Welcome to our website, please see the NEWS page on the top menu to see our latest news on developments relating to Panshanger Park.
We now have a companion Facebook page, feel free to like and follow:
https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Panshanger-Park-107090608479808
New supporters always welcome…
The Friends Group is a voluntary community group of like-minded individuals who share the common aim of promoting the development and access of Panshanger Country Park between Hertford and Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. The park is remains in private ownership with a responsibility on the owners Tarmac, see: https://panshangerpark.tarmac.com, to deliver a Country Park as set out in a legal agreement from 1982.
Our friendly group has strong local support and we invite anybody who wants to show their support to email us. You can join our occasional email list, new committee member are also welcome. We periodically hold work parties in the park in the very near future. Focusing on groundwork restoration around the heritage assets.
If you want to contact us, for whatever reason, please email friendsofpanshangerpark@gmail.com.
The park contains numerous heritage assets, many of which are in need of restoration. There is also a sizable nature reserve which is managed in partnership with the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
The park is generally managed on behalf of the owners Tarmac by Maydencroft. You can find out more about their role in managing the park here: https://www.maydencroft.co.uk/case-study-details/2888/Running-a-Grade-II-listed-historic-park.htm – Maydencroft also manage the park’s only public car park at Thieves Lane.
If you’d like to support our work and aims through a donation you can do that online via our Donate page on the top menu above. Thank you.
Friends of Panshanger Park Picnic & AGM on 7th September 2022
We are planning to hold our annual picnic and AGM on Wednesday, 7th September starting at 6pm by the old house site at Panshanger Park, looking across the valley over The Broadwater. Why not bring a picnic and enjoy a late summer trip to the park in the early evening, with the sun setting over the trees in the west (hopefully!)
Enter the park off B1000 by North Lodge (The gate will be open); travel straight ahead (do not take the road to the stables) until you come to the fencing around the old house site; the gate to your right will be open so you can park on the grass; walk round to the picnic site.
Please let us know if you’d like to join us, we can also send you the short AGM agenda etc. Email friendsofpanshangerpark@gmail.com.
If the weather is not suitable we will hold a Zoom meeting instead. we are currently short of committee members. If you would like to join the committee please let also let us know. We currently hold 5 or 6 meetings a year, each of which lasts no more than an hour. During the last two years we have held the meetings via Zoom. We have lost a few committee members this year, we would welcome anyone who would like to work with us to help develop and promote access to the park and it’s historical assets. Our group has achieved a lot over the last ten years, but we need a core committee of willing volunteer members to keep things moving forward.
YOUR COUNTRY PARK
Late nineteenth century map showing part of the park:
In order to gain extraction rights from Hertfordshire County Council in the 1980’s, the park owners, now Tarmac, entered into a legal agreement to restore the country park to the original historically significant landscape with open public access for everyone to enjoy. Today there is mounting momentum for the present owners to honour their legal commitments of restoration and public access. Leading to the Country Park and local green space set out in the legal agreement of some forty years ago. The Friends of Panshanger Park (The FPP) formed in 2013 to representing multiple local organisations and individual members, we wish to see our Country Park delivered in line with the original planning obligations. In the eight or so years since we formed encouraging progress has been made, but it has been slow progress. To date there has not been a published management plan for the park from the owners. Although we are hopeful of seeing such in the next few months.
Unfortunately the park remains on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at risk’ register. You can see the entry for that here. Our group is keen to work with all those involved to do whatever’s required to have the park removed from this list.
Below is a link to the review of the 1982 Legal Agreement by the friends group in 2015. The review showed that some obligations were not met in 2015. Whilst the situation has clearly improved since then, it is clear that there is some way to go to meet all of the obligations as set out forty years ago.
PANSHANGER COUNTRY PARK – Review of Legal Agreement, Owner Obligations and Cost Estimates
February: Snowdrops in Panshanger Park Woods
We are a member of the Open Spaces Society, more here: