Old Town Area Action Plan
What is the Old Town Area Action Plan?
Government planning guidance recommends that Area Action Plans should be developed as part of the new planning system for areas where significant change or conservation is needed and can be achieved through the planning system. This Area Action Plan for the Old Town focuses on delivering growth and protecting an area particularly sensitive to change.
The Old Town High Street forms one of Hertfordshire’s first Conservation Areas and contains over 100 listed buildings alongside a mix of business premises and residential properties. However, the High Street area has experienced shifts in its function and its retail uses have come under pressure. We wish to ensure that a proper balance is drawn between development, regeneration, change and conservation in the Old Town to 2021 as the town expands again.
The current status of the plan
The consultation on the Old Town Area Action Plan closed on March 11th 2010. We will consider all of the responses we received before we submit the document to the Secretary of State. For a timetable please see our Local Development Scheme.
Until the document is adopted, after an Examination in Public, the policies contained within the plan can be used as material considerations in the determination of new planning applications. Click here for further details.
Consultations
We consulted on the Old Town Area Action Plan in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
Pre-submission - 2010
Pre-submission is the final stage of public consultation. We published the plan in what we think should be the final version. This includes our vision for the future of the Old Town as well as our detailed policy requirements. The pre-submission consultation was available between 28th January and 11th March 2010.
The document is based on the objectives of the sustainable community strategy for Stevenage, the objectives of the emerging Core Strategy document, the policies of the East of England Plan, the results of our evidence studies, the findings of our sustainability appraisal and the comments we received to the earlier consultation stages. Although the consultation is now closed, you are still able to view the consultation document via the link below:
View our consultation documents (external link)
Our consultation document takes account of evidence studies we have carried out, these are available to view/download using the links below.
Preferred Options - 2008
The Preferred Options consultation document set out our preferred policies to help to deliver our vision for the future of the Old Town area of Stevenage. The document explained how and why we had chosen our preferred options; how our options would contribute towards the soundness of the plan; why alternative options had been rejected; and what implications the options would have.
A Sustainability Appraisal considered the social, economic and environmental effects of the plan’s proposals.
Copies of the documents can be downloaded below:
A summary of the comments we received to the Preferred Options consultation was available with the Pre-submission consultation documents.
Key Issues and Alternative Options - 2006
The Key Issues and Alternative Options consultation document set out, in very broad terms, what we believe are the key issues that will help to shape the long-term planning future of the Old Town area to 2021. It also set out potential alternative ways in which we might tackle the issues.
You can also view the Key Issues and Alternative Options version of our Old Town Area Action Plan and Sustainability Appraisal below.
- Old Town Key Issues & Alternative Options Consultation Document
- Old Town Key Issues & Alternative Options Sustainability Appraisal
You can view a summary of comments we received to the first stage entitled Key Issues and Alternative Options below:
Further Information
For further information please contact us by:
email: planningpolicy@stevenage.gov.uk
post:
Planning Policy
Stevenage Borough Council
Daneshill House
Danstrete
Stevenage
SG1 1HN
Phone: 01438 242255
Textphone: 01438 242555
Fax: 01438 242922