Walkern Parish Council Report – November 2025
The Parish Council Meeting was held on Thursday 6th November 2025 at Walkern Sports and Community Centre. This report covers some of the issues we have been dealing with over the last few months. The full minutes of the meeting are available on the Parish Council website and on the Parish Council Notice Board outside Budgens shop.
Peace Garden
This project has been work in progress for at least a year! The main difficulty stems from the fact that no conveyancing trail from the owners of the graveyard in Froghall Lane to East Herts District Council could be found so that presented a problem with land registry.
We were delighted to recently receive an email from Tollers, our solicitors, stating that the title for the property registered at the Land Registry is satisfactory and the form of transfer has been approved.
Abi, our clerk, has asked for information regarding the signing and witnessing of the deeds and we are waiting for a response.
Aubries Play Area
We know that the updating of the equipment at the High Street Playground has been a great success and the majority of families will choose to spend most time there. However, the Council is also responsible for the small area at Aubries and we are aware that it is looking in need of a refresh. Several Councillors met onsite and agreed that we should get quotes to refurbish the bench, that is rub down the metal frame and slats, treat the rust and repaint. Also to place paving stones under the bench, where the grass has disappeared and is now a muddy patch.
The slide on the toddlers’ climbing frame is also slightly damaged so we have contacted Wicksteed, the manufacturers, to find out the cost of a replacement.
High Street Playground
The majority of residents using the playground do so with great care and appreciation but we still have problems with users who seem to delight in leaving their rubbish on the ground or tucked between the slats of the benches, anywhere other than in one of the three bins available.
Recently I reported that someone was dumping their unwanted and completely inappropriate books in the Book Box and only yesterday a fold up deck chair was left on the picnic table, presumably because the owner is aware that litter is regularly cleared from the park and they didn’t want the bother of disposing of it themselves!
We know there is very little we can do to stop this kind of behaviour but it is frustrating that the Council has to pay for rubbish to be collected and disposed of in a responsible manner when there are many calls on the money that we have available.
The Hertfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy
The Council is anxious that this should be a project for the community so that, as well as helping native species and habitats, it will bring residents together in an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.
We discussed what our next steps should be and decided it was important to discover how many residents would be interested in being involved in a practical way, and also where the Council could get funding to support the projects.
We plan to deliver a leaflet to all households setting out our vision to restore and enhance the natural environment of Walkern Parish for the benefit of the wildlife and residents. We will be asking residents to let us know if they would like to be involved, so that we can judge the community’s response and decide whether to continue with the plan.
Also, councillors will approach various organisations such as The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and Herts County Council to see whether funding would be available.
Crime Report
The police report for October notes an attempted theft from a motor vehicle in Moors Ley and a case of criminal damage at Manor Farm on the High Street. There was also a truck stolen from outside premises in Stevenage Road.
The Council urges people who see anything suspicious to contact the police:
Phone 999 or101 for non-urgent cases.
Planning Applications
The Council receives notice of the various planning applications made within the Parish. However, residents can also view, comment and object to applications on the East Herts Planning Portal by either searching Walkern or a specific road within the village.
For searches online use https://publicaccess.eastherts.gov.uk
The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Thursday December 4th 2025 at the Walkern Sports and Community Centre commencing at 7.00 pm.
Christine Nudds, Parish Councillor