Codicote

I have reviewed the 2016 NHDC proposals for developing CODICOTE.

It is my opinion that many of the issues raised in connection with the 2014 plan have not been addressed properly and, in fact, have been trivialised!

To my mind the major issue for the future well-being of CODICOTE relates to the inevitable, huge increase in road traffic flow and parking. The NHDC seems to consider this a minor inconvenience!

I have lived in CODICOTE for 3 years and my own experience tells me that the traffic flow and parking on the B656 has increased considerably in that time and, as a result, the traffic comes to a standstill most weekday mornings and evenings. It is not difficult to deduce that the extra traffic associated with the proposed increased population of the village AND the effect of other local development proposals AND the natural traffic increase due to enhanced use of the A1(M) in the WELWYN area, will have a profound detrimental effect on the CODICOTE environment and the daily lives of current and future residents.

I am not against a reasonable population increase for CODICOTE and believe the development of housing on the garden centre site (CD2) could be an appropriate use for a previously designated green field site.

The other nominated sites are not minor infills but gross abuses on the green field concept.

Generally, I find the NHDC plan to be unsound and has the potential to create tomorrow's slums and, above all disregards the will of the local people!

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposed plans for the building of numerous homes in the village of Codicote. As a private tenant in Codicote. I completely appreciate the need for housing. However I do oppose the building of these new houses as there simply isn't the infra structure to support this. My youngest son started reception in Codicote this year as is the first two form entry. I didn't move to Codicote for my children to attend a two form entry school, we moved for village life.

I also find it incredible how we are currently worrying about the bulge year of 2018-19 into senior schools for my eldest son yet there may be far more children in the area of the plans are agreed, with no adequate schooling in place for these children. Let alone Gap surgeries, hospitals, leisure facilities, and traffic volumes increasing.

Please accept this email as a vote against the proposals.

I wish to register my objections to proposed development of new housing in and around Codicote as part of the above plan for the following reasons;

Does not comply with planning policy
All of the proposed developments are on Greenbelt land and will have a detrimental effect on the well being of the current and future residents of the village. The council has a responsibility to protect greenbelt land on behalf of its residents.

Will have an impact on an area, such as an increase in traffic
As a cycling commuter using roads leading out of the village I am acutely aware of the detrimental effect which increased traffic has on important roads such as St.Albans Rd. This road forms part of the national cycling network developed by SUSTRANS and attracts additionally a great number of recreational cyclist both during the week and on weekends.
In recent years the road has deteriorated due to increased traffic, in particular the use by heavy quarry vehicles. The road is not designed to take heavy traffic, being in many places only suitable for one vehicle to pass by at a time. The side of the roads has been destroyed creating hazardous holes and ditches which are not visible when covered with standing water. Regular maintenance of the type needed to repair these hazards is only possible during dryer summer months. The rate of deterioration means that for long periods over the winter the road has potential death spots where a cycling accident due to poor road/road edge maintenance could lead to serious injury or loss of life.

This email my objection to the Local Plan for Codicote based on the following -

Travel - the village is already a rat run for people avoiding the two lane section of the A1 between Hitchin and Welwyn. Traffic is already unbearable at rush hour and the village could not sustain further traffic. Additionally the proposed development to the rear of The Close would bring traffic through Valley Rd and Bury Lane onto the top end of the High Street and through the village. Having little public transport, the majority of villagers rely on their cars.

Schooling - the school already cannot cope with the current number of pupils in the village. Forcing children who live in the village to go to a school elsewhere is unacceptable and would further impact on the traffic issues. Any increase in dwellings must force an increase in school places - this was an issue in 15/16 and 13/14.

Healthcare - it is already near impossible to obtain a doctors appointment.

Parking - the parking on the high street is already dangerous.

Green Belt - the land is Green Belt, and I believe already has drainage and infrastructure issues - the development will lead to a loss of public space and have an impact on the village. It was always my belief that Green Belt land was untouchable?

Scale - the scale of the development is unacceptable with more than 30% growth - this would place unacceptable strain on infrastructure and have a detrimental effect on the character of the area.

Power - there are already frequent power cuts.

I have to first state that I understand the general need to plan for extra housing in a growing population but there are many considerations to be taken into account before placing them in a small village.

Codicote is a linear village which creates problems in itself. The proposed 764 new houses mean an increase of 24% to the village and the proposed developments are to be built on Green Belt Land despite the fact that the Department of Local Government says that this should only happen in " exceptional circumstances". The Government has insisted that housing alone is not an exceptional circumstance to change Green Belt Boundaries.

The majority of people commute to work as there is little local employment. They travel towards Hitchin or towards the A1M. Joining the flow to the latter is traffic from Hitchin. Turning into this flow of traffic is already dangerous. My view into this main road is obstructed by parked cars and it takes time to join this flow. There are no speed humps to slow down traffic and little attention paid to speed restrictions out of the peak travel times.

Owing to parked cars the road becomes congested

Added to this are the heavy trucks going to and from the local quarry.

The local people cannot replace the cars with other modes of transport as there is no train station, and the bus service is limited - an improvement here might help.

The local school is oversubscribed. even before new housing increasing the population. Expansion is already necessary. Following this as there is no secondary school the children are transported out of the village either by car or bus - thus either a better bus service is needed or the numbers of cars increase adding to the problem..

There is no local surgery and the one in the next village is full. I have difficulty getting an appointment waiting 3 weeks . If an emergency it has been easier to attend the Urgent Care centre in the neighbouring town.

I do not believe that the Local Plan has looked into the infrastructure iin enough detail. power cuts are frequent.

I support the views of Stephen McPartland. A new Garden City. Think long term not short term.

I am writing to object to the local plan for Codicote based on the following criteria:

Travel - the village is already a rat run for people avoiding the two lane section of the A1 between Hitchin and Welwyn. Traffic is already unbearable at rush hour and the village could not sustain further traffic. Additionally the proposed development to the rear of The Close would bring traffic through Valley Rd and Bury Lane onto the top end of the High Street and through the village. Having little public transport, the majority of villagers rely on their cars.

Schooling - the school already cannot cope with the current number of pupils in the village. Forcing children who live in the village to go to a school elsewhere is unacceptable and would further impact on the traffic issues. Any increase in dwellings must force an increase in school places - this was an issue in 15/16 and 13/14

Healthcare - it is already near impossible to obtain a doctors appointment

Parking - the parking on the high street is already dangerous

Green Belt - the land is Green Belt, and I believe already has drainage and infrastructure issues - the development will lead to a loss of public space and have an impact on the village

Scale - the scale of the development is unacceptable with more than 30% growth - this would place unacceptable strain on infrastructure and have a detrimental effect on the character of the area

Power - there are already frequent power cuts

As a resident of Codicote village I would strongly like to put forward my objections to the Local plan for additional housing proposed for over 200 new homes.

The village of Codicote does not have the road infrastructure to accommodate a vast increase in traffic. The busy high street is already impacted if the A1M is suffering from traffic congestion and rush hours in particular would bring Codicote to a standstill. I feel this put residents at risk of accidents and danger both to themselves and their property.

As Codicote is a village most residents work outside of the Codicote and therefore increased housing would increase traffic and Codicote cannot simply not sustain this potential hazardous impact.

As a resident of Hill Road in Codicote the farm land surrounding is of particular importance to our village and to lose this would be detrimental to us. Our children learn from it and livelihoods are maintained because of the land around us. If green belt use is changed there is no going back! NHDC does not have the support of local people to adjust the Green Belt boundaries and therefore the local plan fails to comply with the Government's National Planning policy.

Our local amenities cannot again cope with such a substantial increase in housing numbers. We do not have the infrastructure to cope with the additional people, vehicles, waste, water and power to name but a few, detrimental impacts the ludicrous proposed housing would require.

Our school is a village School and its reputation is built on just that - being a Village school and the benefits and educational excellence we are lucky to have. The Government strives for schools to achieve Oftsed visit results to the highest level and that is just what we have in Codicote with a school with Outstanding status. The local Doctors in Welwyn village is already a very busy surgery and appointments hard to get, therefore our medical care is also at risk.

Lister Hosiptal in Stevenage struggles immensely with too many patients how on earth can more pressure to this recourse be justified?

NHDC need to readdress their requirement for additional housing in the form of a new garden village/city built from scratch which can meet the requirements of the new residents with the infrastructure to support it.

I am writing to you provide you with my objections to the proposed Codicote Local Development Plan.

Having seen the proposed development plans for the village, I cannot see how the village infrastructure will cope with the proposals, and two of the sites (CD1 and CD5) are located just off single track lanes that are presently only used by their respective residents, and often perilously at that. Both Cowards Lane and Dark Lane are accessed via faster parts of the roads through the village, and drivers have to dash across the road, avoiding oncoming traffic, in order to get to these two lanes. There is no way that they can cope with proposed quantities of housing that the plan has put forward.

I was born and raised in Codicote and then owned my own home here until just 5 years ago. I continue to make weekly visits to my parents who still live there, and enjoy the village and its rural nature with my 3-year-old daughter, including walks to the Mimram river and playing 'pooh sticks' with her, as I did when I was a child being raised there.

As a child I would visit the river often with my young friends and family, looking for ducks, herons, egrets, sticklebacks and water rats. Sadly if these proposals were to go ahead I fear that way of life and access to nature would be gone forever for the villagers and their families. Many of the species of wildlife living in the hedgerows and river area are shy creatures who would not tolerate living in such close proximity to the engulfing conurbations shown in the Codicote Local Development Plan.

The Green Belt was devised to ensure a balance between man and wildlife. This proposed plan rides roughshod over that.

We are writing about those aspects of the NHDC Local Plan relating to the village of Codicote. We have two broad objections to the plan: the first is the loss of green belt and the second is the failure to provide the necessary improvements to infrastructure that the proposed increase in housing will require. We are also concerned about affordability of new homes.

Green Belt
At the inception of the plan the defined settlement boundary of Codicote was extended to include three parcels of green belt land. Paragraph 4.53 of the plan indicates that this will be done to "enable development to meet locally identified needs". However, as the deadline for completion drew close a fourth parcel of green belt land (CD5) was added which enabled the projected number of houses to be almost doubled to 315. This suggests a pragmatic approach on the part of the council taking up land that was offered rather than considering local needs (unless, of course, the original estimate of local needs was too low by a factor of two). Our contention is that the driving force lies with the London housing market where government has failed to curb speculative development of expensive luxury flats thereby forcing Londoners to move out of town. National newspapers have identified the Stevenage area as a desirable commuter location (see for example the Daily Telegraph Financial Section 9 October 2015 and 8 January 2016). The problem for our community is that once this green belt land has been released for development it is gone - for ever. Further, area CD1 is adjacent to a Local Wildlife site. It is important for planners to appreciate that wildlife has no understanding of human boundaries: if animals are disturbed they will leave, never to return. Our forebears understood these things which is why they created the green belt policy. We cannot dilute it when it becomes inconvenient.

Affordability
Policy SP8 promises that 33 - 40% of houses built will be affordable for local needs. So far in Codicote this has not happened. In the last two years nine houses have been erected along St. Albans Road to the north east of our house where previously there were three. Construction of a tenth has started in the last few weeks. All these houses have been large, high-specification family homes with prices to match. As far as we are aware no affordable homes have been built anywhere in the village during the same time period. It is clear that some mechanism needs to be put in place to ensure that the promise of affordable homes is kept.

Infrastructure
We are concerned about the impact on the infrastructure that a 25% increase in the housing stock of Codicote will have. This concern is shared by our neighbours who have raised the issue of the local school. We are pleased to note that the council has listened to this objection and has included an extension of the school in the plan.

However, there is still an issue with medical facilities: the nearest doctor's surgery is at Welwyn. This is already overloaded to the extent that appointments have to be made 2 - 3 weeks in advance. A 25% increase in the number of patients is not going to improve matters. It is therefore essential that some form of medical amenity be provided as part of the plan.

Finally there is the question of transport. The plan indicates a trend towards out-commuting (paragraph 4.26). Since the plan for Codicote is focussed entirely on housing and makes no mention of employment we can assume that all the new inhabitants will need to travel elsewhere to work daily. The assertion in paragraph 13.81 that modelling indicates no need to enhance transport is frankly unbelievable. The B656 is already overloaded at peak times. Relative to its size the lane to Wheathamstead is busy all day; with the amount of industrial traffic this now carries it is positively dangerous for children, adult pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

Once again it appears promises that" the green belt is sacrosanct" are totally ignored.
The proposed development in and around Codicote is simply not justified.
There is not the necessary infrastructure available.
The effect of increased motor traffic, in and around(but particularly through) the village
Will, not only affect the local population, but those using the route from outlying towns
And villages.
Stick to the green belt, and reduce the noise not increase it.

Transport : Codicote Road has become more congested over the years due to the amount of traffic and problems with A1M motorway ie not being widened, the motorway issue needs to be addressed first before housing can be identified. Codicote also has an issue with the quarry that have lorries running through the village, I counted 15 in half an hour outside the local shop at lunchtime. It is therefore not correct to say that there is congestion at the start and end of the working day, congestion happens throughout the day in the village.

Healthcare: The GP surgeries that serve Codicote are woefully inadequate and the East and North Herts clinical commissioning group need to be engaged with a view to see how this issue can be addressed.

Power supply: We have lived in our house over 25 years and in the past 10 years we have had more and more frequent power outages, this implies that there are problems with adequate electricity supply, I do not see anywhere in this plan that this has been addressed.

Housing: This is a local plan and I see nothing in this for locals. My first house was a new house in Codicote that was subsidised by the County Council so that we could afford to live here, due to the fact that my husband had lived in Codicote most of his life. I appreciate that new housing is a necessary part of living in such a sought after area, but it is an important part of a growing and sustainable community to provide housing for local Codicote people.

Greenbelt: Save Rural Hertfordshire
People live in a village as it is surrounded by countryside a lot of which is green belt, so you assume is protected. This is obviously not the case in your draft local plan.

I would like to see these issues addressed in the local plan.

I am writing to outline my objections to the Proposed Submission Local Plan 2011-2013. I believe the Local Plan (LP) is unsound and has not been positively prepared, is not justified, is not effective and is no consistent with national policy for the following reasons:

Green Belt
Codicote village is surrounded by Green Belt. It is of great importance to the village (and the surrounding area) in protecting the historic, rural nature of the village, providing open land for informal recreation purposes and also prevents Codicote merging into Welwyn. It provides a much needed home and area for wildlife, for example Barn Owls can often be seen hunting over the area by Cowards Lane, CD1. I am also given to understand that this area has never been farmed and is "virgin meadow". The Green Belt surrounding the village has great historical and potential archaeological interest - the hedgerow that surrounded CD1 was over 700 years old (unfortunately it was recently dug up by the owners in preparation for the developments) and there are many other examples of this throughout the village.
The adjustment of the Green Belt surrounding the village of Codicote to meet the local plan's housing needs does not qualify as "an exceptional circumstance" in line with the National Planning Policy Framework. It is therefore not consistent with national policy.

Traffic and Parking
Codicote village is rural and has a long, narrow High street through which the B656 runs. This busy road carries traffic on the route from Welwyn to Hitchin and is used by cars, buses and lorries (many of the latter divert from the A1(M). The houses on the High Street are mostly old, with no designated parking. Cars (and other vehicles) often park on the pavement, causing obstructions to pedestrians and often block the sight of cars turning into the High Street from Cowards Lane, St Albans Road, Bury Lane or Heath Lane. There is clearly danger to both pedestrians and drivers.
Additionally, the road leading to the small primary school already suffers greatly (particularly in bad weather) with cars parking at school drop off and pick up. Many choose not to walk to school (eg. if a parent is dropping their child off before going to work) and the roads surrounding the school can become very clogged with parked cars. This is also exacerbated by the large trucks going to and from the Quarry along St Albans Road. As you can imagine this is a great safety concern for many parents and also a cause of consternation for residents of these roads.

Traffic itself on the High Street can easily become backed up due to there often being room only for single lane traffic because of the parking. In rush hour this can result in "snarl ups" along the High Street and out of the village.
This is exacerbated when there is an incident on the A1(M) or surrounding roads, when additional traffic joins the B656, or due to roadworks/parking in the village. There have been occasions when it has taken me 30minutes to travel from the roundabout outside Old Welwyn to my house on the High Street following an incident (a distance of approximately 1.6 miles).
I have great concerns about the levels of traffic that an additional 364 houses in Codicote would bring - at a minimum one would expect an additional 364 cars, but given that most houses have at least two cars these days I believe it is reasonable to extrapolate this to 728. Given that there is no rail station in Codicote, a poor public bus service (eg. one bus every 2hours to Welwyn Garden City) and there is little employment within the village itself I believe that the additional housing would have a detrimental effect on the local highways.
Combined with the additional housing proposed in other local villages (eg. Knebworth, Woolmer Green, this will have significant effect on the route through the village and also the surrounding area: the route towards the A1(M) and Welwyn Garden City is already a "pinch point" (as an example, it has taken me 45minutes to reach the A1(M) from Codicote during term time in the morning due to the volume of traffic converging from Codicote/Welwyn/Knebworth).
The parking situation in the village would also be exacerbated, particularly on the roads surrounding the school and also on the High Street close to the amenities, and road safety would be jeopordised.
The local plan does not provide detail on how the increase in the volume in traffic within Codicote and the surrounding villages will be mitigated. The majority of the roads are rural and it is hard to see how this can be handled effectively. Neither does it take into account any of the issues surrounding parking in the village. Therefore, it does not appear that the local plan for Codicote is justified on this basis, nor has it been positively prepared.

Sustainability
As mentioned in the "Traffic" section, there are poor public transport services within Codicote (no rail link and an intermittent bus service). There is little employment in the village, no secondary school, limited retail choices and no doctors or dentists surgeries. It is clear that people within the village will have little choice but to drive to work, to school (the school bus services are over-full), to doctors/dentists, to shop etc etc.
Given the rural nature of the village any increase in housing numbers and therefore people within the village will have a large impact on traffic volume (as outlined above). Sustainable transport use by the people of Codicote is not an option and therefore the proposed development is not sustainable. It is not in line with national policy that promotes development of sites where the need to travel is minimised and use of sustainable transport is maximised.

Education and Healthcare

Codicote has a small (outstanding) primary school that sits in the heart of the village and is land locked. The school is already over-subscribed and clearly an additional 364 houses will lead to an increased need for school places and an expanded school.
The expansion of the school is now mentioned in the proposed local plan (it was not included in the initial consultation document), however details on when this will occur and how are not provided, ie. will it occur before the new houses and residents are in situ or after? How will this affect children already in the village? Clearly expansion after development is not acceptable.
There is no secondary school in the village. The closest one is Monks Walk in Welwyn Garden City (schools in Hitchin are becoming oversubscribed and children from the villages are having difficulty getting in). Will Monks Walk and other local secondary schools be able to accommodate all children from the proposed developments within Codicote and also the surrounding areas? Additionally, there will be an effect on traffic due to the increase in numbers of children having to travel to secondary school from outside the locality, adding to the already burdened road network.
As stated previously, there is no doctor's surgery in Codicote. Codicote residents are served by Bridge Cottage Surgery in Welwyn. Access to the surgery therefore requires transport, generally by car. Parking within Welwyn is restricted and at busy times can be difficult. The surgery itself is already struggling to cope with the current levels of patient numbers. There is often no availability of GPs on the same day and the wait to see a GP of choice can be a couple of weeks, if they are available.
There is no evidence in the proposed local plan of how the needs of 364 new houses in Codicote, not to mention the surrounding areas and any additional proposals within Welwyn itself, will be managed. Where will these people go for their healthcare needs and how will the current population be served?
At this stage the local plan has not been positively prepared and is not effective with regard to education and healthcare.

Infrastructure
Residents of Codicote are well aware of the issues within the village currently surrounding waste water and drainage. There is often localised flooding in Valley Road and at the bottom of Cowards lane and the systems are extremely old and unable to cope with the current level of housing. Additionally, we experience regular power outages.
While there may be acknowledgement of these issues in the local plan they are not fully addressed nor are there concrete plans set out to resolve them ahead of, or alongside, the development. It would be irresponsible to continue to heavily develop on Green Belt land (I think the word "heavy" is justified in being used to describe an over 30% increase in the size of an ancient, rural village over the short space of 20 years) without clearly setting the bar for developers in meeting the needs of residents with regard to infrastructure. The plan cannot be said to be effective in this regard.

Overall I feel that the proposed local plan is unsound and other alternatives should be explored, in particular the use of brownfield sites as a priority. Considerate thought to the needs of the village should be given in giving permission to infill developments and local brownfield sites - for example many of the friends and families we know in the village have expressed dismay at recent developments of large 4/5 bedroom expensive homes on sites in the village. They (and I) feel that more affordable, smaller family and starter homes are needed by local residents. Considerations such as these should come first in granting planning on sites already developed.
Further to this, there has been much discussion on the development of a new settlement on a brownfield site. The development of an entirely new settlement (much like the Garden Cities of the fifties) would allow all the above concerns, that not only affect Codicote but most likely the other proposed development sites, to be met.
I sincerely hope that my concerns, and those of all the other local residents of the rural villages affected by these proposals, are taken seriously and that we can preserve the character of the rural villages and countryside.

Subject: Objection to use of green belt land and traffic congestion involved in the Development of Codicote Village

Being Chairman of the Codicote's senior football club and with strong links to Codicote Youth FC as both a coach and manager I know how we and other sports in Codicote are desperately seeking land to expand our sport. Tennis club wants' a 4th court, the Youth football club have to play match's outside the village, the senior side want to introduce an U21 side to accommodate those boys leaving youth football at 16 and have plans to introduce their own ladies side but are being thwarted because of the limited recreational space in Codicote. We have both youth and senior players wanting to join our club from Codicote and the surrounding villagers but we have to turn them away due to lack of space. The mini rugby club will in time look for their own pitch also. Surely the green belt land or area's like the garden centre should be used to expand the recreational activities of the village rather than expand the concrete foot print. We are proud of our achievements, the senior FC now represent the village throughout the Southern Midland Counties of England the highest level of Football in its 103 years, but if this plan goes ahead in its current form the increased numbers wanting to participate in sport such as ours will not be accommodated without additional land and facilities and the possibility of the Clubs stagnating.
There will be other aspects regarding traffic if this plan goes ahead in its current form that will need to be considered in conjunction with the lack of expansion of our current sporting facilities. People of all ages who are looking to participate in sport are likely to look for opportunities outside of the village if we and others can't accommodate. This again will only increasing the carbon foot print but could also exclude some from participating due to lack of transport or social issues and we could face the consequences of increased Youth crime and general health and wellness of the village.

We need to rethink this plan

I would like to express my concerns about the proposed new housing sites around Codicote. I object to these new planning sites for many reasons which I would be happy to discuss at any further meetings.

Codicote is being asked to provide too many additional houses in proportion to the size of the village and its infrastructure regarding public transport, doctors facilities etc and complete lack of any public parking spaces. Although there are periods of quiet during the day, the High Street is often at a standstill, morning and evening with local traffic and through traffic from Welwyn to Hitchin. To have several hundred more vehicles connected to the proposed housing developments would make the existing problem disastrous. Codicote is already used as an alternative route to AI(M) and is the only route north-south other than the A1(M). The proposals would make it extremely difficult for emergency vehicles to get through at various times of day.
The proposed extra houses will bring traffic to a standstill, affect the natural environment of the area - green fields should only be built on as a last resort after all brownfield sites have been redeveloped first.
Review taking into consideration other proposed housing sites in Codicote.

Proposal for 300 New Houses in Codicote

I wish to comment upon recent development of housing in Codicote. Basically, many new houses have been added over the last 15 years which have taken away precious car parking spaces. This has resulted in the residents having to park on pavements (or park a long distance from one's home) which slows down traffic particularly the heavy kind which is frequent in this village. It is also a safety hazard.

The new areas of housing need to bear this in mind. Seeing that there will be many more people stopping at the shops in the High Street we need to add in parking for this facility as well as plenty of parking by the new houses.

As a long standing resident of Codicote I have no overall objection to the building of houses on the proposed sites, including the land south of Cowards Lane.

I do however have a number of concerns that I would like put on record.

Specific to the land south of Cowards Lane

* I would not like the rural nature of Cowards Lane to be changed by widening or adding of pavements.
* The junction between Cowards Lane and the High Street is an awkward junction. The additional housing will require vehicular access to the main road. I would strongly object to this being achieved via Cowards Lane.
* I suspect the surface water drainage system between Cowards Lane and the High Street is at times nearing maximum capacity. The impact of additional housing would need to be assessed and if necessary drainage capacity enlarged prior to the building of houses.

Of general concern

* I understand that the school in Codicote is already nearing maximum capacity. This should be fully and properly addressed prior to significantly increasing the population of the village - and is not to be fudged by simply increasing class room sizes.
* Parking in Codicote is already a significant problem, especially on the High Street. Increasing house numbers by 179 can only make this situation worse. All new housing must have adequate off street parking for at least two cars and parking in the High Street properly managed by perhaps the use of designated, diagonal parking slots on one side of the road, if space permits. Parking on the pavement should not be permitted and the speed limit through the village should be reduced to 20mph, and enforced.
* I understand that the Bridge Cottage Surgery in Welwyn is also fully stretched to provide an adequate service to the community. This must also be addressed prior to the building of significant numbers of further houses in the area, perhaps by the provision of a surgery in Codicote.
* Private car use is already suffocating the village. Use by non village traffic would be reduced by widening of the A1(M) to 3 lanes so that drivers no longer come off at the Welwyn junction in order to travel to Hitchin via Codicote.
* The bus service in Codicote is poor and does not encourage residents to use the service for local trips to Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, and further afield to Hitchin, Stevenage and St Albans. The majority use their cars. This habit can be changed, albeit slowly, by increasing bus frequency to at least one every 20 minutes, ideally every 10 minutes to Welwyn and WGC.

Please forward this email/comments to the appropriate authority/authorities involved in the consultation process.

Please keep me informed of developments and the outcome.

Objections to some of the plans for building houses around Codicote. My objections cover the following areas:-
1. Impact of traffic congestions- All the proposed site increases the pressure of traffic. Rush hour already causes a very busy road, heavy congestion. the high street is partially single lane due to parked vehicles of residents, this is no problem with low level of vehicles. However, the quarry continues to flaunt it rules having lorries come at 7 am in the morning weekdays and weekends, and the volume of lorries coupled with increase traffic from the new houses puts considerable pressure in the system. There are not plans to manage this pressure. Access routes of traffic for some sites (CD1, CD2 & CD3) are manageable but not for CD5. The access onto St Albans road are only large enough for one vehicle at a time between 2 houses and really should not be an access route at al. The another route onto dark lane, again and small narrow access route that comes into a blind corner. A corner that is extremely dangerous. Quarry lorries come around that corner in excess of 50 miles and hours and I have seen several near misses that could be fatal. Increasing traffic pulling out into the corner would need thorough planning. This means access into the Meadow way estate or direct onto Heath hill would be required but not sufficient for the sheer volume of houses. I suggest reducing the volume of houses on CD5, allocating land for school expansion and fund building projects to expand the school in advance of the housing.
2. No account for sufficient infrastructure- if all these houses are built the local school is not sufficient to take the children. there needs to be supporting plan to extend the school. The only land the school can extend to is the field adjacent to the school the other side of the foot path and that field should be used for expansion with the foot path being diverted.
3. Loss of green belt outside of policy- the Government fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence. the current plan goes against this essential policy. Adding such a large number of houses increases urban sprawl, especially the site CD5 which urbanises an areas used a lot by local dog walker, children for walking and leisure.
4. Affordable housing. The plans need to have some affordable homes. Not homes starting at £300 000, but affordable flats for new starters or for people in the village to buy. The housing build in Codicote tends to be luxury 4 bed homes, there needs to be commitment but builders who get the contract to build sustainable homes and at least 20% affordable homes for first starters.

I wish to register my concern regarding the above-mentioned proposal, which arises out of the inevitable increase in road traffic which this implies.
Currently There is a lack of road parking which exacerbates the build up of traffic during the rush hour traffic. This is compounded by the considerable increase in recent years of heavy lorry activity associated with the nearby quarry. I understand that some of this lorry activity is unlicensed or illegal but nobody in authority seems able to tackle this issue.
An increase in traffic linked to the new builds, both during and after construction, can have only a detrimental effect on the environment and personal safety.

I am writing in reference to the intended housing developments around Codicote village.
I am aware of the need for further housing within the area, however feel the extent and number of houses proposed for our village is rather extreme.

I am a family woman with two children, one of which has just been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - an genetic illness that will deem him wheelchair bound by primary school and a limited life expectancy.

I already have problems getting appointments with our over subscribed gp surgery within the local village of Welwyn. Will a new surgery be part of the expansion plans of Codicote?

We also have some terrifying moments travelling with mobility aids down the high street due to the number of cars already parked on the street - this will surely become incomprehensible with the number of houses proposed. What are your solutions to this please?

The school is an amazing primary school which will become possibly a school of double the size - meaning my son's needs will be swamped by double the amount of children - not something I signed up for when choosing the school. Will the new field site be fully accessible to him?

I would love for him to be able to attend the local secondary school - but again if they are forced to expand what problems will this cause. Are you planing on a new secondary school too?

Our pre-school, of which I am chairperson, is now at full capacity. Are there plans that this is to be integrated into the new education facilities within the village?

I am a homeowner and also chairperson of the local pre-school, but at the forefront a concerned mother of a disabled child within the village and would be very appreciative of your response.

I would like to object to the proposed housing developments around Codicote, which in their totality I believe to be unsound.

In particular I would like to object on the grounds of traffic and sustainability. In support of these objections I refer to the following evidence, which demonstrates that the proposals are inconsistent with the National Planning Policy Framework .

1. Over 77% of Codicote residents drive themselves to work. The community is not well served with public transport, and those wishing to take the train need to drive to a station as few buses are scheduled. In addition, the community has no secondary education, doctor's surgery, baby- or ante-natal clinic or bank, so residents generally need to make car journeys to access anything other than the few facilities in the village. These imperatives mean the housing proposals are inconsistent with the government's principle of sustainability.
2. The road through the village is highly congested and acts as an alternative north-south route to the A1. At peak times, traffic is effectively at a stand-still on the High Street, which causes consequential problems throughout the village. For example, I had a recent hospital appointment at 8.15 a.m at a local hospital. After leaving at 7.45, I was still in traffic on the B656 north of Welwyn at 8.05 and had travelled approximately 1.5 miles in those 20 minutes. This was not atypical for that time of day. The additional houses will add to this pressure.
In conclusion, given that 12% more residents than average for the district need to drive to work, and that the village has limited public transport or major facilities, the scale of the housing proposals contravenes the test of soundness and is not consistent with the element of national policy which state that the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework.

I would like to object to the North Herts Local Plan 2011-2031.

Grounds for objection:
1. Lack of any infrastructure to support the majority of the developments, developers will build the homes quickly in desirable sites and there will be no new infrastructure in place for years.
2. The draft sustainability plan is biased towards the building of new homes and minimises the environmental impact and downsides. Suggests vague uncosted mitigation proposals outside the control of North Herts District Council eg increasing sewerage capacity at Rye Meads. States village schools would close without development when they are bulging at the seams already, why let the facts get in the way of the report your clients want!
3. In relation to Codicote the number of proposed houses is more than the village can support, and there is little local employment to justify such expansion so all the new inhabitants would be commuting by car which would overload the already gridlocked rush hour traffic.
4. All local water is ground source extracted so without building a reservoir or a connection to an existing reservoir, new housing will further deplete this finite resource. There is hardly any water in the rivers as it is!
5. In Codicote sewerage is limited by a narrow distant connection to Rye Meads which is already at capacity, the proposed number of houses will further exceed this capacity.
6. Lack of school places; village primary schools are already at capacity and competition for secondary school places is intense.
7. Existing village and greenbelt boundaries should be respected, this has been the planning objective for decades, why rip this up and create the dreaded sprawl. If we need capacity we should build a new garden city with the infrastructure and road and rail connections required to support the population.
8. Poor broadband speeds broadband speeds in most rural areas are severely limited at peak times, building more homes will further increase demand for bandwith without additional supply.
9. Loss of beautiful rural environment.

I am writing to strongly oppose the development and over-residentialisation of sites in Codicote.
Codicote is an ancient village of historic interest, the character and preservation of which is of enormous importance.

Traffic
The main road through the village is lined closely on both sides with attractive, period cottages and houses and the road is further constrained by parked cars belonging to the cottages. There is never a time when the whole road is free of parked cars meaning that oncoming traffic has to wait and give way to others, thus compromising the traffic flow.

The High Street is the main thoroughfare between the A1 and Welwyn and Hitchin, Knebworth, parts of Stevenage and the surrounding villages and is regularly blocked by weight of traffic, especially during the rush hours. The road is already full to capacity, with traffic sometimes backing far back towards Hitchin. On some days, it can take me 45 minutes to do a 2.4 mile journey to the edge of Welwyn Garden City.

Public transport links are not good, buses are infrequent, there is no train station and no cycle paths. This means that most local people have to drive out of the village, along the High street to their place of work or a train station. The situation will become untenable with a possible 500+ more cars trying to make the same journey as I have to each day.

The roads leading from Codicote to the surrounding villages are single track lanes at many points and are already totally unsuitable for either the volume or size of vehicles that use them. There are many serious accidents along the lanes, often caused by rush hour speeding. These lanes are shared by many horse riders and cyclists and are already extremely dangerous.

Schools
The school provision is plainly inadequate for the large influx of children that this new housing will produce. Codicote Primary School is already over-subscribed from the current population. Each year, there is uproar from Codicote parents who cannot secure a place at the village school. Secondary schools too are at capacity.
Under the National Planning Policy Framework 2012, the Government states that 'key facilities such as primary schools ....should be located within walking distance of most properties. The Government attaches great importance to ensuring that a sufficient choice of school places is available to meet the needs of existing and new communities.'

Healthcare
Codicote is not served by its own doctors surgery but instead by Bridge Cottage Surgery in Welwyn. It is apparently already at capacity. Trying to book an appointment for me or my children is a frustrating experience. I can't imagine how much worse it could become with a possible 500 - 600 people using the service.

Green Belt
Codicote stands in the Green Belt and is therefore protected from development and expansion.
According to the National Planning Policy Framework 2012, the idea of the Green Belt 'is a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail.' The Framework continues: 'Once an area of land has been defined as green belt, the stated opportunities and benefits include:
* Providing opportunities for access to the open countryside for the urban population
* Providing opportunities for outdoor sport and outdoor recreation near urban areas
* The retention of attractive landscapes and the enhancement of landscapes, near to where people live
* The securing of nature conservation interests
* The retention of land in agricultural, forestry and related uses
* Green belt in England is protected both by normal planning controls and against "inappropriate development" within its boundaries.'

I object to all proposed developments in Codicote for all of the reasons mentioned above but more specifically...

Valley Road: This is an area of beauty and tranquility and is used by locals for dog walking, horse riding
Cowards Lane: Getting to and from this site would encroach on the already dangerous and congested St Albans Road, where children cross to get to the the local primary school. Many near misses have already been reported, which have been caused by cars parked and heavy lorries heading to and from the quarry. With the birth of many more houses in this area, the situation would become desperate.
The Garden Centre This provides local employment and a place for people to meet. It is popular with the local elderly community as is within walking distance.
Heath Lane I live off Heath Lane and already despair of the speeding traffic. It has a dangerous bend in the road as you enter the High Street and is already dangerous to cross to turn into or to cross over. With many more cars, this would become even more dangerous.

Overall, I cannot see how Codicote can possibly sustain many more homes. Surely a far more suitable alternative would be to build a new Garden City which can sufficiently support itself. If Codicote were to be developed as you plan it to be, it would become an unpleasant place to live with terrible congestion, queues, no school places, no appointments at the doctors, and could become a dangerous place for our children to grow up in. Codocote is already full!

I sincerely hope that NHDC will consider that Codicote is unsuitable for any further development.

Please accept this e-mail as a 'formal objection' to the proposed NHDC Local Plan which will see 315 new houses built on Green Belt land in Codicote, for your consideration.

I fully understand the need for new housing to be built as the population grows and that the houses proposed in Codicote are just part of an overall bigger picture, but without any other vital infrastructure put in place in Codicote, the village will simply not be able to cope with the increase and demand in population!

There are a number of detrimental implications to the village which are as follows: -

* Environment & Wildlife - Green belt land would be taken away to provide the area for these new houses, therefore harming the rural nature to the village and wildlife that would use that land at present.
* Character - Most houses in the village are 'individual' in their look/character and to build more houses which just look the same would ruin that.
* Traffic & Parking - This is already a serious problem as many people use the village as a cut through from the A1 to Hitchin when the A1 gets busy at J6 which is every day. The high street is already jammed with cars parked on both sides of the street, obstructing the flow of traffic and also the pavements for pedestrians. This along with the local quarry which has numerous lorries using the village to access it, mean any increase in population will mean an increase in cars, traffic and most likely accidents. There is nowhere to park already, so goodness knows where any new cars will park.
* Transport - Most people in Codicote use their car to get to and from work, to travel anywhere as there is a limited bus service, so this would put even more strain on traffic and also public transport.
* Services - The village has limited shops, etc. serving the existing population, so any increase would see people having to travel for shopping, etc., again putting more strain on traffic.
* Schooling - The village only has one primary school and no secondary school, so again an increase in population would need greater schooling.

Whilst an increase in local housing can provide a boost for certain people such as shops, restaurants, etc., overall it has a big negative on most of the issues important to those that live there already...traffic, noise, pollution, environment, etc., so this is why I object very strongly to these proposals. As an alternative, perhaps a smaller number of new houses could be approved on maybe 1 or 2 of the sites, but not all 4!

I refer to the following point in your proposals:

13.81 "Our transport modelling does not identify a requirement for any specific mitigation measures in Codicote" Whoever has undertook the modelling clearly does not understand the transport situation in Codicote. The main road through Codicote from Hitchin to Welwyn is continually at a standstill which has been made worse in recent years due to the high volume of 20 ton lorries travelling to and from the quarry. The same goes for St Albans road, from Wheathampstead into Codicote. It means being in a traffic jam if you want to go the Doctors or go to work in the morning and afternoon. The current road infrastructure can't and does not cope. Having a further 300 plus houses with no doubt 700 plus more cars will mean everything will grind to a halt.

13.82 "Sites in Codicote will need to ensure that any transport assessments appropriately take these issues into account and contribute reasonably to any necessary measures which may seek to address these issues"
This is an extremely vague and soft requirement in my opinion. What are the mitigating measures which could address the major issues? A by-pass? As already mentioned the current infrastructure is already at breaking point, so adding more volume will only make matters much worse. This has already been voiced to officials from North Herts District Council, at various public meetings on the matter and no answers have been provided.

Quite simply, the Local Plan is flawed.

The infrastructure problems in the parish of Codicote are either misrepresented or ignored within the Plan. NHDC have paid no attention to earlier representations made by residents, which highlighted our concerns; instead, they have painted a picture of a thriving, flourishing and functioning rural idyll.

Are we the only parish to be so grossly and colourfully misrepresented?

On these grounds alone it is evident the document needs further consideration.

I am, along with many Codicote residents, very disappointed with the proposed submission of the above as it is very prejudicial, not justified and certainly not a practical solution to resolve housing needs. Having read many documents on this issue it seems a last ditch effort in the short term to solve a much bigger problem - the long term need for many thousands of new homes in North Hertfordshire. I believe the suggestion has already been made for a new Garden City.
My obvious concern relates to Codicote, but similar issues apply to our close neighbours in Knebworth. To add another 315 new houses on Green Belt land in Cowards Lane, The Close, Heath Lane and Codicote Garden Centre is completely ridiculous - a growth of 25%, putting pressure on already overloaded infrastructure in the village. Issues of traffic, parking, road safety, power, water, drainage, schooling, healthcare, community, environment and character. All of which is already under pressure, particularly with our other issue - Codicote Quarry.
Codicote School is already full to capacity as people cannot get places on an already restricted site. I believe the proposed Local Plan states that expansion is needed but the existing site cannot support further development. This would mean further impingement onto Green Belt land.
The proposal also has no clear strategy for mitigating traffic, and yet in Codicote we are already struggling with high volumes of traffic. The road between Hitchin and Codicote is extremely busy and dangerous, with parking and heavy lorries already creating a problem. St Albans Road is now used as a short cut to areas around St Albans, and with the ever increasing heavy lorry traffic for the Quarry and the necessary parking of residents cars, further housing expansion is just not practical. Just imagine what increased traffic from an additional 315 homes would produce, without the impact from the other proposed developments in Knebworth and Stevenage. The B656 is already used as a bypass for the A1(M).
Little thought seems to have been given to the obvious issues surrounding such expansion of a VILLAGE and the infrastructure limitations. It is clear that the proposed Local Plan is not fit for purpose and should be withdrawn or certainly quashed by Central Government. A new Garden City would be the answer instead of adding more homes to villages already under pressure from the issues aforementioned.
Let us hope for some common sense.

I am a resident of this parish and I object to the local plan for the following reasons.

I have been cycling and driving to work in Hatfield for the past 15 years and it is noticeable how significantly greater the amount of morning and evening traffic passes through the village of Codicote and down to the Clock Roundabout and onto the roundabout leading to the A1M.

I do not accept clause 13.81 of the transport model, special mitigation measures would be necessary if the housing plan went ahead and not just in Codicote village but also around the Clock Hotel roundabout and onwards to the A1M. Codicote is still a village with a single road running through it.

Most mornings and evenings the traffic is bumper to bumper, bringing safety and environmental issues with it.

At times, traffic is so severe I have attempted to cross over to the Lower Luton Road from Codicote only to find that road is grid locked too.

Currently I am not aware of any plans to deal with this issue which will only be exacerbated with the increase in housing.

Further, services in the area are already stretched. For example it is already extremely difficult to see a doctor or dentist within a reasonable time. This will not improve with the increase in housing.

I'm writing to you with regards to my concerns for the proposed applications for new home developments in the village, as stated in the Local Plan 2011-2031.

I understand the calls for further housing to address the need in the borough and country as a whole, but feel that the ones proposed will not meet the requirements of those people or Codicote residents.

The numbers contemplated are huge in relation to the size of the village and would see the population increase by a disproportionate amount. Codicote does not have the infrastructure to deal with this:-

The services offered here are very limited. We have no doctor and the local surgery is at capacity - there is no walk-in surgery anymore and it is very common to wait 3-4 weeks for an appointment. This is a huge predicament to those registered at the practice, which covers a wide area, and the problem will only get worse. Bearing in mind the hundreds of people who may move in (many of whom will be children) I don't see where they would be able to register or receive medical attention.

There have been a few small-scale housing developments already in recent years, which have kept in character with the village but some of the sprawling sites proposed will see this character irreversibly eroded.

I note that a percentage of houses that may be built will be affordable housing. In the Chancellor's Autumn statement, investment in housing was high on the agenda. The important issue of affordable homes was brought up and it was mentioned that these should be in "high-demand" areas. I don't think that can apply to Codicote as there are virtually no employment opportunities available. Codicote is not within walking distance of a train station and has a restricted bus service that is often standing-room only. The commute to work would most likely be by private car, which would only add to the heavy traffic experienced at present. Some may not be able to afford this mode of transport and would be at a disadvantage. Realistically, there are probably better alternative sites.

Traffic in the area is a major issue. The High Street is gridlocked during the rush hours and the simplest of journeys can take an age. The school buses are full. There is inadequate parking along the High Street and cars are parked on both sides of the road in places, allowing only one vehicle to pass at a time, adding to the congestion. They are also on the pavement, sometimes forcing pedestrians into the road. The village is used as a cut-through by those travelling from Hitchin, Welwyn and beyond who do not wish to use the A1 and traffic is often diverted this way when the motorway is blocked. St. Albans Road is also used as a route to Harpenden, St Albans, etc. In my daily experience, even accessing the High Street from Cowards lane or St Albans Road is extremely difficult. Visibility is poor due to parked cars and both roads only have single access in places.

Our local school is well regarded and popular. One of the options includes extending the school. However, the proposed site has a public footpath running through it which is used to get to school and by many residents of Hill Road and Meadow Way and their public right of way would be threatened. How would this work with regards to safety of pupils and residents access? The field proposed to be the new school field is not particularly large for the influx of children suggested and is contaminated by excrement (dogs, cows, etc). There is also the question of secondary school places. Codicote pupils usually attend the state secondary schools in Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin (as did mine) and a certain number of places are allocated to Codicote. These schools are considerably oversubscribed and this situation will just worsen with the numbers of new housing being built in the towns and villages. My daughter did not obtain her preferred option and my son only got his on the continued interest list. This was over 10 years ago! The primary school will simply be at capacity again due to the number of new residents and where are these children expected to go to secondary school? Many parents don't want the school to literally double in size or to lose it's sense of community.

The prospective sites are within the Green Belt. There are no exceptional circumstances that warrant moving the Green Belt boundary, losing agricultural land and removing the benefits of the enjoyment of open land. We should be using brownfield sites and protecting our Green Belt wherever possible, as suggested by the Government. The Land South of Heath Lane site has just been increased to 200 homes from 140. This is an enormous estate. Access is via Dark Lane, which is a small country highway that is used regularly by walkers, cyclists, horse riders, etc. It leads down to the River Mimram. For years many local children play by the river as it is a safe place to access, there being no roads to cross. It is used by families too. The Heath Lane site could potentially have hundreds of cars using it. To turn right from St Albans Road into Dark Lane is by a blind corner which has had accidents and near misses due to vehicles travelling too fast or not giving way. It is a very dangerous corner and not adequate for the means of entry to such a large development. This is close to the St Albans Road Quarry which is extremely busy and has hundreds of lorry movements. In summer in particular, they are sometimes as frequent as one per minute at times. The lorries often mount the pavement when passing each other. The lorries clog up local roads due to their size and numbers and create noise, pollution, etc. St Albans Road has cars parked on both sides during school drop off and pick up times. The lorries also have to negotiate and the road is often blocked by them. I use this road on a regular basis - for a few hundred yards only one vehicle can pass at a time and the road narrows towards the High Street, again only allowing one car at a time. How will this road cope with all the extra traffic movement both from the new houses and extra school places? It prejudices highway safety and is used by many children. This is a real concern.

The Heath Lane site is also elevated in places. Apart from any visual impact, the houses and gardens which this land slopes towards (at the end of St Albans Road and Dark Lane) flood during heavy rain. This would create a further risk of flooding (perhaps to other properties too). Due to the contours of the land in the area most of this eventually ends up at the nearby River Mimram. This could affect the water quality. The fact that developers have just raised the numbers is also questionable and a major overdevelopment. Can this be justified in this area?

Codicote is a rural village - not a town. The majority of local people do not support the plan. If these plans go ahead, Codicote would no longer be a village and not a town either as it just doesn't have the services or amenities to support it or, indeed, be an attractive proposition. It just doesn't offer benefits to anyone who will live here now or in the future. The lives of so many people could be adversely affected and i urge you to please look at the plans for Codicote. Some are totally unsuitable and will be so detrimental to so many people.

My husband and I are most alarmed by the N.Herts District's proposed plans for the Codicote area for the following reasons:-

1. Traffic. Our roads are already congested and dangerous and will become even more so.

2. Sustainability. Codicote shows the lowest level of sustainable travel of all the preferred housing development areas in the district.

3. Green Belt. These plans go against the Government's aim to prevent urban sprawl.

4. Housing Numbers. The proposed number of new homes represents an increase of circa 36% and this is unsustainable and unjustified.

5. Schooling issues and health care have not been thought-through. Neither would be able to cope with all the extra families.