Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Ashwell is a beautiful historical village surrounded by relatively unspoiled agricultural land. A constant trickle of small-medium housing developments permitted by NHDC over the past years has pushed the central village and its services to bursting point.

The high street is practically unusable at rush hour with long continuous blocks of parked cars the full length (as nearly all houses do not have off road parking). This is unsustainable and will be worsened by allowing the village density to increase with large blocks of 30+ new homes.

The school is not in a position to accept a large number of new local children.

There have been several incidents of waste water issues.

Every single additional house built in the village compounds these problems and I suggest the new development is not sound.

Furthermore I note that:

* Planning permission for developing site AS1 has been rejected three times for all these good reasons above and many others.

* Site AS1 fails to meet the requirements for highway safety to protect pedestrians and other road users as defined in both National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and NHDC's own current and emerging planning policy for Highway Safety (Policy T1).

* Site AS1 fails to meet the requirements to protect valued landscapes. The site is within the North Baldock Chalk Uplands Character Area and development is restricted under National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and NHDC's own local planning policy, both current and emerging.

* Site AS1 fails to meet the requirements to protect the historic environment. The site is within the setting of the scheduled ancient monument Arbury Banks and is protected by NPPF and NHDC policy (SP13, para 4.151).

* NHDC has failed to consult on the proposals to extend the settlement boundary in locations other than AS1 (within which there would be a presumption in favour of development; Policy SP2) and has not responded adequately to previous representations.

* I do not believe development of site AS1 is legally compliant as it may breach existing residents' rights under the ECHR - articles 8 and article 1 of protocol 1, particularly when one considers that the village has fought this proposed development three times and had it rejected, for very good reasons, only for it to appear again now.

* I do not believe it complies with the Duty to Cooperate as it seems that the Ashwell Parish Council's views, which surely should be primary in any decision about whether to permit development in the village, seem to be ignored.