KB4 Land east of Knebworth

There is insufficient infrastructure to cope with 200 hundred more houses on this site but less houses could be considered on the open field opposite Watton Road.

The construction of 200 houses on KB4 land is totally impractical. Both Watton Road during rush hours and Swangleys Lane at school starting and finishing times are already impassable due to the volume of traffic using them. St Martins Road is a private, unadopted road that is also affected by school traffic from Swangleys Lane. As a resident in Swangleys Lane I already have to plan my travel times to avoid the school traffic. Additional congestion would make all these roads even more dangerous.

Another proposal to build on good quality agricultural land, a precious and finite resource. I can't begin to imagine how you will address the traffic issues, and what the High Street will be like.

This proposal has not featured in previous versions of the plan and therefore there has been no consultation on it. Development of this area of land would bring the boundary of Knebworth directly next to the development already proposed for the West of Stevenage and would mean Knebworth would cease to be a village. Due to the topography of the land it would be above the current village and create a new urban skyline to a rural location. It would destroy current agricultural land and increase the problems of drainage that the current use of the land helps to mitigate.

This site with a proposal for approximately 200 dwellings is a sensitive site for development. The NHDC Land Sensitivity and Capacity Study Report - Planning Policy and Projects, November 2006 identified only three Knebworth sites with low sensitivity and high capacity. In each of the three cases the report states "these sites have been appraised as being able to accommodate new housing development without significant effects on their character or the surrounding landscape." KB4 is not one of these sites.

The NHDC Land Allocations - Additional Suggested Sites July, 2009 highlighted the site's weaknesses as:

i. Green field site as grade 3 agricultural land

ii. Site in groundwater protection zones 1 and 2

iii. Identified constraints on utilities and capacity of primary school.

- Development is proposed either side of Watton Road which is currently a country lane but links the B197 with the A602 Hertford Road and has a significant volume of traffic at peak times. New housing would increase that volume of traffic.
- Is on Green Belt land close to Stevenage.

Lightwood Strategic supports the identification of site KB4 'Land east of Knebworth' in the Submission Plan.

Whilst supportive of the allocation in-principle, Lightwood Strategic objects to the site specific development criteria.

Bullet 2 requires "Up to 4ha of land for education purposes subject to up-to-date assessments of need".

Para 13.193 states that new development, particularly on site KB4 to the east of Knebworth, provides the
opportunity to look at alternate approaches to secondary school provision. Making smaller-scale secondary provision, possibly as an 'all-through school' is suggested.

The wording introduces a high degree of uncertainty. Further, it is not clear under what circumstances KB4 would be required to accommodate such provision, especially if a new primary school has been already provided on KB2. The supporting text to KB2 speaks of a 1 form entry primary school addressing the needs of West Knebworth, but a new school here would have the capacity to address the pupil implications of Knebworth growing to the east to. There is therefore no justification for additional pupil places on KB4. It also follows that any "all through" provision would be more efficiently added to the educational facility to be built on site KB2. A new primary school on KE4, alongside the existing primary school should be enough provision for the village as a whole, and in time, the geography of where pupils go will work itslef out so that west Knebworth goes to KE2 and east Knebworth goes to the existing school. the west of Knebworth allocations, in combination seem to offer better prospect for any "all through option" but such a n option would need to be shown as needed and deliverable to justify its inclusion on policy

I understand that this site was not mentioned in earlier versions of the plan. It is currently agricultural land which it would be particularly unfortunate to lose from a food security angle. There are currently some lovely walks to be had in this area of tranquillity, with fine views across the landscape. As with KB1/KB2, traffic volumes would increase unsustainably. The upper part of Swangleys Lane is very sinuous, and in consequence hazardous now, without this development, which would also (taken with KB1) risk coalescence with Stevenage.

KB4 is on a slight rise east of Knebworth, which currently offers views over open countryside. In particular the recreation ground has an open view to its east over the site. Access to the main north-south road from the east is very restricted, via narrow (in some parts single-track) Swangleys Lane; Watton Road - a residential street with speed bumps; or St Martin's road (a private road.)

The proposed development here would narrow the green-belt barrier separating Knebworth from Stevenage (at Bragbury
End.)

Access is difficult due to local narrow lanes and low bridges.

please see comments attached below

please see attached documents with full comments

Neither justified nor effective:
- Development would be contrary to government policy on Green Belt as set out in the NPPF. NHDC have not demonstrated that "exceptional circumstances" exist for the development of the site. Housing need alone is not a sufficient justification, as confirmed by the Minister of State in August 2016 in a letter to MPs.
- This particular tract of Green Belt is significant because it prevents the encroachment of Knebworth into Stevenage to the north/east and Woolmer Green to the east/south.
- There is no firm plan for use of the site for education purposes despite comments in the plan suggesting such use, this requires addressing.
- The amount of traffic generated by about 200 new dwellings would add considerably to the levels of traffic impacts on the B197. Congestion levels in the centre of the village would be exacerbated.
- There are road infrastructure issues with Watton Road which need overcoming
- Potential existing flooding concerns

I object to this plan on the following grounds:
there will be an impact on all of the local roads but particularly the high street, Watton Road and Swangleys Lane which has not been planned for.
Drainage issues have not been considered.
It will practically join Knebworth and Stevenage.

This site with a proposal for 200 dwellings is a sensitive site for development. The NHDC Land Sensitivity and Capacity Study Report - Planning Policy and Projects, November 2006 identified only three Knebworth sites with low sensitivity and high capacity. In each of the three cases the report states "these sites have been appraised as being able to accommodate new housing development without significant effects on their character or the surrounding landscape." KB4 is not one of these sites.

The NHDC Land Allocations - Additional Suggested Sites July, 2009 highlighted the site's weaknesses as:

i. Green field site as grade 3 agricultural land

ii. Site in groundwater protection zones 1 and 2

iii. Identified constraints on utilities and capacity of primary school.

My objection to the Plan is the failure of the Council to justify a long series of proposals for the removal of land from the Green Belt around towns and villages. Such justification should have specifically included the demonstration by the Council of the 'exceptional circumstances' for removing land from the Green Belt on a site by site, and settlement by settlement basis, and setting them out in the Plan. Instead, the Council appears to have relied on a blanket assumption that all housing and other development needs, not just in the District but in Stevenage and Luton as well, identified through their background studies, must be met in full, despite national planning policy and planning case law to the contrary. If the Plan is allowed to proceed as published by the Council, it would commit future generations to continuing development which would cause incalculable harm to the Green Belt.

I believe that the Council has not considered all reasonable alternative approaches to meeting the District's development needs, particularly when setting a Housing Target, and that this failure has contributed to an unsound Strategy. A realistic contribution to housing capacity from a greater range of sources including windfall sites, changes of use in accordance with current permitted development rights, and other measures promoting the recycling of previously developed land and property, should have been included in the Plan, and a Housing Target then determined that reflects both development needs and the nationally important constraints that exist in this part of Hertfordshire.

The proposal to move Green Belt boundaries from their current long established position solely because there is an equally or more defensible location elsewhere is contrary to national Green Belt policy. The stated reason for doing so is not an exceptional circumstance, and is not justified. The removal of Green Belt status from the land affected would be likely to cause significant harm to the Green Belt and it's overall purpose.

I object to the development of the site KB4. If this site is developed, it will mean a loss of Green Belt land to the east of the village which will be detrimental to the well-being of all its residents. It will encroach upon the current narrow corridor of rural land which is keeping Knebworth separate from Bragbury End, Stevenage. The wide range of flora and fauna in this area will be seriously affected by the projected development. There would be a loss of productive agricultural land at a time when more people are in the area.
The current GP practice in the village is severely stretched. They try to do their best, but it is obvious to all that when you have to wait 10 days to get a routine appointment at the surgery, there is no room for further residents to be signed up. There has been a noticeable decline in the number of partners and the turnover of staff at the surgery over the last two years; it is hard to see that more staff can be recruited to deal with any more residents.
It is hard to see how access roads could be built for this site. Currently, both Swangley's Lane and Watton Road are heavily used by traffic, from local residents and from people using this route from Stevenage to Welwyn. The Harwood Park crematorium in Watton Road has also increased the amount of traffic in the area.
There is currently little direct employment within Knebworth, thus nearly all residents leave the village for work. Over the last year the traffic using the B197 has increased considerably. The journey to the A1(M) which used to take 5 minutes can now easily take 20 minutes at 7.40 a.m. I believe this to be because of the amount of school traffic, both private and school buses, and the number of people joining the road from side turnings. If the number of homes in Knebworth is increased this road will become further blocked with health and economic ill results.
I believe that the infrastructure needed for developments has not been sufficiently investigated or planned. The sewage treatment works at Rye Meads are unlikely to be able to cope with further developments. There is already a severe flooding problem in Knebworth, in the High Street and in the Orchard Way area. There is severe congestion on the local roads, particularly in the morning and evening rush hours.

Concern about the loss of the Green Belt between Knebworth and Stevenage, there is the likely hood of coalescence. There would be a severe loss of productive agricultural land. Concern about the water pumping station above the borehole. There is a danger that building could contaminate an essential water supply due to the increased sewage and other pollutants passing though the area.
Concern about the increase in capacity of traffic on Swangleys Lane (mostly single track) and Watton Road. Currently Watton Road is heavily used by Funeral Directors and Mourners travelling to the Crematorium. This can cause traffic problems additional to day to day usage. Once the road leaves the village it becomes a narrow county lane. Within the village it is single track with passing bays due to commuter parking. This causes severe traffic issues at the junction with London Road and Stevenage Road. There would be severe access issues for construction vehicles.
There has been no consultation with villagers about these sites, the indication on this documentment came as a surprise to residents.
The plan should be withdrawn. A better solution already exists in the West of Stevenage plan with reserved land capable of 3100homes, the infrastructure has been planned together with new access roads from the A1(M).

1. KB4 added to the plan last year (this version). There was no consultation with residents which it not in line with housing policy. KB4 should not have has been added at this late stage, particularly as it's a key area of land that separates Stevenage and Knebworth.
2. 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. Developing KB4 will remove the green-belt buffer between Knebworth and Stevenage, meaning there is danger of coalescence. 'Structural landscaping and planting to provide and/or reinforce Green Belt boundary to east' is not sufficient to prevent coalescence.
3. Access to KB4 is an issue. Both Watton Road and Swangley's lane are narrow roads and there is insufficient capacity to support traffic to and from 200 houses here. Swangley's lane is very wiggly and it can be difficult for two cars to pass in places and there are blind spots. Watton Road is already a commuter cut through - during rush hour the traffic is usually backed up to the edge of the village. This would become unbearable for the residents of Watton Road if traffic use on this road increased. The plan needs to include new, wider, access routes to KB4.
4. KB4 has long-standing drainage issues, resulting in surface water flooding problems, which the current plan does not address in detail.
5. Developing KB4 will also mean the loss of productive agricultural land.

The plan will remove the Green Belt buffer to the East of the Village and potentially damage the character, habitat and impact of the open landscape as well as the loss of productive agricultural land. It will also impact on the 'independence of the village of Knebworth as the development will effectively join Stevenage.
Any houses built in this area will be subject to Drainage problems which have been experienced in recent years. The addition of a housing development and its infrastructure will not improve matters.
Access to the new development would primarily be through the narrow Watton Road and Swangleys Lane, which are clearly not designed to cope with heavy traffic or the large commercial vehicles bringing building materials etc. into the village.

The proposed development of the KB4 site has never been included in any previous version of the Local Plan. This contravenes the standard national planning processes and cycles and does not give adequate time for consideration.

The release of Green Belt land such as the KB4 site is contrary to Government policy. The KB4 site and all the other Green belt areas surrounding Knebworth make a significant contribution to protecting the space between towns in the district and maintaining the separate identity of Knebworth as a village. Releasing this Green Belt land would set a precedent that results in a large urban sprawl running from Stevenage in the North down the A1(M) to Welwyn and Hatfield in the South. Stevenage Borough council also concluded in their June 2015 Local Plan housing consultation that KB1 and KB4 make 'a significant contribution to Green Belt purposes'.

Although each of the proposed Knebworth sites involve less that 500 houses, the total is well in excess at 663 homes. Each site is reliant on the same infrastructure; e.g. road access to the B197 and use of the railway. Thus there should be a strategic policy covering all sites as a whole.

The main access from the proposed KB4 development to the B197 is likely to be Watton Road. Watton Road is already a busy, narrow road especially during rush hours when there can be significant traffic congestion due to its use as a connecting route between the A602 and the B197. The road has speed humps and road narrowing to attempt to address some of the issues.

Parking is already a major issue for Knebworth which will inevitably deteriorate significantly with any new development and have a knock on effect on traffic congestion. This will have serious implications in the event of any emergencies.

The existing doctor's surgery has also been a major issue. It has been deemed inadequate for patient demand and alternative premises have been sought for many years. The search for new premises has not taken into account the 31% increase in population from the proposed new developments.

During the public consultancy between December 2014 and January, KB4 was not included in this document. So this is the only time its is going through this process. KB4 is the largest single site and has the most impact, especially being very close to Stevenage.

I have attached a letter from Stephen McPartland our local MP, backing up this point and brought into question the legality as it contrary to NHDC's declared process which is set out in the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012.

Knebworth is the largest village in Hertfordshire, it has 4496 residents in ca 2002 dwellings. The Local Plan is proposing a further 663 houses across four sites. Any other development of more than 500 houses in a single site, would have to have a Strategic Policy drawn up. Whilst none of the individual sites around the outskirts of Knebworth exceeds this number, the aggregate amount of proposed residences is 663, which represents over 31% increase to our village.

Knebworth has to be considered as one whole site rather than individual one. As the sites combined will have a significant impact on the infrastructure, transportation and highway. The B197 is the main access route and passes North-South through Knebworth High Street, which is already severely congested . All the sites would feed into the B197 and without any Strategic Policy for Knebworth is clear evidence that the Plan has not been positively prepared.

The plan is not Justified - One of the main reasons for Green Belt is prevent "coalescence." If the proposed local plan is allowed, in particular KB4 there would be almost continuous housing between Knebworth and Stevenage. Green belt is in place to maintain identity of the village for Knebworth and to stop urban sprawl.

The North of Knebworth is Stevenage , under the Stevenage Borough Council who, in their June 2015 Local Plan housing consultation, concluded that the land showing in the NHDC Plan as KB1 and KB4 make: - 'a significant contribution to Green Belt purposes.'

The proposed development of KB4 would breach three of the criteria defined in paragraph 80 of the National Planning Policy Framework, namely:

* to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
* to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another; and
* To assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.

The Local Plan correctly refers to Knebworth as a Category A village, whereas the supporting documentation refers to it as a 'town', which it is not.

The development on Green belt land would run contrary to:
o National Planning Policy; and
o the value the Council has placed on this land in its own Green Belt review, undertaken less than six months ago (July 2016).

It has also been highlighted that other areas of the existing Green belt, which are shown as simply making 'a moderate contribution to Green Belt purposes' are NOT being considered for residential development.
One of the test of "soundness" is that the Local Plan should be 'based on effective joint working on cross-border strategic priorities'. There seems to be a large discrepancy between the two authorities on whether this land is appropriate for building.

Previously Developed Land
KB4 is working agricultural land and has never been previously developed. It should, therefore, not be a priority for development.

Value of the land
The land in KB4 is classified as Grade 3, this being 'good to moderate'. It is therefore should be kept as such. It is not the poorest quality of land and, is in constant agricultural use. Removing good agricultural land , would have a permanent effect of the farming community and the a negative environmental impact.

To summarise:-

* 'a significant contribution to Green Belt purposes.'
* Currently preventing "coalescence"
* Is classed as "good to moderate" in agricultural terms

Visual Impact
Living in the village, you are surrounded by country side . The land is rising so therefore if the development goes ahead, it would completely change the characteristics of the village. The outlook and views would be dominated with houses.


Alternative Sites
The issues relating to the land to the West of Stevenage (section 4.104 of the Local Plan refers) should be resolved as soon as possible. This land can provide 3100 house and you will be able to ensure that there are services for all to benefit from. Rather than expanding villages that can't cope with the add houses.

The Plan is not Effective

Infrastructure

Transport:
In the consultation in 2014 it was discussed that the railway line poses huge challenges regarding transport / traffic through the village. These challenges have not been addressed in this plan; in fact, the Plan says (13.195) that there are no mitigation requirements regarding transport. In fact, the Highways Agency has raised this issue previously. The two railway bridges at either end of the village are not only extremely dangerous due the fact they are narrow for both vehicles and pedestrians but there is no way to improve them. If the proposal goes ahead the increase in volume of traffic and pedestrians will make this scarily dangerous. The narrow pathways under the bridges are frequently used by children, going to school. An increase of 31% of this scale can only escalate the issues. This matter has not been addressed at all and surely makes the plan not effective.
London Road, through the village- (B197) is also a known pinch point; it current takes over half an hour to reach junction 6 of the A1 in rush hour, which is only 2 miles away. (Increased traffic will only exacerbate this). Any issues on the A1M, Knebworth is a prime cut through. so therefore if the proposed housing were to be put in place and if there any closures on the A1M it could result in possibility of gridlock. No real back up for emergency vehicles. Which was actually the case a year ago.
Oakfields Road currently has not through exit. The road bends round into Oakfields avenue. Any access point to the proposed housing at KB4 would completely effect pedestrian right of way to the recreation park or the bridal path. Oakfields Road, which is off B197 is not wide enough to cope with the traffic that would result from the new development. The road also attracts commuter parking, which over the last months, has started encroach parts of the road during the working week.
During peak times, a number of roads are used to avoid the traffic, in particular: Old Lane, St Martin's Road, Swangleys Lane, Pondcroft and Gun Lane. These are very narrow and built up, it is already very dangerous for pedestrians, and the increase of 31% would only make it worse.
Swangleys Lane is another alternative route to access the B 197. It is a very narrow country lane with no pedistrian footpath after the Primary School. The road can become very restricted and often difficult for large farm vehicles to get past, especially during school drop off and pick up times (9, 12, 1515, 1630). At the end of the road, adjoining the B197 there is a pedestrian crossing and there is already congestion at this junction.

Watton Road is a narrow, winding, country lane, there is no space for safe passing for pedestrians or cyclists. During severe weather conditions, it has been extremely dangerous and has been closed on numerous occasions. Watton Road would be one possible access route to the B 197 from KB4.


Public Transport

Knebworth is a commuter village the Train station is extremely busy, it is already overcrowded and peak services have seen a 70% increase over the last ten years.

There is very little employment in the village and any new development would attract the commuter. Yet Govia Thameslink are under consultation to reduce the frequency of trains to/from the local station. Regardless of that, due to where the Station is based, the station is very popular and accessible to residents of Stevenage, this then increases the cars on the road and parking on local roads. The proposed housings would only increase this further and you will need to have permit parking as there is in inadequate commuter parking.

Parking
It has been mentioned the removal of parking on one side of the road through the village (London Road). This would only have a negative effect on village life - Loss of business for the local shops, which is already suffering. The parking on either side actually helps reduce the speed, therefore it would become unsafe with vehicles going even at the maximum speed. - a vehicle travelling at 30 mph can serious injure someone. Knebworth has a lovely community feel and restricting the parking in the centre of it, would just have a negative effect on village life.
During the day, the cars on either side, prevent traffic and Lorries speeding unnecessary through the village. The parking helps our local shops attract customers from a far, if you were to take parking away from one side, it will be the death of Knebworth villages high street, which is needed for all and in particular by many elderly residents.

Health Services

The doctor's surgery in Knebworth is currently located on Station road. They are in the process of looking for new premises. They have applied for planning permission but it would only improve the current service, which currently takes over 3 weeks to get an appointment. Even if this were successful, the new premises would not be adequate to cope with a 31% increase in the population of the village.

Dentist - there are two surgeries, only one which takes NHS patients, but that one has no capacity for new patients.

Drainage issues:
Drainage issues have been raised on a number of occasions. There will be a major capacity issue at Rye Meads Sewage Treatment Works and this has not been addressed. Surface water is already a problem; this will only get worse with increased population and households.
Development in a neighbouring village of Woolmer Green for 150 houses , which lies on the B197 to the South of Knebworth, will only increase the levels of traffic flowing through Knebworth High Street and routes to A1M.


Is the Plan Consistent with National Policy?

I have attached a letter from Stephen McPartland. He states that there are significant failings in the way the Local Plan has been prepared. It very much has the feeling of a rush job and a numbers games, rather than a proper housing plan.


Duty to Co-Operate

The sites on Odyssey, north of Knebworth, has been granted planning permission for approx. 70-100 homes. This number of houses should surely be taken out of Knebworth's allocation and not just taken as a windfall.
As mentioned previously, Stevenage - West, has already been reserved for 3,100 homes. This would be a far better position to provide facilities and services, as the current plan for Knebworth has no support for current and new residents. As I understand that this is on hold is due to secondary school allocation. If a secondary school was built on that site, this would surely resolve this matter and stop adding on housing to over stretch villages.

KB4 was not included in previous plans therefore the plan does not comply with the duty to co-operate.
The plan includes releasing for residential development green belt land (SHLAA sites 55, 56 and 58 which are part of KB4) categorised as 'Site makes a significant contribution to Green Belt' while other sites (RG and WS sites in Langley) with the lower category 'The site makes a moderate contribution to Green Belt' have not been allocated for residential development. This indicates that the process of allocating land for development has not fully taken into account the North Hertfordshire Green Belt Review dated July 2016. The use of this green belt land for housing is unjustified as it will have an adverse impact on the open landscape and lead to coalescence between Knebworth and the edge of Stevenage.
The plan is not effective because it has not adequately considered the impact of additional traffic on local roads. Hertford Road, Stevenage was closed as a through road. This has meant that traffic has used Watton Road in Knebworth to access the B197 at the roundabout at the northern end of the High Street. Watton Road is a country lane, with no provision for pedestrians or cyclists for much of its length and quite unsuitable for the volume and nature of the traffic. Watton Road would be one possible access route to the B197 from KB4. Another possible access route, for traffic from KB4 on the south side of Watton Road, is St Martin's Road, which is a private, unadopted road with no footpath on either side and, as such, is quite unsuitable as an access route to a new development of 200 homes. The maintenance of the road is paid for by residents. The road mouth to the B197 is within 10 m of a pedestrian crossing and, when parents deliver/collect their children to/from the school in Swangley's Lane there is already substantial congestion. Swangleys Lane is the only other alternative route to access the B 197. This is a very narrow country lane with no footpath after the JMI School. Parking is already an issue on the road and severely restricts the flow of traffic along the road, particularly at start and end of the school day. The road mouth onto the B 197 is within 20 m of a pedestrian crossing and there is already congestion at this junction.

This site has not featured in any of the previous versions of the plan presented to residents for discussion. Development on this site would bring the boundary of Knebworth into direct contact with the proposed expansion of Stevenage, a fact which has not been mentioned by the council in their plan. This lack of a joined up approach with the adjacent Stevenage Council undermines this proposal. It would also unnecessarily destroy Green Belt and valuable Agricultural land.

Please see the attached submissions.

Green Belt - danger of coalescence between Knebworth and the edge of Stevenage
* Landscape - impact on open landscape
* Agricultural Land - loss of productive agricultural land
* Impact of traffic on local roads - lack of capacity on Watton Road and Swangley's Lane
* Impact on effective operation of railway - lack of capacity, more so to serve a larger population.
* Drainage issues - surface water flooding problems

there is insufficient provision for ROADS, RAIL PARKING AND SCHOOLS

The number of houses planned is excessive - it will make Knebworth virtually a part of Stevenage; it will destroy the landscape and agricultural land and most improtantly Watton Road will not be able to cope with the additional traffic. It is already a rat run and the existing traffic problems and attempts to deal with them are well documented.

We feel the number of dwellings proposed are too high for this location both in terms of their proximity to the A1M (its busiest sectiion between Junction 6 and 7, and the consequential impact on the village, its existing and future residents.

No account appears to have been taken for the number of vehicles each dwelling will have and the effect of this increase in the village.

Knebworth Village is already severely impacted by poor transportation planning, extremely heavy road traffic through the village and the peripheral roads.

Knebworth Village is served by a relatively small railway station which also caters for commuters from surrounding villages and, also Stevenage. I understand commuter usage through Knebworth Railway Station had increased 70% in the last ten years. Access to the Railway Station is through Station Road/Park Lane. KB4 is going to contribute both further infrastructure and transportation problems to this area and for the future residents of KB4.

We also believe that KB4 is an assault on the Green Belt which has clearly contributed to the continuance of local fauna and flora in the area, contributed to defending, albeit on a small scale, the local environment from the impact of the increased traffic and its consequent pollution through Knebworth Village.

Schooling, health and social amenities will all be impacted by a development of this size. Primary schooling in the village is already stretched by both Knebworth children and children from other villages. Secondary schooling is non-existant and children travel to Stevenage or Welwyn Garden City for their continued education.

An increasing young population will only exacerbate what is already a poorly provided area. This Local Plan does not provide, in any coherent way, for this growth and the negative impact on the Village infrastructure, its residents, environment and local habitat.

While we are not, per se, against the building of new dwellings we believe the numbers proposed are significantly higher than the Village needs or can manage. This Local Plan for Knebworth Village in its current form is therefore unacceptable and should be significantly reduced or rejected.

This Local Plan must include a comprehensive review of the existing transportation links and whether it is future-proofed to sustain a development such as KB4. Nothing in this plan suggests it looks beyond the building of a high number of dwellings other than to meet a target and tick a box.

The proposed housing will remove green-belt and inevitably turn quiet country lanes into urban thoroughfares; no doubt it will be thought necessary to widen them, install street lighting, etc. What are currently pleasant walks will be ruined as a result.