SAPHRA
The Residents’ Association for Sopwell Lane, Albert Street, Pageant Road, Hart Road,
The Ryder Seed Mews Estate, Saracens Head Yard, Pearce’s Walk and Keyfield Terrace
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Notes of SAPHRA meeting held on Tuesday 18th August 2026
at the White Hart Hotel, Holywell Hill, St Albans
Present: Officials: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Minutes Secretary
And: Cllr Voisey, 4 residents of Pageant Road, 1 resident of Hart Road, 1 resident of Albert Street, 2 residents of Sopwell Lane,
Apologies for absence: Cllr Grover, Cllr Hughes,1 resident Sopwell Lane, 1 resident Albert Street
The subjects discussed in the meeting were:
- Finances and banking arrangements:
Our current balance with Metro Bank stands at £596.83, which includes the annual £100 grant from SADC. Since January 2026 Metro Bank started charging SAPHRA £3.00 a month for our account. To avoid these charges SAPHRA is now in the process of setting up a free bank account with Nat West.
- Local Government reorganisation - unitary authorities
- On 16th July the Government announced that Hertfordshire will be split into four new unitary councils. We will be part of West Hertfordshire, covering the areas currently served by Dacorum Borough Council and St Albans City & District Council.
- Dacorum Borough and St Albans District have roughly equivalent populations at just over 150,000 each.
- The main towns in Dacorum are Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring, roughly equating to St Albans, Harpenden and London Colney.
- The elections to the new unitary authorities are scheduled for 6th May 2027. The newly elected councillors will form a shadow authority and oversee the transition to the new West Hertfordshire Council.
- On 1st April 2028 West Hertfordshire Council will become operational (and HCC & SADC will cease to exist).
- Local Government reorganisation - Strategic Authority & elected Mayor
- Since at least as far back as November 2025 HCC “Hertfordshire has been seeking the establishment of a Strategic Mayoral Authority with a directly elected Mayor for Hertfordshire to help unlock the county’s full potential.”
- On August 12th the Prime Minister visited Stevenage and said that he supported the proposal. He said: “The Government should “act quickly” on devolution where “there is an agreement at the local level and it’s a consensus and it’s clear. I don’t want areas to feel left behind when other areas with mayors are getting all the benefits that come with that. I want Number 10 North to put power into every postcode in the whole of Hertfordshire.”
Continues on next page... - Local Government reorganisation – unparished area in central St Albans
- On 15th July 2026 SADC’s full Council approved the setting up of St Albans City Centre Parish Council, which will cover the previously unparished area. The Parish Council will come into effect (as a corporate body) on 1st April 2027. However, the first elections for parish councillors will be held on 6th May 2027. So, the new body will have no Councillors for the first few weeks of existence.
- The new council will be divided into Parish Wards, which will be based on existing district ward boundaries.
- Most wards (including ours, St Peter’s) will have 3 councillors. There will be 25 Parish Councillors altogether.
- The full Council also approved the setting up of a Shadow Parish Council (steering group) to
be formed to prepare for it. This will be composed of 9 councillors; one each from the 9 unparished wards.
- There will be no representation for RAs, or any other groups, on the steering group. However, the public will be allowed more time than is usual for questions at meetings of the steering group.
- City Neighbourhoods Committee of SADC
- Met on 13th July. Next planned meeting date is 16th September. The CNC will cease to exist on 1st April 2027 (because the creation of the Parish Council on that date will remove the legal justification for the CNC to exist).
- The CNC chair and RA co-opted members would like the CNC to steer the ambition of the new Parish Council, and to ensure that assets under the CNC’s remit are handed over in good administrative order (e.g. allotments, parks & playgrounds).
- Other voices are resisting this and would like the CNC to confine itself to its role as trustee of a number of recreation grounds (and to have only one more meeting).
- Combined Central residents Associations
- Met on 10th August.
- Members are working closely with CNC and Civic Society to try to influence the ambition and scope of the new Parish Council
- Local plan
- The recently drafted Local Plan is now expected to be adopted in September (not July). The delay was due to a shortfall in capacity of Central Government Planning Inspectors. It will be the first local plan for St Albans to make it through to adoption since 1994 (i.e. first in 32 years).
- Following an instruction from Central Government SADC has started work on a revised Local Plan to take account of revised national planning policies and requirements to provide for more housing than in the plan about to be adopted.
- The goal is to complete the next Local Plan by 2029. SADC won’t exist by then, but the new West Hertfordshire Council will be required to take over the production of the new plan.
- Sopwell Lane Green Oasis:
Due to the ongoing drought conditions very little gardening/planting work has been carried out on the site. Ron has very kindly been watering the four specimen trees on the site and they appear to be surviving the extreme heat. Roger has recently strengthened the donated bench making it much safer for visitors to sit on and he has also built a wooden planter by the large sycamore tree, which is made up of reclaimed scaffolding boards. There are still a few modifications to be made to it and then it will be stained a more suitable colour to blend in with the surroundings. Wood from several salvaged floorboards has been cut into components to build four bird nesting boxes which will then be secured, in a suitable and safe position, to the trunk of the sycamore tree. As it is the season to buy and plant daffodil bulbs this would be a wonderful way of donating to the oasis project. If anyone has any spare bulbs (daffodils, crocuses, tulips) that would be in keeping with the site we would really appreciate them. When the ground becomes diggable, after some much needed rain, we will arrange to hold another gardening morning.
Continues on next page… - Review of summer get-together:
This was the second event held on the green oasis in Sopwell Lane. The weather was kind and ample shelter was provided by the new gazebo purchased by Roger. A good number of residents attended, and some new faces were welcomed. It was unanimously agreed that we should do a repeat of this next year.
- SAPHRA’s next meeting:
Will be Tuesday 27th October 2026 at 8:00 pm in The White Hart Hotel, 23-25 Holywell Hill.
- Any Other Business:
- Cllr Hughes and Cllr Voisey are proposing to remove the growing number of waste bins from the side of Malthouse Court and substitute new, larger bins at the rear of the site in the hope that this will reduce the amount of fly tipping being carried out. Due to problems with rats on other accommodation sites non residents have taken to bringing their rubbish and adding it to the Malthouse bins.
- The bollards outside May Cottage, Sopwell Lane (opposite the oasis) are still not adequate. One bollard has broken off and the other is bent. The white lines marking the parking bays opposite have disappeared so some parked cars are projecting out further than they should leaving even less space for large vehicles to pass. Cllr Voisey will try and arrange for Cllr Matt Fisher to come and inspect.
- A bench is due to be placed outside the Samuel Ryder Hotel. The funds have been raised by Prof. Tim Boatswain, with a portion coming from the Mayor Matt Fisher’s own locality budget.
- A blue plaque in honour of the watercolour artist, etcher and draftsman Holmes Winter will be celebrated at 9 Alma Road on 5th September at 11am.
- A blue plaque is being made to honour Albert Moody, also known as ‘Mr St Albans’ who worked as the city surveyor. In 1964 he successfully persuaded the City Council not to demolish the medieval Christopher Inn building in French Row but to restore it. It is now Simmons and L’Italiana.
- Heritage stickers can now be seen along the High Street, complimenting those in George Street.
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