The scale of growth proposed is likely to have a serious negative impact on the local highway network. Already the crossroads at Whitehorse Street / Royston Road is a key pinch point (acknowledged in the Plan (13.29)) with congestion and long queues in all directions at peak and non-peak times. Alteration to the crossroad is not possible because of the presence of listed buildings on both sides of the road. A large proportion of trips from site BA1 (North of Baldock) is likely to be towards Letchworth and Hitchin. The Plan stresses that these towns are interconnected (paras 2.31, 4.27, 13.14) and that many new residents will commute out of Baldock (paras 4.25-6). The employment allocation deliberately provides for more employment than the town needs (policy SP3) and this is likely to increase the peak time trips between Baldock and Letchworth and Hitchin. The proposed link road through site BA1 would involve a long trip to the other towns for most residents, and experience following the opening of the Baldock bypass shows that people tend to take the shortest route rather than the least congested.
Air traffic quality standards in Whitehorse Street / Hitchin Street areas are likely to be breached. They are already close to be exceeded (para 9.28). Former site 209E was considered unsuitable for this reason.