Object

Representation ID: 6075

Received: 23/11/2016

Respondent: CPRE Hertfordshire

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Object to removal of 19.6ha of GB land for employment site, principally on matters of principle. The proposed allocation is unsound - object to how council has addressed issue of exceptional circumstances. Proposal is misinterpretation, outlined in para 4.53 of the plan and the Council's Green Belt Review 2016, of national Planning Policy as set out in para 83-86. Para 83 specifically requires exceptional circumstances to be shown to justify removal of land from the Green Belt by redrawing of any GB boundary. None of the proposals for development of sites currently within the GReen Belt , including the proposed Baldock employment area, satisfy this national policy requirement. No justification provided for this major employment site despite being the largest such site that the council proposes to remove from the Green Belt.

CPRE considers that this proposal, in combination with the adjacent strategic housing proposal (BA1) would have a significant adverse impact on the purposes of the Green Belt that have not been adequately addressed by either the local plan or the council's Green Belt Review.