Tories Positive About Hatfield? There Must Be An Election Coming Up
I see the local Conservatives are trying to promote a timely feelgood factor about Hatfield. Tory MP Grant Shapps is hailing the new businesses now set up on the former De Havilland aircraft site as a...
View ArticleHilltop Shops: When Will They Be Redeveloped?
On Facebook recently, I read an exchange of views about the Hilltop shops, where a shopkeeper is claiming that he's only being offered short six month leases at an increased rate. Further enquiries...
View ArticleTravellers Caravans: WGC Borough Council Bias Shows Up Again
Over the weekend I noticed three travellers caravans in the car park at Stanborough near the old swimming pool. These were the same three caravans that spent six weeks behind Tesco before beiong moved...
View ArticleABC Figures: Review Readership Up As WH Times Drops
Last month the Press Gazette published year on year circulation figures for the UK’s regional newspapers. It published the ABC list of the country’s 450 local papers which showed a general decline....
View ArticlePearl Sculpture: Don't Let Her Become A Fish Out Of Water
I've just read that 'Pearl', the lovely reclining sculpture that once adorned the water feature in White Lion Square, may be returned to the town centre. Sadly, I think this will be a big mistake. The...
View ArticleNew Leash Of Life For Hatfield's ex Comet Store
Hatfield’s giant Comet store only closed down at Christmas, but already it seems a new retailer is about to take its place. Pets At Home have submitted a change of use planning application to the...
View ArticleLorraine's '5 Star' Burger Van Forced To Leave Tesco Site
Lorraine and John Bates’s popular Bon Appetit mobile catering business has experienced an unnerving rollercoaster ride of events in recent months, including the theft of their van from its Oldings...
View ArticleHertfordshire Tree Wardens Forum calls for action to protect trees
During the Tree Wardens Forum delegates talked about national and local issues affecting trees and highlighted the important role that Tree Wardens play in tree preservation. The Hertfordshire Tree...
View ArticleShapps Accused Of Voting Against Clean Energy Target
Environmental campaign group, 38 Degrees, were narrowly beaten yesterday as MPs voted against including a clean energy target in the Energy Bill. If just 12 MPs had voted differently, they would have...
View ArticleFood Hygiene Standards At local Eateries
My other half is a fussy eater and usually takes some persuading to visit restaurants providing international cuisine due to his concerns over contracting ‘deli belly’ as he calls it. But soon we are...
View ArticleLottery Grant to Bring History of Smallford Station to Life
Halfway down the six mile Hatfield - St.Albans railway track - now the Alban Way - sits the platform and ticket office of Smallford Station which closed to passengers in 1951. But now a group of...
View ArticleNew Town Centre: Will Budget Shops Survive?
After reading that a start is to be made, at long last, to the redevelopment of the town centre, I got to wondering how many of the existing retailers there will remain once it is completed. One shop...
View ArticleFanfare: Town Centre Redevelopment To Start Monday
Hatfield's long awaited town centre redevelopment is due to start on Monday. As excitement mounts among residents, trumpeters have been practising to herald in the arrival of builders. The original...
View ArticleTown Centre Redevelopment Start Promised - But Still No Builders
After 18 months of inactivity, we were told that Hatfield's redevelopment was to commence on Monday 26th Novemeber. But two days later there doesn't appear to be any of the 'enabling works' that were...
View ArticleLong Queues At Hatfield House Frost Fair
On Sunday we attended the Frost Fair at Hatfield House but had to queue up in a traffic jam for half an hour before being able to park. It was about 11am and coming from Mill Green, we started...
View ArticleBig Society: When Will MP Shapps Be Doing Something For Hatfield?
I recently came across an article from last year about Grant Shapps helping to paint the white bridge in WGC. This was staged to promote the Conservative's Big Society initiative which, as I...
View ArticleHousing: Council Look Set To Dump On Hatfield Again
Whilst visiting the Farmers Market on Saturday I popped into the Council’s Emerging Core Strategy exhibition in White Lion Square. Apparently there are to be around 7000 new homes built over the next...
View ArticleOn-line Shopping Is So Sad
Apparently today is the day when we spend more money on-line than any other day. With Christmas fast approaching we are collectively forking out a staggering £10,000 a second. But I am not a lover of...
View ArticleBig Society: MP Shapps Explains Projects For Hatfield
In response to the letter printed on 30th November from Barry Whittaker, who seems concerned that the 'Big Society' had not yet reached Hatfield. In fact we have been working on a number of ideas to...
View ArticleQueensway House Facelift: Will It All Be Over By Christmas?
The £900,000 refurbishment of Queensway House is still not quite finished. The landmark tower block was scheduled to be completed in time for its 50th birthday in September, but the occasion has been...
View ArticleMP States More Jobs Created On Ex Airfield Since BAe Left Hatfield
Writing on his own Welwyn Hatfield Forum, Grant Shapps has provided statistics to rebut the notion of 'shelf stackers' replacing the skilled workforce that once designed and built aircraft on what is...
View Article7200 Homes For The ‘Borough’: 90% To Be Dumped On Hatfield!
I see the Borough Council are again demonstrating its contempt for Hatfield over the necessity to build 7200 new homes. You guessed it, about 90% of them are to be dumped on Hatfield - mostly in the...
View ArticleHatfield Taxpayers Have Had Enough Of Subsidising WGC
I agree with Cllr Archer regarding the 'outrage' of the Borough Council spending over a million pounds on the Campus West cinema in WGC. We are constantly being told that the Council is skint and that...
View ArticleMotorbike Racing: 66 Year Old Giles Is Champion Again
66 year old Giles Whalley came in first in the final race of the British Bikes Trials at the Farnham Royal Club track on Sunday. It was the 12th and last race in the year long competition with Giles...
View ArticleThe University's Negative Impact Upon Hatfield
The Hatfield Review has received the following letter which explains in detail the views held by the author that the University has had a negative impact upon Hatfield and that they are far from being...
View ArticleHatfield To Suffer More Borough Council 'Cultural Vandalism'
The former Cat & Fiddle pub could be demolished if the Borough Council have their way. The near 200 year old building is a landmark and part of Hatfield's rich heritage yet the remote WGC biased...
View ArticleThe 'Negative Impact' Of The University On Hatfield: Response No.1
A Hatfield Review correspondent has levelled 24 accusations against the University of Herts that describe the negative impact they have had upon Hatfield. Whilst the Uni have declined to provide a...
View Article'Negative Impact' Of The University On Hatfield No.2: Student-Let Houses
A Hatfield Review correspondent has levelled 24 accusations against the University of Herts that describe the negative impact they have had upon Hatfield. Whilst the Uni have declined to provide a...
View Article'Negative Impact' Of The University On Hatfield No.3: Road Accidents
A Hatfield Review correspondent has levelled 24 accusations against the University of Herts that describe the negative impact they have had upon Hatfield. Whilst the Uni have declined to provide a...
View Article'Negative Impact' Of Uni On Hatfield No.4: Students Union
Continuing our series of observations and accusations by a Hatfield resident that the University has had a negative impact upon the town. The Uni have been sent the list and invited to respond.
View ArticleSacrilege: Borough Council Approve Destruction Of Ancient Hatfield Pub
Further to a recent article by the Hatfield Review, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Councillors voted last week to approve officer’s recommendations to demolish the historic building and build in its place...
View Article4th Week: Travellers Still On Footpath
Further to your report last month, the travellers caravans are still parked on the footpath / cycle path between the rear of Tesco and the playing fields. When will they be told to go? They've been...
View ArticleINCINERATOR Hope: Information Commissioner Rejects HCC & Veolia’s Claims
The Anti-Incinerator campaign today received a real boost from the Information Commissioners Office who ruled that the County Council and Veolia should have released information about their planned...
View ArticleIcy Conditions Coming As The 'Beast From The East' Arrives
Despite a mild start tpo the year, this weekend icy Baltic winds from the east will collide with damp Atlantic weather from the west meaning only one thing - winter is coming. The weather forecast for...
View Article'Negative Impact' Of The Uni On Hatfield No.5: Entertainment Facilities
No.5 in the series of accusations by our correspondent about the University. Some readers may recall Hatfields own 750 seat Forum Theatre, built in 1977 and demolished 20 years later by the Welwyn...
View ArticleTown Centre: Still No date Set For Construction Works
The Borough Council have just provided a progress update on the proposed redevelopment of Hatfield town centre. But residents will be frustrated to learn that no schedule for the start of construction...
View ArticleDa! Da! Queensway House Refit Finished At Last
Builders were finally taking down the remaining scaffolding around Queensway House this morning, signalling the end of a £900k refurbishment of the tower block. Work began almost two years ago but...
View ArticleTown Centre Update: More Mains Services Being Diverted
Builders are in the process of erecting an extension area to the hoardings surrounding the former Bill Salmon Centre; where part of the long awaited 'Phase One' of the town centre redevelopment is to...
View ArticleQE2 Hospital Downgrade:"Too Meagre" Say Green Party
The population of Welwyn and Hatfield deserve far better from their elected representatives than to use their local healthcare provision as a political football, but this appears to be the case in...
View ArticleChild Poverty: Hatfield Needs Investment, Not WGC
I find it incredible that the Council can justify the needless expense of pampering WGC when Hatfield is virtually a ‘special needs case’. This is particularly obvious as the Hatfield area is rated as...
View ArticleSpecial Needs School To Move Despite Historic Findings On Site
I read that the Special needs school, currently at New barnfield, is now going to be relocated to the former Howe Dell School playing field further to two archaeological digs last year. This move is...
View ArticleTravellers Moved On....Just Down The Road
The three Travellers caravans that parked up on a footpath behind Tesco's are back. They arrived in early December, but were finally ordered off by the County Council and left last week. But it...
View ArticleRiver Colne: Flood Warning For Colney Heath
t A flood alert has been issued for the Upper River Colne over the weekend. The Environment Agency gave the warning yesterday as a combination of melting snow and rainfall caused rivers to swell in...
View ArticleIncinerator: "Sanity Has Crept In" says LibDem Councillor
Speaking about the decision of the Secretary of State to call in the New Barnfield incinerator application, LibDem county councillor Malcolm Cowan said 'In a mad world, a note of sanity has crept in....
View ArticleCouncillors Raise Concerns Over School Move
Hatfield Councillors have voiced concerns after it was announced that the move of Southfield Special School to a temporary site near the former Howe Dell school off Woods Avenue, will be going ahead...
View ArticleHERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL RUBBISH SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOLCHILDREN’S EDUCATION
Hertfordshire County Council is going ahead with their controversial move of Hatfield Southfield Schools special needs pupils, starting site clearance and construction. The Council will commit...
View ArticleHCC Deputy Police Commissioner, Rachel Frosh, Defends Hitler Tweet
Hertfordshire’s deputy police and crime commissioner has defended posting a quote by Adolf Hitler on microblogging site Twitter saying she did not mean to offend anyone. Dr Rachel Frosh, a...
View Article108 New Student Flats Being Built But No Car Parking!
Hatfield's former cinema was recently demolished and, in its place, 108 student flats are being built. But I have just learnt from a visit to the site that no car parking whatsoever has been included....
View ArticleANTI INCINERATOR CAMPAIGN: NEW URGENT ON-LINE PETITION
Herts County Council’s Waste Management Panel is meeting this coming Thursday, March 7th at 2.00 p.m. in Committee Room B of County Hall, Hertford. On the agenda is a report about the proposed...
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