This autumn, HCCSP Manager Helen Burridge has been representing the Partnership at a range of conferences and events across the South East, sharing Hertfordshire's experiences while bringing back new ideas, insights and connections to support local delivery.
The season began at the Hertfordshire Infrastructure and Development Board meeting at Hatfield House, which brought together leaders from across the development, infrastructure and public sectors to discuss the issues shaping Hertfordshire's future. Conversations covered the Government's housing and growth agenda, Local Government Reorganisation, Local Plans and the emerging Spatial Development Strategy, alongside the practical realities of delivering sustainable development. Delegates also explored how community investment and social value can help ensure that growth delivers meaningful and lasting benefits for local people.
In early October, we attended the Climate East Conference, hosted by Local Government East at Newmarket Racecourse. The event featured a series of engaging and inspiring speakers, including Craig Bennett OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, and environmental campaigner Chris Hines MBE. Their contributions offered a welcome reminder of the opportunities for local leadership in addressing climate and nature challenges and buoyed the discussions with their enthusiasm and energetic presentations.
One particularly interesting workshop at the Climate East Conference explored the use of a board game-style approach to support conversations about healthy places and the varied ways environmental and planning decisions affect different communities. The innovative format prompted valuable discussion and has led to conversations with the local authority that developed the tool about whether a similar approach could be adapted for use in Hertfordshire.
September also saw attendance at the Greater South East Net Zero Hub Conference, which balanced serious discussion with a welcome sense of optimism and humour. The opening keynote came from climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith, helping to set an engaging and accessible tone for the day: he gigged in front of Al Gore just two weeks later! Sessions covered a range of net zero topics, with particularly useful insight from Patrick Allcorn, Head of Local Energy at DESNZ, who shared perspectives on building retrofit programmes and the direction of the Government's forthcoming Warm Homes Plan.
Closer to home, Helen was invited to speak at the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce Property and Construction Summit, an event focused on building Hertfordshire's future and strengthening links between employers, training providers and the wider construction sector. Her presentation highlighted progress on retrofit and efforts to improve building standards across the county, alongside the importance of developing skills, supporting businesses and engaging residents, landlords and housing providers in the transition to a more sustainable built environment.
Attending events such as these helps ensure that the Partnership remains connected to emerging policy, innovative approaches and regional best practice, while also showcasing the collaborative work taking place across Hertfordshire to tackle climate change and support sustainable growth.