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The Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum’s annual general meeting will be held at 7pm on Tuesday 11th March, at the Hampstead Community Centre, 78 Hampstead High Street, NW3 1RE.
We will have a discussion about what the new Hampstead Neighbourhood Plan will do for Hampstead, and about what more could be done. Among the speakers will be Red Szell, Susannah Hagan and Janine Griffis.
In addition, we will update members on the progress of the new Plan, which has been going through the necessary processes of approval. It is currently being reviewed by an independent examiner.
Janine Griffis will run through the benefits of the Plan, which contains several innovative elements. She will describe the changes we have made, promoting sustainable design and enhancement of the natural environment.
The need to design our homes sustainably means that a balance must be struck between energy-saving technology and the conservation of Hampstead’s heritage. Professor Susannah Hagan, a leading expert on architecture and the environment, will tell us how it is possible to do both. Susannah, an adviser to the Forum and a local resident, is Emeritus Professor of Architecture at the University of Westminster and previously headed architectural research at the Royal College of Art.
Thinking about the Plan that we have written inevitably leads to consideration of what we could do better. Our streetscape heavily influences what we think about our neighbourhood, and a core goal of the Plan is to make Hampstead safe and walkable.
So we will hear from Red Szell, author of The Blind Man of Hoy, a book written after he became the first blind person to climb the Old Man of Hoy, a sea stack in Orkney. Red will talk about his experience of accessibility — or lack of it — in Hampstead.
Before the discussion, we will elect a committee for the year. The nominees can be viewed here. We extend enormous thanks to David Castle, who, as a zealous protector of our architectural heritage, played a leading role in writing the 2018 Neighbourhood Plan. He is stepping back from the committee but will remain a valued adviser.
As well as reviewing the annual accounts, which will be posted on this website before the meeting, we will ask you to approve small changes to the Forum’s constitution, to modernise it and bring it in line with current practice.
Camden has approved the Forum as the body responsible for the Neighbourhood Plan for a further five years, and as part of that process we had to make sure that the constitution met the borough’s latest requirements on inclusivity. The draft constitution can be viewed here.
Also, the minutes of last year’s AGM can be found here.
Community activities
The Forum has meanwhile continued what we call our ‘resilience’ programme, which fosters community activities so as to help residents feel better able to cope with the shocks and threats we see around us.
In 2024, we collaborated with Hampstead churches to host a series of ‘climate cafés’. The purpose was not to discuss solutions to climate change but to allow participants to share their thoughts and feelings with others. We plan further sessions in collaboration with churches.
On the theme of community togetherness, we draw your attention to the lunches that are held regularly at Rosslyn Hill Chapel. Several Forum members attended the February lunch. They very much enjoyed it and plan to go again. The next one is scheduled for Sunday 9 March. Get the details here.
Bacton Towers
The Heath & Hampstead Society has asked us to draw your attention to this petition against overdevelopment at the Bacton estate, in Gospel Oak not far from Parliament Hill. The proposed three tower blocks of up to 26 storeys each would have big impact on views from the Heath. The full planning application is expected this spring.
Help fund the Forum
The Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum depends entirely on donations to fund its modest annual running costs. If you would like to contribute, please see our support page or email treasurer@hampsteadforum.org.