3 Spatial Strategy and Spatial Vision

A purposeful Plan that demands that simultaneous infrastructural development and improvement appropriate to the ~30% growth are better defined and obligations placed on relevant authorities and developers.

3.3 Clarify that housing allocations that expand rural villages should be justified on the need of the village, not on the wider need of the district.

The strategy for developing so many houses on the Blackhorse Farm site north of Baldock is not so much strategic planning as disaster planning. Councillor Levitt has made it clear on many occasions that if NHDC don't submit a plan 'we are in the hands of the developers'. However, the number of houses on this site is unmanageable in regard of many NPPF guidelines. NHDC in their own report (attached) state that 'There is unlikely to be a housing need within the existing settlements in this area to justify a development of this scale', nothing has happened in Baldock to change this view in 3 years yet they continue with their 'strategic plan' even in after 8000 responses and no significant change to the plan with the clear public concern. The strategy is 'to fill our housing quota' and this is at the expense of Baldock & Bygrave

Knebworth Parish Council believes that the Local Plan is unsound with regards to the impact of its policies and proposals on the parish.

1. It is neither JUSTIFIED nor meets the requirements of the NPPF because:
* exceptional circumstances beyond housing need alone have not been demonstrated as to why the proposed sites KB1, KB2, and KB4 should be removed from the Green Belt
* the area around Knebworth village makes a significant contribution in maintaining the Local Plan spatial strategy of concentrating development in the towns
* the identity of the village is under threat of coalescence with Stevenage and Woolmer Green as a result of the proposals in the draft Local Plans for North Hertfordshire, Welwyn Hatfield and windfall developments.
* the Green Belt Review incorrectly treat Knebworth as a town - it is still a village
* the cumulative effects of the proposals present a real threat of a continuous "B197 housing corridor" between Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City.
* NHDC has not fully demonstrated how it is protecting the area from development pressures in co-operating with adjoining local authorities on housing site allocations.

2. Not JUSTIFIED - Alternatives are available.

*the Plan is not justified because the District Council have not demonstrated why the permanent removal of the Green Belt around Knebworth is a better viable and effective alternative to the allocation of the safeguarded land to the west of the A1(M) at Stevenage (see policy SP8).
* if this land were brought forward earlier in co-operation with Stevenage Borough Council, it could provide the necessary scale of housing development together with dedicated infrastructure
* it would also avoid the impact on the villages within the Green Belt.

3. The Plan is not EFFECTIVE because:

* the cumulative impact of the proposed allocations, together with the effects of the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan and windfall have not been addressed
* the impact includes the effects on the road infrastructure, traffic congestion, the harmful effects on the Conservation Areas, schooling, and the effects on the local economy, contrary to policies SP4 and ETC2 of the Local Plan.
* the District Council has failed to produce a specific strategy for Knebworth - each of the proposed sites is less than 500 dwellings on its own
* there is a real risk of piecemeal development of the sites, which means that no single developer will address the fundamental infrastructure issues facing the community.

SUMMARY
Our more detailed comments are set out in the response to individual sections and policies in the Plan. At the Examination, the Parish Council will be asking the Inspector to make modifications to the Local Plan for a different strategy to utilise the land west of Stevenage, instead of removing the Green Belt around Knebworth and other villages. We will also ask for a specific strategy to be set in place for Knebworth.

Para 3.3: Focusing the majority of new development on the main towns (including urban extensions - i.e. including land at North Stevenage (Policy SP8/SP16: NS1) adjoining the district boundary), is supported because it is the most sustainable approach, consistent with the guidance in both the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the Government's web-based Planning Practice Guidance (PPG).

See attached

ConnectedCities is a global sustainable development strategy which is particularly applicable to the UK. See http://www.connectedcities.co.uk/

A case study of the ConnectedCities methodology focuses on the area around the group of towns bounded by Knebworth and Watton at Stone in the south and Arlsey and Baldock to the north, much of which is within North Hertfordshire. See http://www.connectedcities.co.uk/case-studies/1st-connectedcity

The ConnectedCities concept is that all development should take place within walking distance of permanent way public transport with a good level of service. In North Herts this means railway stations.

We object to the following:

Section 2 - Spacial Strategy
1. Spacial Vision

Para 3.6 'Vision By 2031. North Hertfordshire will be an attractive and vibrant place where people will want to live, work and spend their leisure time.' Already the residents of North Herts feel that this area is overpopulated. Inadequate rail services for commuters, inadequate parking at all North Herts stations, inadequate capacity on the A1M with no plans for widening it and with roads gridlocked daily this proposed level of housing development will make people's lives intolerable.


2. Policy SP16: Site NS1 - North of Stevenage

900 homes proposed development. This site for these houses has now increased since the two public consultations resulting in the site abutting the village of Graveley thereby causing coalescence with Stevenage.

Para 4.195 and 4.196
The proposed development of 800 houses on adjoining land to the south of Site NS1 by Stevenage Borough Council will make a total of 1700 houses in this joint development and will result in a huge increase in traffic. The B197 North Road is an already congested road at peak times, often with standing traffic. The proposal of a looped estate road with both ends adjoining North Road will further greatly exacerbate traffic congestion, standing traffic and pollution.

Stevenage's proposed estate road junction will be approx. 250 metres north of the junction with Grandby Road onto the B197 and North Herts proposes 'that the northern end of this road will emerge at, or close to, the existing junction of the B197 at Graveley Road/North Road. A new arrangement, possibly a roundabout, will need to be provided.' This is not deliverable - this junction is already very dangerous with numerous accidents. Previous requests to Herts Highways Department for a roundabout have been refused as the B197 is the designated emergency relief road if the A1M is closed in either direction between Junctions 8 and 9 and therefore roundabouts are not permissible. Many adjustments have been made to this dangerous junction over recent years but there are still frequent accidents. Increased traffic can only result in further accidents and fatalities.
Further to this, the proposal by Stevenage Borough Council for an Employment site opposite this housing site and a large retail store close to the North Road/Graveley Road junction will increase traffic and pollution on the already congested B197.

The looped estate road at the northern end will cause both noise and air pollution to Graveley village.

Since the opening of the Baldock bypass traffic has increasingly used the B197 from the A505 as a rat run to Stevenage. With the proposed employment site east of Baldock and the proposed housing site for 2800 homes north of Baldock both with access to the A505 traffic levels are likely to increase considerably though the village of Graveley with resultant noise and air pollution.

Para 4.197
We object most strongly to use of Green Belt Land for this proposed housing development. Contrary to the AMEC report the Green Belt land between Stevenage and Graveley strongly fulfils the NPPF green belt tests and provides a clear boundary to the further expansion of Stevenage. Graveley is an ancient rural village and it is completely unacceptable that SBC and NHDC's proposed development North of Stevenage would result in the effective coalescence of Graveley with Stevenage urbanisation.
In NHDC's previous two public consultation documents an area of Green Belt land was proposed between the northern edge of the site and Graveley village. This has now been pushed back with the site abutting Graveley village and thereby the loss of all Green Belt between Stevenage and the village. This will result in the loss of identity of this rural community. This Green Belt land is used by many people for leisure pursuits and there are several public footpaths and a bridle path running across this land all of which are heavily used. These would all become paths through an urban sprawl. We object to this loss of Green Belt.

3. Policy SP18 Site GA2 - Land off Mendip Way Great Ashby
Proposed development of 600 houses
Whilst the principal access of this site will be from Mendip Way in reality residents in this development are likely to use Back Lane, a very narrow winding country lane running into Church Lane in Graveley, as a short cut to the A1M and area north of Stevenage. This, together with Site GA1 of 330 houses again with available access to Back Lane, will increase traffic within the village of Graveley with consequent noise and air pollution and further congestion at peak times.
There should be no access available onto Back Lane from either of these proposed developments.

Section 3 - Development Management Policies
8. Housing Strategy

Para 8.1 It is questionable as to whether 15,750 homes are necessary in this area. We have been unable to find any published evidence as to why so many homes are are specifically needed in North Herts a rural area that is already overpopulated and with such a poor existing infrastructure.

How widely known is The New Homes Bonus, the grant paid by central government to local councils to reflect and incentivise housing growth in their area? Is it possible that the vast number of houses proposed is directly related to the alleged £7000 government has offered to councils for every house built? Is it at the end of the day to simply to swell the council coffers irrespective of destruction of the green belt, of air pollution, of traffic grid lock and destroying the quality of life for Hertfordshire's residents?

See attached

See attached