Housing and Development

We need the houses, but, for goodness sake, define the requirement better for "sensitive design". Don't leave this definition of this to developers. We all know what happens, certainly in Knebworth! That's why residents are always so negative by all, I mean ALL, housing there! If you want to hear a negative response, just wait to my fellow residents.

Para 4.91: This paragraph is supported. This is because Croudace has been promoting an integrated strategic urban extension at North Stevenage for some years (i.e. involving land in both Stevenage Borough and North Hertfordshire District), in association with a group of land owners and house builders representing adjoining interests within Stevenage Borough. Croudace has an Option over the land included within the NS1 designation in North Hertfordshire. The combined strategic urban extension scheme would be integrated across the border between Stevenage Borough and North Herts District to ensure the seamless delivery of a sustainable urban extension that would contribute to meet the housing needs of both Authorities.

Whilst the objective is to ensure the delivery of an integrated strategic urban extension combining the land in both Stevenage Borough and North Hertfordshire District, it is relevant to note, in relation, in particular, to the timing of the delivery of the NS1 development, that the NS1 site would have its own highway access in the form of a new junction onto Graveley Road/North Road and could therefore be brought forward for development at a time to suit North Hertfordshire District Council's housing needs, without jeopardising integration with the development of the land in Stevenage Borough through the use of a combined Master Plan approach. This flexibility may be important to ensure that the housing needs of North Hertfordshire can be met in an appropriate and timely way, meeting local needs.

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I am writing to voice my opposition to your local development plan, specifically with regards to the so called development plan of the village of Knebworth.

Firstly, I wish to address the issue of road links. The school run to the outskirts of Welwyn Garden City used to take us 20 minutes. It now takes us 40 minutes on a good day and frequently takes us 50 minutes - to drive 2.5 miles!!!!!!!!! We now have to leave home at 7.55 whereas school doesn't start until 8.50. This situation is getting worse each month, without the additional strain of 663 houses added to the mix. The road infrastructure simply cannot cope. Especially if Woolmer Green takes on additional 150 homes. There are no alternate routes - the country lanes often cannot allow 2 vehicles to pass, others have huge potholes on the verges where you are able to pass, all are unmarked and have no street lights, deadly curves and high hedges, severely limiting visibility especially in winter when the dark and frost set in. As the A1 (M) is very frequently slow between Stevenage and WGC, it seems that many commuters from Stevenage take the B197 through Knebworth in order to avoid that gridlock - there simply is not the capacity right now - never mind in the future.

Secondly. Knebworth Primary already is full to capacity, an additional primary school built right next to the A1 (M) would have to be very large in order to accommodate the current overflow plus the future population. Notwithstanding the air pollution and the very negative health impact this would have on primary aged children, it doesn't address the fact that the ENTIRE current population already has to farm out their children to secondary schools in the surrounding towns, whether that be Stevenage, WGC, Ware, Hertford, Hatfield etc.. Hence more traffic.

Thirdly. Green Belt. I'm absolutely horrified that ALL of the proposed housing would be built on green belt land. This is exactly what makes Knebworth Knebworth. The fact that it is surrounded by rolling green countryside which is very much valued by all of us in Knebworth. Where does this kind of expansion end? It doesn't. We would end up being swallowed up by Stevenage, and that is anathema to everybody who lives here. We do not want to be part of an amalgamation of the Greater Stevenage Area. From what I understand, the removal of this green belt around Knebworth, which protects the space separating it from the surrounding towns and villages actually VIOLATES government policy .There is absolutely no justification for this infringement when Stevenage already has 3100 new homes in the pipeline on west land. If NHDC really need to build an additional 15950 homes, then surely a new Garden City with the appropriate infrastructure built to design and from scratch would be an infinitely more intelligent choice. A more difficult choice perhaps, but I would suggest that local residents would be very much more in favour of this option if proper and public consultation were to be implemented. The other option, and the one currently being blindly pursued, is to ruin rural Hertfordshire villages - Knebworth, Codicote, Baldock, the list goes on......it is senseless and entirely unnecessary. These villages then become towns. Which means that this area, once quaint and pretty, with independent quirky villages will become a series of characterless dormitory towns. That's what you are going to create. Well done.

Fourthly. Rail Links. The future changes seems to be a bit opaque to say the least, but clearly we will be losing high speed trains into King's Cross. Not great for many of my neighbours or for myself.

Fifth. We would lose much of what makes the area so attractive. Open landscapes, loss of countryside and farming land. Not to mention our Deard's End Conservation Area, Knebworth Woods site of special scientific interest, Stockens Green Conservation Area. Surely these areas were labelled as such specifically in order to BE protected????

My children and I moved here in 2013 from abroad, as we wished to resettle in the UK, my country of birth and origin. We chose Knebworth specifically because :

-it is a village with plenty of green areas (our house backs onto a field) and woodlands that we so desperately needed -it offers an easy commute into London King's Cross -it is a relatively tranquil village with a good high street and an easy drive to both Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage -i do not have relatives in the area and that was never a consideration

Implementation of your plan would mean that:

-our village would lose an awful lot of it's green areas - our back field would start being built upon and many of our green conservation areas would be lost -our landscape of green fields would be lost forever -commutes to the city would become longer -it wouldn't be a village anymore but a noisy gridlocked commuter town, with absolutely horrific traffic in either direction -absolutely no improvement in infrastructure or amenities to offset any of the negatives -I would probably not want to live or pay taxes here anymore

In all honesty, I can't find anything at all that would have an even remote benefit to the local community.

I have spoken. I hope somebody is listening as it seems that we "the people" no longer get heard.