In celebration of Stevenage's milestone anniversary, council leader Sharon Taylor reflects on the new town's last 75 years, and looks forward into the future.
I am proud to see the town come together to celebrate this very special occasion. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the New Towns Act, which allowed the government to designate areas for development to relieve overcrowding in London and provide homes and jobs for servicemen returning from the war and their families. This means Stevenage, the first New Town, is about to turn 75! We have plenty of events planned to mark this amazing year in our history.
Stevenage became the UK’s first new town on November, 11, 1946. To much fanfare, alongside also considerable local opposition to start with, the plan was to create a town where each of the initial six neighbourhoods would have all their own community facilities - medical centres, shops, schools, community centres, as well as green open spaces. It was also the UK’s first full-pedestrianised shopping area.
The first houses were completed in 1951 in Bedwell, but many areas were still to be developed. Once the initial building plans were completed, in 1959 the town received a visit from HM the Queen, who toured the town centre and other neighbourhoods.
Celebrating the journey of the new town is important and timely. We have a series of exciting events for residents and visitors who have spent over a year complying with restrictions and would welcome the opportunity to do something in a socialised setting outside the home.
We are ambitious and have several initiatives for our town and we work hard to engage our local community to ensure we work together to improve the town for everyone. Our town’s motto, The heart of a town lies in its people, applied in 1946 and still does today in 2021.
We are continuing to transform the town centre, build social and affordable housing, create opportunities for local people and businesses and encourage a safer, cleaner and greener Stevenage. We are proud of our town and look forward to seeing you at one or more of our many events to mark this monumental milestone.
Please keep an eye on stevenage.gov.uk and our social media channels for the latest details of our anniversary events.
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