We are residents of Barkway, and welcome the chance to air our views on the proposed local plan for our village.
We believe that the NHDC local plan for Barkway and the numbers of proposed new homes is well out of scale for the existing village.
Whilst well aware that people have to have somewhere to live, it makes no sense for a village with approx 330 houses to add 100 to 140 new ones.
Having studied the proposed local plan, the National Planning Policy and the NHDC's own policies, it is clear that the proposed local plan contravines all these policies.
One of the major issues would be the increase in road traffic, on already busy ,rural roads, indeed one of the proposed developments would exit on to a single path road.
We gather that there are no plans to improve the public transport in the area so every home would have at least two vehicles,as the employment in the parish is nearly non existant, so every one would be leaving in cars at peak commute times these facts to me contravene NPPF30,34,35,95 NOOF 38,as well as NHDC policy SP6 and 29.
The facilities available in Barkway to support these proposed developments are non existant, we have no doctors surgery and the local one is over subscribed and appointments take ages to get.
The village school at present has 30 of 50 places taken, modest expansion would help to justify the schools existence but developments as the BK3 one, would swamp it.
Historically local amenities, and their availability to the residents has always formed a major part of NPPF policies and I feel that the proposed local plan is, in breach of NPPF 38,55 and 72.
The geographic and aesthetic aspects of Barkway should not be over, looked either, situated as it is on the eastern side of the East Anglian Heights, that are directly adjacent to the proposed BK3 development.
Historic planning has managed to retain the linear footprint of the village, and, retaining the village style as the old coaching town on the main London road.
Any of the proposed large developments on the Northern end of the village would certainly ruin that aspect, yet worse would be the creation of a separate community, with occupants not integrating in to the village as it is.
The jepordising of the historic footprint of the village is contravening your statements and NPPF 11.
It would also appear the proposed expansion North is proposed without any visable consultation to incorporate the proposed BK3.
It is noted that the new development could have a negative impact on the Newsells stud as the wealth owners could go any where they chose the stud does employ 30 people and many local businesses benefit from its being there this we believe to be in contrabention of NPPF, para 28.
To sumerise we are not happy with the proposed plan and the implications on our community moving on.
We must stress that we are not anti development but we think that the plan and its implications are wholly unacceptable in its current form.