Friends of Water Lane Hall

Friday 8 May, 19.00 – Birchwood High School, CM23 5BD. Get your team together!

Following overwhelming support for a community group to take over the hall in a public survey of views about different options for the hall, a formal conditional offer is sent by an East Herts director to Friends of Water Lane Hall.

After months of careful preparation by a devoted group of volunteers, the draft 50 page Strategic Business case, with an Executive summary, and the latest operational business plan was sent to the council, as invited, for their consideration. A difficult early negotiation commenced about ways of transferring ownership, finding necessary major funding and compiling evidence to back up the business case.

July 2022 – Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation applies for registration of the Water Lane Hall as an Asset of Community Value.

16 September 2022 – The hall is formally registered as an Asset of Community Value.

20 September 2022 – East Herts Council property team notify their intention to make a relevant disposal of (sell) the United Reformed Church Hall, Bishop’s Stortford. They advise:

‘The leasehold is likely to be purchased by Cityheart along with other land and assets as part of the Old River Lane development. Therefore ownership will be changing hands along with the wider site.’

According to the Localism Act 2011, as the nominating community group, Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation has the right to make an expression of interest for acquisition of the property.

30 October 2022 – Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation formally notifies its intention to submit a bid for the hall, and invoke a six month moratorium on disposal of the property to anyone else.

December 2021 – the Local Planning Authority set up a community steering group for preparation of a supplementary planning document to guide the masterplan for the whole ORL area.

May 2022 – the Local Planning Authority produce a draft SPD for Executive approval.

July 2022 – A four-week public consultation on the draft SPD.

25 October 2022 – The revised SPD is presented to East Herts Council Executive for approval. Following representations by Friends of Water Lane Hall, new text from the ‘Council as landowner’ about what an arts centre might offer, is drastically reduced at the Executive meeting.

9 November 2022 – Cityheart stage a half-day public exhibition announcing their imminent outline planning application, after failing to reconvene the community steering group or notifying District councillors.

16 November 2022 – Full Council adopt the SPD.