1. There is no strategy meaning this plan is unlikely to be effective. This plan is not a co-ordinated development and there are no overall infrastructure delivery plans. This will likely result in the piecemeal development of Knebworth with no single developer responsible for delivering the necessary infrastructure to support these plans (e.g., roads, schools, drainage, doctors). A co-ordinated plan is required to deliver a plan for the village as a whole and not four independent sections.
2. This plan identifies four local housing allocations within Knebworth for an estimated 598 new homes and further 65 homes have already been built or granted planning permission. This is a 31% increase in the size of Knebworth. 150 homes being built at Woolmer Green and also ~70 on the Oddessy site have not been taken into account in these numbers. Overall this is huge number of house for one area, and are not justified when the Stevenage west land is reserved and not being developed in this plan (3,100 homes). Why does this plan not propose developing this area? This could considerably reduce the scale of development of the villages surrounding Stevenage in NH.
3. The plan does include a new primary school but the proposals are not specific and need to be more detailed about what will actually be provided. Knebworth does not currently have a secondary school, with children having to travel to Stevenage, Hitchin or further for secondary schooling. The plan does not explain how it will actually support increased secondary education requirement needs associated with an increase in population. One solution would be to include a new secondary school in the plan specifically rather than vague non-committal statements (e.g., KB4 / Up to 4ha of land for education purposes subject to up-to-date assessments of need).
4. The green belt surrounding Knebworth makes a significant contribution to protecting the space between the village and the surrounding villages and Stevenage. Removing it will likely mean there is a considerable danger of coalescence, destroying the identity of Knebworth.
5. Already the B197 is a very busy road and traffic often queues right back from Stevenage to Knebworth in rush hour, taking up to 30 mins to drive. I live on Watton Road in Knebworth and this road is also solid in rush hour. The plan does not include infrastructure development plans in an around Knebworth to address managing the increased burden of traffic associated with increased housing.
6. This plan has no considerations for the local economy with no proposals that support job creation in the village. At the moment Chas Low, the builder's merchants, on the KB3 site has a positive impact on the local economy - once this relocates this will be lost. The KB3 site should include retail/office premises - currently it is all housing.
7. Three proposed areas for development (KB2, KB3 and KB4) have long-standing drainage issues which the plan does not address in detail. The 31% increase in the size of Knebworth will also place a huge burden on Rye Meads Sewage Treatment works. The capacity of Rye Meads Sewage Treatment works will need to be increased - the current plan only supports part of the development, not all.
8. '13.200 A planning application has recently been submitted for a new library, doctors surgery and pharmacy on the site of the current library within the identified village centre' These are not new services, it is to replace the current ones. The plan is misleading here. Furthermore, these services are already stretched and the plan does not take into account the expansion of these services needed to support a 31% population increase.
9. The plan will have a negative impact on the surrounding countryside and damages two conservations areas in the Knebworth.