What We Are
- We are a non profit making registered charity.
- We are totally independent of local government.
- We are a non political organisation.
- We are a watchdog for inappropriate development within the village.
- We care about our village and surroundings because we live here.
- Our activities are different but complementary to those of the Parish
Council.
- We seek to work with local government to protect and improve our
village.
- We seek to influence national government through membership of The Civic
Trust.
- We seek to encourage the use and viability of local businesses.
- We want Hartford to remain a village and not be swallowed up by urban
expansion.
What We Are Not
- We are not against all developments - change can be for the better.
- We are not a universal ombudsman.
Where We Came From
The Society has its roots in the Hartford Trust that was formed to fight a
proposed development of Grange Farm in the centre of the village. See the
separate Roots page for an account of that particular struggle. When
the Trust was closed down, the Civic Society was formed to take over the
watchdog role and to widen the brief to protect and improve the village.
The Society was a member of The Civic Trust which was the umbrella organisation
for over 850 civic societies and influenced national government policy on
important issues. Unfortunately, the Trust ceased to exist in 2009 when it
encountered financial difficulties. The Society is now taking part in The Civic
Society Initiative which aims to preserve the most important aspects of the
Civic Trust's work and to focus more on regional and local issues. It is hoped
that the new organisation will be fully operational during the first half of
2010.
Why You Should Join
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You care about what the village you live in will be like in 5 or 10
years time.
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You value the surrounding countryside and Hartford as a separate entity.
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You want to put something into the community you live in.
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You value our heritage and the character of the village.
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You would like a watchdog to alert you of possible development problems.
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You would like to feel that there is a structure in place to fight
inappropriate development proposals.
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You would like to support improvements within the village.
Seven pounds a year is very little to protect the character and quality of
the place you live in. Everybody has extremely busy lives these days and it is
difficult to find time to be actively involved in everything, but your
subscription would be a valuable contribution. Without funds our work must be
limited.
Please join the Society and support your local
community.
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