HRH the Prince of Wales visited Buncefield Oil Depot and Maylands Industrial Estate last month. The publicity surrounding the visit served as a reminder to many that the effects and repercussions of that explosion continue to rumble on.
Many businesses large and small were either completely destroyed or so severely damaged that they will need to be completely rebuilt. Many not surprisingly, have had to rethink their business strategies and accommodation needs. However, the need to reinstate destroyed premises does not tell the full story, as hardship amongst many small and medium enterprises rarely shows up in the official figures.
I know of many individual business owners who are having to re-mortgage their homes to continue trading because their insurance didn’t cover loss of trading activity. Large companies are incurring huge additional costs of temporary accommodation. But something fantastic has happened here in Dacorum and its not all bad news. The sense of common identity, collective commitment to the area and strength of common purpose, will help us recover. The Maylands Task Force - a business-led group established to regenerate the area before the Buncefield explosion, has been working with the Borough Council and other public sector agencies to bring together a number of recovery and regeneration initiatives.
The first is Hemel 2020, which is a Dacorum Borough Council led vision for the wider regeneration of Hemel Hempstead.
The second is a Master Plan for Maylands itself. This will help to create a vibrant and modern 21st Century business park, with greater leisure and retail/service amenities, a transformed transport infrastructure and new residential developments.
And third, is the Axis Point project, a dedicated business support centre and accommodation for up to 90 small and medium-sized enterprises.
None of this can happen however, without the active support and financial input from certain key government agencies and departments. Fortunately, we have the support of both the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and English Partnerships (EP) for all 3 projects. Meanwhile, in the House of Commons, Ministers remain silent about any forthcoming money for local authorities to aid the recovery process. On 28th June I took the opportunity of raising a ‘Point of Order’ to call for a Government Minister to come to the House and make a statement about the Buncefield situation. We have yet to see if they will take up this offer… | 
