book list
The foreword (written by R. G. Gosling, Chairman of the Development Corporation) explains that the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation was appointed in June 1948 by town planning minister Lewis Silkin. It was charged with the duty of developing Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield under the New Towns Act of 1946 and the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947.
This document is a copy of the report on the outline plan as submitted to the Minister in October 1949. The report was prepared by Louis de Soissons, who had been WGC town architect for many years. Included in the report are five plans and several tables. Tucked into my copy but not attached is a large blueprint 30" by 25". There are 4 aerial photographs in the report. I think there was an outer cover to the report which has been lost from my copy. The image above is the title page from inside. The mark at the bottom right is where an organism has eaten a hole through the first few pages. I hope it had a good meal.
The plans in the report are:
The blueprint is a full-size copy of the third of these plans (existing and proposed development).
The aerial photographs (by Photoflights Ltd) show:
click on the image for a better view
At the end of the foreword, the membership and officers of the Corporation are listed. Following the foreword is an introductory chapter headed "Prefatory Memorandum on the Relationship of the New Towns of Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City". This discusses the limitations to the areas which are to be developed, the green belt between the two towns, and the populations and densities to be aimed at.
After this is the Town Planner's Report which is in the following sections:
Preface
Section A - Introductory
1. The Problem
2. The Designated Area
3. Planning Survey
4. The Main Proposals
Section B - Description of the Plan
5. General
6. N.E. Area
7. N.W. Area
8. S.W. Area
9. S.E. Area
Section C - Residential Development
10. Existing Development and Densities
11. Proposed Development and Densities
12. Suggestions for Tenancy Groupings
13. Immediate Building Programme
Section D - The Town Centre and the Unit Centres
14. Types of Centre
15. The Town Centre
16. The Unit centres
17. Populations Served by Unit Centres
Section E - Shopping, Cinemas, Churches, etc
18. Shops
19. Cinemas
20. Licensed Premises and Hotels
21. Community Buildings, Clubs, etc
22. Places of Worship
Section F - Health and Education Services
23. Health Centres and Day Nurseries
24. Hospitals and Maternity Homes
25. Schools
26. Schools Siting
27. Libraries
28. Cemeteries
Section G - Industry
29. Existing Industrial Area
30. Existing Industries
31. Industrial Density
32. Proposed Extension of Main Industrial Area
33. Secondary Industrial Area
34. Reserve Industrial Area
35. Ultimate Employed Population
36. Proposed Surface Workings
Section H - Transport
37. Road Traffic
38. Bridges
39. Bus Routes
40. Railways
Section I - Engineering Services
41. Water Supply
42. Gas and Electricity
43. Drainage
44. Refuse Disposal
45. Telephone Distribution
46. District Heating
Section J - Open Areas
47. General
48. Children's Play Spaces, Tennis Clubs, etc
49. Playing Fields
50. Woodlands, Parks, Green Ways, etc
51. Allotments
52. Agricultural Land
Section K - Summary of Proposed Land Use
53. Method of Calculation
54. Schedule of Areas of Proposed Land Use
55. Overall Density