The planning process grinds on in its ordained way towards the eventual aim of Stevenage's emerging as an extended regional centre. This was outlined in the (then) Regional Plan (or Spatial Strategy) and approved, with reservations by the (then) Regional Assembly. This would include the target figure of 16000 more "homes" to be built by 2030.

It will be useful and cheering to summarise the state of play as it stands in mid-November 2007. Following the route laid down in the Planning Act of 2004 towards the eventual Stevenage Planning Framework, two important policy documents have emerged and required our response. The first was the Core Strategy and in this the most interesting item to us was Stevenage Borough Council's proposal to ‘create a Forster Country Park’. This seems to correspond to the extended St Nicholas and Rectory Lane Conservation Area referred to in our last issue. To this we responded with positive approval, although we recommended that the area should be considerably larger. There is now a revised submission date of 20th December for Core Strategy if modified views are offered.

More recently a second document has emerged under the title SNAP (Stevenage and North Herts Action Plan Key Issues and Options Consultation November 2007). The existence of SNAP was first revealed to us by Richard Javes during his presentation on September 19th.

After a historic coolness, two unlikely partners have been persuaded to come to a conclusion as to the boundaries for the two authorities' building programmes. The driving force is the extension of Stevenage; as its boundaries are now "tightly drawn", the only way Stevenage can expand is at the expense of its neighbouring authority of North Herts.

The outlines of the proposed extensions can be seen in the SNAP document, which is lucid and very well presented, and were anticipated in The Comet. They include the long-debated and long-awaited Stevenage West and extend as a large balloon from St Ippolyts westward towards Great Ashby and Halls Green into North Herts Green Belt country.

SNAP is more specific than the Core Strategy and offers possible solutions, including the preferred boundaries of the Forster Country Park, which we will examine carefully. We have to respond, on a 19 page Response Form, by 18th January 2008 and you can respond individually. (Copies available in Public Libraries and Council Offices in Stevenage and Letchworth and on the Web.)

The subject of the Green Belt and its protection is much in the news. It will be recalled that FOFC fought at Public Inquiries and succeeded in actually getting the Green Belt boundary legally moved southwards to include "our" piece of land. This success is marked by the Only Connect monument which stands in St Nicholas' Churchyard on the path into Forster Country. It would be feebly inept not to fight to perpetuate this victory which dealt specifically with preserving a piece of Green Belt of historic and cultural heritage and, as SNAP seems to agree, will be the green lung of north Stevenage.