closeness to London.
In terms of improvements, the provision of better health facilities was the priority for most respondents. Additionally, three key themes were also identified, these being the need for green spaces, infrastructure and healthcare facilities.
In terms of the priorities for improving the area, 65% of respondents voted for ‘Better Health Facilities’. For the under 25s, they pointed to ‘Easier to get around’, ‘Better housing choice’ and ‘Better health facilities’.
We have also held a series of workshops involving elected Councillors, Council Officers, stakeholders and a SW Herts based youth group.
We have sought informal feedback from residents through our engagement website.
We asked for your views on SW Herts as it is today and what it should be like in the future.
The issues, challenges and opportunities raised through those conversations are included in the following pages a to e (select each option below for more information).
