KB4 was not included in previous plans therefore the plan does not comply with the duty to co-operate.
The plan includes releasing for residential development green belt land (SHLAA sites 55, 56 and 58 which are part of KB4) categorised as 'Site makes a significant contribution to Green Belt' while other sites (RG and WS sites in Langley) with the lower category 'The site makes a moderate contribution to Green Belt' have not been allocated for residential development. This indicates that the process of allocating land for development has not fully taken into account the North Hertfordshire Green Belt Review dated July 2016. The use of this green belt land for housing is unjustified as it will have an adverse impact on the open landscape and lead to coalescence between Knebworth and the edge of Stevenage.
The plan is not effective because it has not adequately considered the impact of additional traffic on local roads. Hertford Road, Stevenage was closed as a through road. This has meant that traffic has used Watton Road in Knebworth to access the B197 at the roundabout at the northern end of the High Street. Watton Road is a country lane, with no provision for pedestrians or cyclists for much of its length and quite unsuitable for the volume and nature of the traffic. Watton Road would be one possible access route to the B197 from KB4. Another possible access route, for traffic from KB4 on the south side of Watton Road, is St Martin's Road, which is a private, unadopted road with no footpath on either side and, as such, is quite unsuitable as an access route to a new development of 200 homes. The maintenance of the road is paid for by residents. The road mouth to the B197 is within 10 m of a pedestrian crossing and, when parents deliver/collect their children to/from the school in Swangley's Lane there is already substantial congestion. Swangleys Lane is the only other alternative route to access the B 197. This is a very narrow country lane with no footpath after the JMI School. Parking is already an issue on the road and severely restricts the flow of traffic along the road, particularly at start and end of the school day. The road mouth onto the B 197 is within 20 m of a pedestrian crossing and there is already congestion at this junction.