Object
Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft
Representation ID: 662
Received: 30/11/2016
Respondent: Mrs Dianne Judges
Legally compliant? No
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? No
Object to SP5:
- Government does not support Green Belt development unless exceptional circumstances are clearly established, which is certainly not the case in North Herts.
- Local water courses will be decimated by the addition requirements of a new housing estate which will have a devastating impact on local wildlife, much of which is locally and/or nationally endangered.
- Drainage and flooding
Theresa May, and before her David Cameron, have stated that nationally the Green Belt should be preserved intact; Mrs May has used the word "sacrosanct". Hansard records on 15th July 2016 the Minister of Housing and planning, Gavin Barwell, stated: "...most building on the Green Belt is inappropriate and planning permission should be refused except in very special circumstances". The 3 local MPs whose constituencies cover North Herts, have stated their support for this position. The Local plan Proposes to build large new housing estates on Green Belt land east of Luton, north of Letchworth, north of Baldock and north of Stevenage, yet nowhere in the Local Plan has NHDC demonstrated "very special circumstances".
Water and sewerage infrastructure is already struggling to cope with the density of housing in North Herts, one of the driest parts of the country. Local rivers such as the Beane are already over-exploited and suffering environmental damage. The Green Belt north of Letchworth has significance for several red listed species of bird, wildflower and butterfly and should not be considered for housing development.