2010 will be a busy year with a major consultation on the Local Development Framework for East Herts. We will also be watching the North Harlow Joint Venture, the speculative developers, very closely and holding them to account.

The new year has started with NHJV launching it first 'Peoples' Panel' survey. SHN is considering its response and would currently urge supporters not to reply to this survey. We have posed a number of questions to NHJV concerning this questionnaire and will provide you with a further update should this change.

The 'Panel' appears to consist of 300 selected volunteers that closely match a 'proxy' profile of a future community. They will be asked to respond to on-going questionnaires that test & refine the 'outcomes' from events. This might seem to bestow local legitimacy upon the development process. SHN does not intend to contribute to the design process for any major development north of Harlow. The land has not been allocated for development through the local planning process.

We are also concerned that this Peoples' Panel comprises only those people who fit a particular profile of the anticipated 'future community' whilst the current community is being sidelined by NHJV.
We believe that NHJV are not really interested in the answers to the questionnaire only that they can claim they have consulted and received a certain number of response. Please do not give them that satisfaction