The Parish Council supports this policy and the principles which underlie it. Application of this policy, however, depends on the detailed policies and proposals set out elsewhere in the Local Plan.
These points are elaborated in the Parish Council's representations on specific sections of the Local Plan, particularly on Knebworth.
For example, Policy SP1(c) (I) states that the District Council will "deliver and appropriate mix of homes, jobs, and facilities." In Knebworth, this is not embodied in policies KB1 - KB4, which are concerned with the delivery of housing and no employment. In fact the implementation of policy KB3 would result in the removal of a key employment site in the middle of the village. This is not sustainable.
Policy SP1 (d) pledges the District Council's support for Neighbourhood Plans. In our view, this has not been delivered in the four years since the launch of the Government initiative on Neighbourhood Plans.
The District Council's approach needs to be strengthened to give a more positive encouragement to town and parish councils and other qualifying bodies. For example, in East Hertfordshire, the recently-published District Plan contains a policy which devolves the responsibility for housing allocation and detailed local planning policy to town and parish councils in Group 1 settlements through Neighbourhood Plans. It is recommended that this approach should be adopted in North Hertfordshire. This would ensure that the scale and mix of development provided in Category A villages is appropriate to the size and status of the settlement and is endorsed by the local community.

The Parish Council is concerned that no account appears to have been taken of the recent Knebworth Parish Plan, which was published in 2007. This does set out some clear guidelines on the character of the area, the constraints and opportunities for development, and the aspirations of the local community.