Do you want to get involved and volunteer?
You don't need to be a planning expert. You don't need to give up your evenings.
Most of what makes a campaign like this work is ordinary people doing small things at the right moment.
Here's what would genuinely help.
Ten minutes
Respond to the consultation. The council's survey closes on 31 July 2026. It doesn't ask what you think about 500 homes on green belt — so use the free-text boxes to say it yourself, in your own words. A short, personal response counts for more than a long copied one. Go to the Respond Link for more details.
Tell your neighbours. Most people in Welwyn Garden City still don't know housing is part of this proposal. Forward this site, mention it at the school gate, put it on your street's WhatsApp group.
An hour or two
Write to your councillors. Every ward has three. They're the people who will eventually vote on whether this site goes into the Local Plan, and a handful of letters from their own residents carries real weight. We can send you their contact details and a short guide on what to say.
Come to a meeting. We can let you know when we are gathering; there’s no expectation you'll speak. Just come and find out what's happening.
If you have particular skills
We're a group of residents, and we're missing expertise in plenty of areas. If any of the following is your world, we'd love to hear from you:
Planning, law or surveying — help us read the technical documents properly
Ecology or hydrology — particularly anything on chalk streams and the River Mimram
Local history — Welwyn Garden City's origins matter more to this case than you might expect
Design, photography or video — helping people see what's proposed
Writing or press — turning research into something readable
Community organising — you know how to get people in a room
You don't need to be qualified. If you're interested and willing to read, that's most of it.
What we won't ask you to do
We won't ask for money. We won't put your name on anything without asking. We won't share your details with anyone else. And if you'd rather help quietly, that's completely fine — plenty of people do.
What we're actually asking for
Not opposition to housing. Not opposition to a swimming pool.
We're asking that a permanent decision about a sports facility and green belt land is made openly: that residents can see the masterplan, understand what's proposed, and have a proper say before it's settled rather than after.
If that seems reasonable to you, you're already one of us.