Barkway

1) There is no infrastructure in terms of shops. There is not one shop in Barkway apart from a hairdressing salon and this would mean hundreds of more cars on the village roads. The village is having a real problem with speeding motorists and with no real parking in the high street so cars park on both sides this issue is a real safety problem
2) The village dates back in history and most houses reflect that period, a modern new housing development would not be in keeping and be detrimental to the existing area
3) There is only one primary school in the village so any child not at this school again increases road traffic early morning and late afternoon
4) There is only a limited public transport route, this would have to be greatly increased to cater for the number of people, again making roads heavy with traffic and a drain on public resources
5) The area is an area of natural countryside with bridal paths and walks, this would be impacted greatly with the loss to wildlife and habitat. This type of area must be protected not destroyed by over development
6) There is hardly any job opportunities in the village. Where will everyone work?? Again the need for a car or two. Again village roads heavy with traffic.

As a local resident I cannot stress strongly enough the impact this housing development would have on village life, community spirit, and day to day living of the local residents. I feel that there must be more suitable sites to develop on without destroying the landscape of Barkway.

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I am writing to object to the proposal to build 150 houses in Barkway, North Herts.

I am a resident in the next village, Barley and object to the proposal for the following reasons:

1.There is already traffic issues at the A505 junction at Flint Cross with the B1368. It's so difficult to pull out onto the A505 in rush hour that the queue of cars build up to exert that it can take half an hour to get out of the road. This is the main way out through to Cambridge and the M11. Cars from another 150 houses without any consideration for how this commuter exit would be managed will make an already dangerous junction even more dangerous, as frustrated drivers make bad decisions to try and get out to this incredibly busy road. There are no significant employment opportunities in the village therefore everyone will have to commute to work and bus routes are so poor that the chances of this not being by car are remote. It's a fair assumption that we will see well over 200 additional cars on the road and given the size of the village now, that is an incredibly significant number. Then add the additional traffic that will run upland down the B1368 through all the villages that already have speeding issues and it's difficult to see how this won't make the villages significantly more dangerous for all our children to cross.
2.The number of houses is complete disproportionate to the size of both Barkway Village and it's neighbouring village, Barley. Barley is home to the doctors surgery that services the surrounding villages and it's already over flowing with inadequate parking. It simply cannot cope with patients from another 140 houses. In auditor the current parking situation around our local shop, the nearest to Barkway village and the proposed new site, is already difficult and the additional traffic up and down Church End in Barley would be a nightmare for everyone. In addition to this, the preschool and 2 x First Schools offered by both Barley and Barkway simply couldn't cope with the additional numbers. They would go from being under subscribed to being so ridiculously over subscribed that they would be bursting at the seems and turning children away. I can't understand how this size of development could be considered in such a small area without thought to whether the local amenities can support such development.
3. The new houses are intended to be built on green belt land - beautiful countryside that will be trashed to build houses in an area that doesn't even have the infrastructure or amenities to support it. This is a historic village and a development of new houses of this size will completely change the character of the village.

I look forward to the outcome of the plan consultation and sincerely hope that common sense will prevail on this occasion.

I would like to register my formal objection to the proposed excessive new homes planned for Barkway.

Barkway is a small and friendly village with only a first school, a church, pub, garage and hairdressers in terms of amenities.

The proposition of the size of the village increasing by nearly 50% saddens me. Barkway is a small village. These are becoming few and far between and should be preserved as part a historic British way of life rather than turning our lovely village into just another small town.

In addition I feel that Barkway and surrounding countryside is one of the prettiest parts of the North Herts and inevitably new housing estates will damage this environment.

My final comment is on road use. I live on the main road with my husband and two young children. Cars go fast but it is not busy. If these new houses are built our access up the footpath to the centre of our village would be dangerous. Additionally the driving route to Royston would be far busier (no work opportunities in Barkway so I assume the new occupants would largely be commuting out of the village for work) and the road is not safe for more cars.

This village extension should not go ahead. I appreciate new houses should be built but these should be done proportionally to the pre existing population and not all crammed in to one end of a small village. To me it makes sense to build on areas that are not outstandingly beautiful.

I have been a resident in Barkway since 2004. The reason my husband and I chose this village was because of the fact of being a conservation village with history and beautiful old houses that line the High Street and adjoining roads. The fact that there are no shops is not a problem to me as I expected there to be less traffic than in other villages and small towns. Unfortunately the traffic situation now has large articulated lorries roaring through as well as trade vehicles exceeding the speed restrictions down the High Street (day and night) as well as private cars - many seem to be avoiding the A505 and A10 through Royston. The Joint from the Cambridge Road junction in the village to the A10 is not ideal due to the bad condition and width being in need of major repair. Therefore the road use of a 62% increase in the housing on proposed site BK3 and in addition those proposed in BK 1&2, with cars (often 2 per household) would cause even more noise, unhealthy emissions and congestion in our small village. Also the condition of the older listed houses is at risk from the movement of heavy vehicles as I have experienced with the shaking of my house and the inevitable hairline cracks appearing on the walls.

I understand that the Barkway Parish Council has agreed in principle, the addition of 33 new homes on plots BK 1&2. These in addition to the proposed
140 on BK3 at the North of the village seem to be excessive and is likely to cause problems regarding services such as sewage, gas, access to doctors, Secondary schools, etc. to the whole village.

If the wish is to drastically alter the character and nature of this area of N Herts, the proposed plan is good.

But Barkway is a historic coaching village with a large conservation area on either side of its street. This will be swallowed up by more than doubling its present population by 66% or, at the very least, swamp the features of the village and its situation in the surrounding countryside which makes this area of Hertfordshire a very attractive part of the whole.

Barkway is very short of amenities from transport connections and doctors' surgeries to shops. The road running north/south, although a 'B' road is winding, hilly, quite narrow and has witnessed a number of fatalities. Those from the west and east are un-numbered, narrow rural roads edged with potholes where traffic pulls in to let vehicles pass. Because of the lack of transport and suitable roads every house in Barkway has at least two vehicles. By adding 66% to the population this unsuitable road system will have to cope with something in excess of an additional 220 vehicles.

There is no access to the only shop in the next village by public transport and of the two nearest towns of Buntingford and Royston, only Royston has access from Barkway by public transport. Likewise with the doctors' surgeries in the two towns and Barley.

There is no benefit whatsoever in allowing such a disproportionate number of homes to be built at one time in any rural community of this size.

I am writing to object to the plans being considered for Barkway. I feel the extra housing will be of detriment to the village and can not be supported.
There are limited local amenities in the village, no shop, and only a small local school.
The local public transport network would not cope with a large influx of residents and an increase in cars etc will increase the pollution levels.
We already suffer from speeding and large numbers of vehicles through the village high street which would undoubtably increase.
I trust these views will be taken into consideration when reviewing this plan

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.

Barley Parish Council wish to make the following representation in respect of North Herts District Council's Proposed Submission Local Plan 2011 - 2031.

Barley Parish Council has reviewed the Proposed Submission Local Plan 2011 - 2031 currently out for consultation and are broadly supportive of the approach the District Council has taken, particularly with its emphasis on sustainable development, its recognition of "the value of local knowledge and the importance of local choice" and its further recognition of the need to be flexible to respond to the views of Parishes. Whilst we agree with the statement that it is important to allow some degree of growth in villages to allow communities to function, this must not be at the expense of existing communities and environments, and must be respectful of the views of residents.
We are, however, concerned at the level of housing being proposed by the draft local plan for Barkway and the adverse impact we believe this scale of development will have on Barley. There are currently three sites identified for housing in Barkway:-

BK1 - 13 dwellings
BK2 - 20 dwellings
BK3 - 140 dwellings

A total of 173 new dwellings, equating to an increase of over 50% on the existing number of dwellings; allowing for two cars per dwelling and a minimum of four traffic movement per day that will mean an additional 346 traffic movements per day. There can be no doubt that the majority of that traffic will use the B1368 and we would expect the majority of journeys to be north, to and through Barley, accessing Royston, Cambridge and Audley End. Traffic volumes and speed are already major concerns of Barley residents and such an increase in traffic movements from the proposed developments in Barkway ,with particular reference to site BK3, would only exacerbate the situation. Government policy is clear that the purpose of planning is to achieve sustainable development but in supporting growth, this should not be at the expense of the natural and historic environment. Barley Parish Council is firmly of the opinion that the level of increased traffic through the village as a direct result of the proposed development of site BK3 in Barkway would have a prejudicial impact on the historic setting and environment of Barley.

The Parish Council would further expect the majority of the increased traffic to continue north of Barley to the junction of the B1368 with the A505 at Flintcross. This junction struggles to cope with existing traffic flows, waiting times at peak periods regularly exceed 15 minutes and there are numerous accidents throughout the year; it is our opinion that the junction could not safely accommodate the substantial increase in traffic as a result of the proposed Barkway developments.

We would ask the District Council to recognize the adverse impact these proposed developments will have on the wider area and to reconsider these allocations. We understand that Site BK3 has previously been considered by the District Council as part of this Local Plan process and been rejected by it and would urge the Council to remove this site from the plan.

Proposed inclusion of Area Bk3 in NHDC Local Plan for Barkway, Hertfordshire

I wish to register my objection to the proposed inclusion in the Local Plan for Barkway, of the area marked as Bk3.

The proposed development of Bk3 is not sustainable development as -

. Barkway has few amenities and no street lighting along the main High Street, Cambridge Road, Royston Road, etc.

. There is only a minimal bus service with poor connections to nearby towns.

. Development of Bk3 would mean a vast increase in the number of private cars using the narrow local roads.

The total proposed development included in Bk1, 2 and 3, of 173 houses represents a 62% increase in the size of the village and would therefore be entirely inappropriate.

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