Welcome to the St Margarets Way Community Information Page

This page has been created to keep residents informed about the development and ongoing management of your neighbourhood.

Here, you’ll find updates on everything from parking and landscaping to play areas and property information. We’ll continue to add new details as the area develops, and we welcome your feedback on what else you’d like to see included.

1. Parking, Access and Road Safety

Find out more about parking arrangements, access routes, and steps being taken to promote road safety across the estate.

EV Charging Points – how to register and use them

As part of the new development, a number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points have been installed. These chargers are run by PodPoint and are currently only available for Dacorum Borough Council tenants.

To use the chargers:

1. Download the free PodPoint app and create an account.
2. As these chargers are shared, we’ll need to add you to the Dacorum Borough Council (DBC) private network.
3. Email us at EVcharging@dacorum.gov.uk with the following details:
   • Your name
   • Your address
   • The email you used to set up your PodPoint account
   • Your contact number
     (Make sure the email address matches the one on your PodPoint account.)

Once you’ve been added, PodPoint will send you a confirmation email. Please allow up to 5 working days for this.

After you’re registered, the chargers will appear in your PodPoint app. Charging works on a pay-as-you-go basis, so please ensure there is credit in your account before starting a charge.

You can also find helpful ‘How to’ videos on the PodPoint website here.

Parking Regulations

Tenants are required to park exclusively within the designated marked bays provided. Parking on pavements, grassed areas, or any other communal spaces is strictly prohibited, as such actions may cause obstruction, create safety hazards, and result in damage to shared property. Persistent failure to comply with these rules may lead to formal action being taken, including potential penalties. These measures are in place to ensure fairness, protect communal areas, and maintain a safe and pleasant environment for all residents.

Reporting Road Safety Concerns

We work with Hertfordshire County Council, who are responsible for highways, to promote safe and accessible roads across the estate. If you have concerns about traffic management or road safety issues such as damaged signage or potholes, please report them via FixMyStreet, which will direct your report to the appropriate authority. For speeding, dangerous driving or anti-social behaviour, contact Hertfordshire Police on 101 or online.

If your concern involves dangerous driving or an immediate safety risk, you may need to contact the police directly.

2. Play Areas and Community Spaces

We’re committed to creating shared spaces where residents can enjoy spending time outdoors and connecting as a community.

Installation of the Playground

3. Planting, Landscaping and Maintenance

Find updates on how the estate’s green spaces are being maintained and improved, including who is responsible for ongoing works during the defects period.

Landscaping

Helix, the contractor who built the new homes, are responsible for maintaining the landscaped areas until April 2026. This includes tasks like grass cutting, weeding and replacing any dead plants or trees. As it’s now winter, their work at St Margarets Way will be minimal.

Any planting or maintenance that isn’t completed this season will resume in the spring when regular grass cutting and weeding start again. After April 2026, the Clean, Safe and Green team at Dacorum Borough Council will take over responsibility for maintaining the landscaped areas.

Swales

At the north end of the site, two swales have been built as part of the new development. These are special drainage areas designed to reduce the risk of flooding by slowly releasing excess water into the drainage system during very heavy rain.

We’re currently working with our drainage contractor to see if any changes could make the swales easier to maintain. Like the play area, a lot of work is happening behind the scenes to make sure any changes we make are necessary, and we’ll provide updates as soon as we can.

It has been reported that children have been playing near the swales, climbing on the fences, and in some cases, going into the swales themselves. This is very dangerous, especially during heavy rain, as the swales are not designed for play.

We ask all residents to speak with their children and household members about staying away from these areas and not climbing on the fences. Thank you for helping us keep the community safe.

4. How to Report a Problem

Information on your home and how to report a problem or defect.

Defects Reporting

Until April 2026, the new homes and shared areas including roads, car parks, EV charge points, street lighting and landscaping are covered by a defects period. During this time, Helix is responsible for fixing any problems that appear, such as leaks, cracks or other issues that weren’t noticed or couldn’t be fixed during construction.

This does not cover problems caused by misuse, normal wear and tear or not using things properly.

If you notice a defect, please report it as soon as possible to the Cardo Call Centre on 0800 018 6050.

For more information about our Tenancy Management team and the services they provide in your area, visit their dedicated webpage here . You’ll also find useful links to our Community Safety team, including guidance on how to report anti-social behaviour.

5. Being a Considerate Neighbour

We’ve received an increase in concerns about strong smells, including cannabis, affecting neighbouring homes.

We understand everyone lives differently, but strong odours can travel easily, especially in flats and may prevent others from enjoying their home or opening windows.

Please:

• Be aware of how smells from your home may affect others
• Take steps to reduce strong odours where possible
• Be considerate of neighbours, particularly in shared buildings

If this is affecting you, you can report it via the dedicated page on our website: Anti-social behaviour or by contacting the Anti- Social Behaviour Team on 01442 228000 (ask for the anti-social behaviour team) or asb@dacorum.gov.uk.

For serious concerns or suspected illegal activity, call 101 for non-emergencies, or 999 if someone is in danger. You can also report issues anonymously through CrimeStoppers.

Thank you for helping to keep our communities respectful and comfortable for everyone.

6. General Estate Updates and News

Stay up to date with wider estate matters, including ongoing works, contact information, and general announcements.

7. Have We Missed Something?

We want this page to be as useful and up to date as possible. If there’s information you think should be included, or a topic you’d like more detail on, please let us know.

Share your suggestions using the feedback form below - we’ll review all submissions and update the page accordingly.