Brighter Paths, Safer Steps: Fairlands Valley Park Lighting Petition

The in-person consultation for Fairlands Valley Park has been moved and is now taking place on Wednesday September 4, 3:30pm - 6:45pm at Fairlands Valley Activity Centre, but you do not need to go in-person to make your voice heard. In fact, Stevenage Borough Council would like everyone to fill out a short online form to share your views.

You can fill out the form using this link: https://shorturl.at/vRcru The deadline to complete the form is 15 September 2024.

You are asked to describe what you like best about this park and, importantly, what three things could be improved. On what can be improved, please write that you would like eco-friendly, wildlife conscious lighting installed in the park. You can mention the petition if you like. You can also add more explanation on why this is important to you personally, in your own words.

Stevenage Borough Council is now holding public consultations on new action plans for each of the main parks, to accompany the Green Spaces Strategy. This is your chance to get involved and make your voice heard - to share directly with the Council why you think Fairlands Valley Park should have eco-friendly, wildlife-conscious lighting installed in Fairlands Valley Park.

The consultation is taking place next week Wednesday July 17th, between 12noon and 3pm at the Fairlands Valley Park Activity Centre. If you are free around this time, we would encourage you to get out and share your views. This is an informal drop-in session to make it flexible for residents to attend. Stevenage Borough Council Officers from the Environment and the Community Development team will be available to chat to residents and help record their thoughts and ideas.

Stevenage Borough Council debated our petition just before Christmas. A written summary is available on the Council website here: https://democracy.stevenage.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=15835

The Council has unanimously approved the motion to explore lighting options for Fairlands Valley Park and what it would cost (the motion says reflective strips but the Council has agreed that all options should be explored), to consult with the Police and the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust regarding community safety and ecology considerations, to explore what external funding options might be available, and to include the request of our petition in their new Green Spaces strategy and accompanying action plan.

I will stay in touch with the Council to support them in their review and to identify the paths that require lighting.

The petition has been confirmed for debate on 20 December 2023 at the full Council meeting! As part of this, I'll be given 5 minutes to introduce the petition. I intend to share as many examples as I can to showcase how wildlife friendly lighting may benefit different groups and community members. If you would like to share your example, please get in touch! There's a contact button at the top of the page.

Meanwhile, you can still add your signature! The petition keeps up its momentum with more signatures added every day. I'll update the Council on the latest signature count as part of the debate on the 20th.

The petition has now been formally submitted and we expect the Council to debate this at their next full meeting in December. I will update you once the debate has been formally confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Comet published another article recognising our success in getting support for this petition: https://www.thecomet.net/news/23951100.stevenage-fairlands-valley-petition-reaches-1-000-signatures/

Just two weeks since we started the petition and we are now well past the 1000 signatures. I couldn't be more proud! Thank you to everyone who signed and shared. And a special thanks to my partner and friends who helped hand out flyers all across town!

I have now asked the Council to table a debate as soon as possible. The petition will be formally submitted later in the week to allow everyone who we spoke to over the weekend (at Costellos, the football match, Bedwell community centre or at the Christmas lights switch on) to still put their signature on so they can show their support.

I've spoken to lots of people which has been incredibly valuable to get insights into how lighting could benefit different groups of people. Just today I spoke to a woman in Bedwell who lives just around the corner of Fairlands Valley Park and who told me she "hasn't been there in years" because she doesn't feel safe. Together we can change that. Thanks to you!

Delighted to share that the petition is now supported by The Stevenage Striders Running Club! Their members have already actively shared the petition so I'm delighted to confirm the club is now a supporting organisation on the petition. Thank you!

It's been a full week since starting the campaign and we're now at 75% of our goal. Amazing. Thank you to everyone for signing and sharing!

In the past week I've spoken to lots of people who care about this petition. We also have a number of local businesses who've put up a poster of the petition in their staff rooms or for their customers. If you want to hang a poster in your workplace, business or community venue, you can download a poster here (print at home): https://drive.google.com/file/d/10xE7RKYmobS5CnmUMeeCcBvKzg-5ihWi/view?usp=drivesdk

We had a great end to the fifth day of the campaign with an article posted in The Comet: https://www.thecomet.net/news/23914974.petition-launched-lighting-fairlands-valley-park/

Thanks to this, we are now well passed the halfway point of our petition. Thank you to everyone who signed and shared! This has truly been a collective effort.

If you want to share your experience of using Fairlands Valley Park and how lighting would help you, please get in touch. I'm meeting the Council next week to discuss this and will share stories of local residents. You can get in touch via the top of the campaign page!

Ending the fourth evening / third day well above 400 signatures and almost near the halfway mark for the petition goal. I can't believe how fast this is has gone! Thank you to everyone for your support.

I spoke to a few more local shops today and, importantly, a few more businesses who have printed a poster for their staff rooms. And thanks to one of those friendly businesses, we now got connected with The Comet! I hope to have an update on this very soon so we can amplify our voice across town.

Keep spreading the word!

Another day passed and we're well passed 300 signatures now. Today we spoke with a number of local businesses in Chells who all were happy to support the petition. We also went to the town centre and were very pleased to receive the support of the Geek Retreat! Keep an eye out for our poster and flyers there.

To end the day, I emailed 15 local schools and nurseries near the park to ask for support in recognition of their staff using the park as a key route to get to/from work!

On the second evening of the campaign, my partner and I went out again to Fairlands Valley Park to speak to local people. We spoke to people walking their dogs, families going for an evening stroll, runners, cyclists, young people, and individuals enjoying an evening walk. We also went to the Roaring Meg Retail Park and spoke with businesses whose staff use the park as a main transportation route to go to and from work. At least five businesses now have flyers of the petition in their staff room in support of the campaign.

During the day, I also emailed the Councillors of Bedwell, Chells, and Shephall to request support for the campaign. I’ve received positive comments from each ward and I look forward to meeting with the Council soon (a walkabout of the park is being planned as part of my ongoing dialogue with the Council for which this petition will help strengthen the call to action).