Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I have to say that I find the potential development at Highover Farm totally incomprehensible!
The thought processes of those responsible, ill-conceived and totally lacking in foresight
The current infrastructure cannot even cope with the quantity of traffic generated at present time peak periods.
The additional volume of traffic created by the proposed 60 flat development at Walsworth together with the Highover Farm development could potentially generate an additional 1400 vehicles on an already congested highway. If we also factor in the additional vehicles created by school and shop traffic, the prospect is alarming!
It does not take great intellectual capacity to envisage the gridlock at Walsworth crossroads - with tailback traffic from Letchworth, Stotfold Road, Woolgrove Road and Willian Road backing up to Millard Way .
Many areas of Hitchin (Stevenage Road , Paynes Park , Parkway and Upper Tilehouse Street ) already suffer from very high levels of air pollution generated by petrol and diesel fumes . At present, during peak periods on Cambridge Road, fumes from vehicles, both stationary and passing, can easily be detected. The additional vehicles generated by the proposed development would generate intolerable, possibly hazardous levels of air pollution, leading to serious health issues and concerns.
There is also concern that the existing cul de sacs of Collison Close and Roundwood Close would be tied into the proposed development at Highover Farm creating the huge potential of rat running through the Rosehill estate . Millard Way in particular has a large volume of school traffic parking up to deliver and collect children from Highover School . A rat-run of this nature could seriously compromise child safety.
The government has continually stressed that houses must only be built on Greenbelt land as an absolute last resort. However, with the introduction of the new homes bonus scheme , the revenue generated by this incentive has obviously been irresistible to North Herts District Council who it now seems are willing to allow development on any such Greenbelt and at any cost to local residents and environment.
I would draw your attention to a government report dated 2011 entitled :
Foresight .The Future of Food and Farming which stresses that we and other countries will need to grow more crops to feed ourselves therefore Greenbelt is crucial for this requirement.
It therefore follows that development on Greenbelt sites should be resisted at all costs .