I object to the development of the site KB4. If this site is developed, it will mean a loss of Green Belt land to the east of the village which will be detrimental to the well-being of all its residents. It will encroach upon the current narrow corridor of rural land which is keeping Knebworth separate from Bragbury End, Stevenage. The wide range of flora and fauna in this area will be seriously affected by the projected development. There would be a loss of productive agricultural land at a time when more people are in the area.
The current GP practice in the village is severely stretched. They try to do their best, but it is obvious to all that when you have to wait 10 days to get a routine appointment at the surgery, there is no room for further residents to be signed up. There has been a noticeable decline in the number of partners and the turnover of staff at the surgery over the last two years; it is hard to see that more staff can be recruited to deal with any more residents.
It is hard to see how access roads could be built for this site. Currently, both Swangley's Lane and Watton Road are heavily used by traffic, from local residents and from people using this route from Stevenage to Welwyn. The Harwood Park crematorium in Watton Road has also increased the amount of traffic in the area.
There is currently little direct employment within Knebworth, thus nearly all residents leave the village for work. Over the last year the traffic using the B197 has increased considerably. The journey to the A1(M) which used to take 5 minutes can now easily take 20 minutes at 7.40 a.m. I believe this to be because of the amount of school traffic, both private and school buses, and the number of people joining the road from side turnings. If the number of homes in Knebworth is increased this road will become further blocked with health and economic ill results.
I believe that the infrastructure needed for developments has not been sufficiently investigated or planned. The sewage treatment works at Rye Meads are unlikely to be able to cope with further developments. There is already a severe flooding problem in Knebworth, in the High Street and in the Orchard Way area. There is severe congestion on the local roads, particularly in the morning and evening rush hours.