Campaign Milestones

February 1996
News First emerges that Hertfordshire County Council intends to expand Stevenage west of the Al (M). 27

February 1996
Environment Committee includes proposal for 10,000 houses west of Stevenage in Draft Structure Plan. Public Consultation Document issued by Hertfordshire County Council.

18 March 1996
CPRE - The Hertfordshire Society calls public meeting in Knebworth resulting in formation of CASE (Campaign Against Stevenage Expansion).

11 April 1996
Public meeting in Hitchin Town Hall, with at least 400 present. Campaign results in over 4,000 objections being made to County Council.

4 June 1996
Meeting of full County Council overrules all objections, and confirms West of Stevenage in draft Structure Plan.

16 July 1996
Full County Council approve issue of the "Deposit Version" of the Structure Plan Review 1991 - 2011. This includes proposal for 10,000 houses west of Stevenage on a "contingent" basis. i.e. only to be implemented if other measures fail to produce the required housing.

October 1996
End of public consultation on "Deposit Version". Unprecedented level of objection by general public; highly detailed objections made by CASE and other organisations.

4-26 March 1997
Examination-in-Public held in Stevenage. Only two days allocated to key issue of West of Stevenage.

June 1997
Examination-in-Public Report issued. This concluded that West of Stevenage should go ahead without delay, and should no longer be "contingent" on failure to produce the required housing by other means. Although West of Stevenage could only provide 3,600 houses by 2011, the Green Belt should still be rolled back to allow for 10,000.

September 1997
"The Alternative Report" issued by 12 national and local organisations setting out the environmental evidence against West of Stevenage submitted to the Examination-in-Public.

14 October 1997
The Environment Committee formally accepts the findings of the Examination in Public and authorises an amended Structure Plan. As legally required, this was issued for further public consultation, although only on the amendments to the Plan.

November 1997
The campaign against building in the Green Belt becomes a national issue with extensive media coverage.

December 1998
The campaign gains publicity with over 8,000 local people sending "Christmas cards" to John Prescott asking him to "call in" the Plan.

16 January 1998
End of period of public consultation.

16 January 1998
Government Office for Eastern Region (in Bedford) formally notifies County Council that they are "content" with the plan.

4 March 1998
County Council give formal notice that they "may" adopt the Plan on 7 April 1998. This had the effect of starting the 28 day period during which the Secretary of State could "call in" the plan.

3 April 1998
Special meeting of the full County Council postpones formal adoption of the Plan on 7 April. Asks John Prescott to reduce house building targets to avoid need to build on Green Belt.

18 April 1998
National Save the Green Belt Rally at West of Stevenage.

23 April 1998
Reply from John Prescott confirming Hertfordshire's housing target remains at 65,000. County Council calls special meeting of Environment Committee to approve Plan.

30 April 1998
Special meeting of Environment Committee approves Plan.

This includes for West of Stevenage:

a) The Green Belt to be rolled back to accommodate 10,000 houses.
b) A master plan for building in two phases, 5,000 houses in each phase.
c) 3,600 houses to be built by the end of the current structure Plan (2011). Further building would continue as part of the roll forward of the Structure Plan.