Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I strongly object to the current proposed plan (SP14) to build around 3,436 new homes in two main sites (BA1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 11) in Baldock.

The current proposal has no plan to accommodate or in any way deal with the huge amount of additional passengers that these new homes would put on Baldock train station. Baldock train station is already extremely busy at peak travel times in the morning and evening with a large increase in annual passenger use year on year (0.497 million passengers in 2010 - 0.624 million in 2015). The station platform can currently take a maximum length train of 8 carriages. To increase the length of train that can stop at Baldock would require both sides of the platform to be significantly extended. There are no current plans to increase the amount of trains stopping at Baldock, in fact a recent time table revision is proposing a cut in the number of fast trains that will stop at Baldock station.

The current infrastructure plan for this site does not contain a solution for road traffic travelling in and out of Baldock town or north to and from the A1 Baldock services junction (A507). The volume increase of cars directly from this plan only has a minimum estimate total of 5,000. The traffic into Baldock (A507) is referenced in the plan as having a critical pinch point at the traffic lights. This totally understates the current situation without the additional year by year increase together with the 5000 referenced from the development. The current queue of cars into Baldock from the north (A507) is between 15 and 25 minutes at peak times in the morning, at lunch time and in the evening. All the current traffic along the A507 passes the Radwell and Ashwell junctions on a narrow two way road with a national speed limit of 60mph. Currently turning in or out of these junctions is difficult but when crossing the oncoming traffic to make a turn it is extremely dangerous mainly from the rear as cars do not expect the road to narrow stopping them from passing on the inside. I would suggest that the future overall traffic situation to and from the north side into and out of Baldock is critical now. With known additions this cannot be left to an adhoc plan after the submission and must be faced and dealt with as part of the plan before submission. The cost of alternative roads to the A507 may not be financially viable if at all possible and do not resolve the issue of the height restricted tunnel going under the railway line. This is the real barrier and divide between this proposed site and the town.

In addition to these points the current proposal doesn't sufficiently explain how the addition of 3,436 houses and the extra people this will bring to the already busy town will be suitably addressed, especially in the following areas:

* Extra pressure on an already extremely busy Doctors Surgery.
* Extra pressure on the already busy Dentist Surgery's.
* Parking in the Town - It is already very hard to park in the town through the week and at weekends.
* The Primary/Secondary Schools are already very busy with little space. The extra houses would almost double the amount of children in the area requiring a place in these schools.

For these reasons this site (SP14) should be removed from the plan as a reduction in its size will still require a solution to the issues raised before submission.