'Fragmented' Hatfield to 'connect' with Portas money

A "fragmented" Hertfordshire town wants to bring together its different areas using money from the Portas Pilot project.

Hatfield was selected as one of 15 additional pilot towns, which will share £1.5m as part of a government scheme to regenerate the high streets.

The plan was spearheaded by retail expert Mary Portas, who has described the traditional high street as being at crisis point.

Earlier this year, 12 towns were given cash to rejuvenate their shopping areas and Hatfield was chosen following a second round of bids in June.

It will receive about £100,000, which the Hatfield Town Team wants to use to improve "connectivity" between different areas.

Hatfield, with a population of about 30,000, was one of the designated post-war new towns built around London. It grew up around the old town, which includes Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury.

The area was once associated with aircraft design and manufacturing, with de Havilland opening a factory in the 1930s until British Aerospace closed in the 1990s.

When creating the new town, the Hatfield Development Corporation chose to build along the St Albans Road as the old town was on the side of the railway, which would not allow space to expand.

Consequently, these are now very separate areas.

After feedback from its unsuccessful first bid, the team revamped its case, by looking at what other towns could learn from it.

Team chair, councillor Lynne Sparks, said a £40m redevelopment plan for the town centre was already due to begin in the autumn, and the new bid concentrated on "building a community spirit".

"It was about trying to keep the vibrancy of the town going while it underwent redevelopment," she said.

The team focussed on community events and sharing information to bring Hatfield House and the Galleria outlet centre together with the town centre.

"The town is fragmented, so what we want to do is try and build on the connectivity between those areas and encourage people to use the town centre as a hub," said Ms Sparks.

"We want to get students coming back in, provide more information about Hatfield House and the Galleria and try and build some events we can all share."

Some of the money will be used to buy portable staging for public events and signage will also be improved. There will also be a heritage trail, which will include details of the town's aviation history and Old Hatfield.

An information hub will be created with free wi-fi, and a website to promote the town centre will be built.

Themed markets and pop-up stalls for starter businesses are planned as part of the revitalisation of the general and farmers' markets.

Ms Sparks said that the team was surprised at how much could be achieved with £100,000, but that it was not "just about the money".

"It's about the extra support from Mary Portas herself and a minister from the Department for Communities and Local Government and a variety of other organisations. That support as well as the money will be fantastic."