HITCHIN: A small victory for democracy is how campaigners have reacted to North Herts Council backing down this week.

Following questions from campaigners and Nub News, NHC has changed its original stance - and has now extended the time allocated for residents to object online to a retrospective planning permission relating to an unpopular town centre deal that has led a spike in anti-social behaviour.

NHC had originally closed its online portal designed to allow residents to lodge their objections to a deal that saw £200,000 of taxpayers cash handed to a private company to house homeless people in a prime town centre site - but without the necessary planning application lodged - and by definition, lacking relevant permissions to operate legally.

The Lord Lister Grade II listed building operated without a planning application in place for nearly three months without the correct documents in place.

The site played host to between 15 and 20 former prisoners and those suffering from serious mental health issues and addictions, including alcohol and drug problems, between November and December 2021 through to January 2022 - despite the worrying fact that the correct planning documentation was missing entirely.

Questions have been raised as to what exactly council leader Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg knew about the lack of a planning application - which left potentially violent former offenders largely unsupervised in a building that did not have a relevant planning application that would have allowed it to operate legally.

Herts Police have since been called out more than 100 times to deal with anti-social incidents relating to unsupervised residents of the Lord Lister halfway house.

Questions have been raised about the lack of consultation with local residents and other elected councillors, that saw families with young children threatened by former convicts who were lacking expert supervision and support, housed in a building that did not have a relevant planning application in place.

Campaigners and residents say that those suffering from complex issues that were housed inside the Lord Lister were failed by the council.

The private housing company responsible for the Lord Lister, Keystage Housing, eventually lodged a retrospective planning application on January 20 this year, which was subsequently called in by Hitchin councillor Keith Hoskins for scrutiny.

Since then, the retrospective planning application - that should have been made last year - has seen at least 123 concerned residents lodge strong objections to the plans, prior to the planning meeting that was set for the end of this month.

That meeting was then pushed back to April 20, because, according to NHC supremo Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg, who tweeted: "The planning committee date has changed because the police made comments in their response about the physical make up of the building which Keystage has chosen to address proactively now, working with the police, meaning it needs time to adjust it's [sic] application."

However, once the crucial meeting was pushed back, NHC decided to close the online portal for residents to object.

People could still buy a stamp and envelope in order to write a letter that they would then post to a PO Box address in Nottingham, but questions were asked why those who wanted to object were not allowed to send a digital response through the online portal.

However, thanks to tireless Hitchin campaigners featured in Nub News NHC has now decided to re-open the online portal - until April 6, giving just short of two extra weeks in allowing people to object.

Incidentally, the date of April 6, as Nub News has discovered, is exactly the same date as the publication of the statement of persons nominated for local elections in Hitchin and North Herts, set to be held on May 5 this year.

A campaigner told Nub News: "It's a small victory for democracy.

"The council seem to be doing everything in their power to make it difficult for people to object to this dreadful scheme.

"Closing the online portal and telling people to send a letter was faintly ludicrous when the majority of people could lodge an objection online.

"It's almost as if they are trying to prevent people from lodging objections."

NHC told Nub News: "The online portal has been extended until April 6. Now, and after that date, people can continue to send their views via email and post using the details below:

by email – [email protected]