Knebworth Neighbourhood Plan 2019 - 2031

3 Vision and Objectives

(1) 3.1 Vision

A draft version of the vision and objectives was presented to the public during the open days in April 2018. As a result of the comments received, the vision was updated and improved. The vision takes into account the need for growth whilst maintaining the character of Knebworth and minimising the impact on the environment.

Knebworth aims to be a vibrant and inclusive village community, a great place to live that is distinct and separate from its neighbouring communities. A place that aspires to good design and improved environmental performance where everybody has access to green spaces. A community that will accommodate sustainable growth and development in its population, services and infrastructure that embraces our values, has the minimum impact on local nature and wildlife and that ensures Knebworth's fundamental rural character is maintained.

(4) 3.2 Objectives

In order to ensure the Neighbourhood Plan's objectives were derived from the vision statement, the adjectives in the statement were highlighted and colour coded. The adjectives included: Inclusive, Vibrant, Separate, Sustainable, Character, Access and Impact. Objectives were written to achieve the highlighted words. These objectives were consulted on at the same time as the vision statement, during the Open Days in April 2018, and then amended to remove overlaps and fill gaps. The list of objectives is as follows:

1. Maintain the distinctiveness and separation of Knebworth from nearby towns and villages
2. Support existing employment locations within the built-up area and encourage new employment opportunities throughout the parish
3. Encourage and support a diverse range of retail and service uses in the village centre, retain and protect the 'high street' retail frontage and retain the two public houses
4. Encourage the provision of suitable buildings for small scale businesses (including community shops) within new residential developments
5. Encourage the growth of home-based businesses including the provision of shared workspaces
6. Ensure all new developments are inclusive and accommodating to the different needs of local residents including affordability and accessibility
7. Promote best practice in environmental performance of all construction projects to achieve low energy usage, incorporate renewable energy initiatives, conserve water, re-use building materials, provide electric car charging points and ensure all new buildings are carbon-neutral
8. Require all new development to be of high-quality design and contribute towards Knebworth's character by being sympathetic to design of surrounding areas
9. Retain the existing architectural character of the Garden Village, conservation areas and other heritage assets
10. Create attractive, easily accessible safe neighbourhoods through good design following the principles of 'Placemaking'
11. Seek cost effective and innovative solutions to minimise the amount of land taken up with car parking
12. Ensure that all current and future community facilities, amenities, medical resources and service provision are inclusive, easily accessible and do not diminish in terms of quantity and quality to serve the growing population
13. Protect, enhance and increase accessibility to, and the number of, green spaces for recreational and health use
14. Identify options for provision of a community information space
15. Ensure future school and pre-school provision meets local needs, is high quality, offers choice, and includes appropriate accommodation, adequate facilities and safe and convenient access routes
16. Find a solution to the 'high street' traffic and parking problems
17. Negotiate for the provision of disabled access to rail station platforms
18. Support and encourage use of sustainable modes of transport including ensuring access roads through new developments are suitable for bus routes and prioritise active travel
19. Provide guidance on eliminating air, light, soil, water and noise pollution
20. Lobby appropriate bodies to undertake required improvements to eliminate current flooding problems and ensure new development is designed to prevent future flooding issues
21. Protect key views and character areas from the negative impact of new development
22. Preserve existing and design integral wildlife corridors and habitats into new developments to improve biodiversity, reducing public lighting to the minimum needed to ensure residents' safety where light pollution impacts wildlife

3.3 Objectives mapped to Policies

Each Neighbourhood Plan policy or item in the Action Plan will help to deliver one or more of the objectives listed above. A table showing the policies mapped to the objectives can be found in Appendix B .

(1) 3.4 Policies and Policies Map

The following chapters set out the planning policies for Knebworth Neighbourhood Plan for the period 2019 – 2031. This ties in with the end of the plan period for the NHDCLP 2011 – 2031. The planning policies, together with the reasoned justification for them, reflect the main issues raised through consultation with the community and provide the means by which Objectives A to V will be achieved. The Policies Map in (Appendix A )should be read in conjunction with the policies as it shows where in the neighbourhood plan area the policies apply e.g. which areas are designated as Local Green Space.