The old adage is definitely true: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

When it comes to informing people about life-changing developments on their doorsteps, the Herts Advertiser has hammered the point home time after time, but still some people need to be metaphorically slapped around the face before they take notice.

Let’s not mince words here, if it actually goes ahead (and that is uncertain at the moment) then the impact of the district’s Strategic Local Plan is going to change life for everybody. You might not be living adjacent to one of the new housing developments proposed to be built over the next two decades, but you will certainly be affected in many other ways.

More traffic on the roads, oversubscribed schools and surgeries, a transformation of our Green Belt space into another swathe of new homes, there are countless ways in which the SLP will take its toll.

So why is it that so many people seem to be burying their heads in the sand and hoping if they keep hidden long enough then it will all go away?

Residents of Leverstock Green, for example, seemed blissfully ignorant about the impact of the 1,000 homes earmarked for land neighbouring their community. It took a public exhibition by the landowners to act as a wake-up call about the proposals, despite extensive publicity over the past few years.

Although the council has finally released its Detailed Local Plan, it’s still not too late to have your say on its contents, which include the location of Green Belt boundaries, the design and layout of potential development, including housing, industry and infrastructure.

The Herts Ad team has ploughed through reams of paperwork to identify the key issues which affect you, so there’s no excuse not to be informed. Do not miss this opportunity. There’s no point complaining after the fact if you don’t get involved in the public consultation at this stage. You have been warned.