Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I would like to express my objection to the above plans. In particular I have strong objection about the plans for new housing in Baldock.

Whilst I accept that there needs to be some new housing in Baldock I object to:

1) The huge and out of proportion amount of new houses proposed for Baldock town. The plans propose that 34% of North Herts are to be in Baldock. This will dramatically alter the nature of this small market town and have a magnified impact on a small town. The proposed plans, almost doubling the size of the town are too big a change. They need to be scales down considerable.

2) The current infrastructure in Baldock would not be able to cope with the proposed increase. In particular:
* School - Baldock primary schools are already full. In fact children living in Baldock are already having to travel to schools in Ashwell, Letchworth, Norton and surrounding areas as there is no room in Baldock schools currently. Adding 3000+ homes will not help! Before any new houses are built - new primary schools need to be built.
* The Secondary School is full. Again, a new school needs to be built before new houses can be built.
* Roads - the traffic going into Baldock is already bad, in particular North Road. Adding several thousand more cars to the town's traffic will create gridlock.
* Trains - there are already problems with parking and carriage space during peak times. This will be exacerbated by the proposed plans.
* There will need to be increase health, police and fire infrastructure.

3. Green Belt land is green belt. It should not be built upon and town/village envelopes stretched.


In my opinion the plans for 3000+ new homes in Baldock are flawed. Whilst new homes are required in North Herts, and some should be built in Baldock, the number is just too big.

Alternatives would be to look to:
a) Spread the proposed housing far more proportionately across North Herts
b) Create a whole new, small Garden City within the North Herts area - like Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.
c) Where ever more than a few hundred house are to be built, schools and infrastructure needs to be addressed, planned and paid for before the house building starts. With punitive damages for not doing so. Referring back to Cambourne the town existed for 10 years before a site for a secondary school was even looked for - and the school then took a further 5 years to open. 15 years to provide the fundamental infrastructure of schooling is too long. North Herts needs to learn from this and ensure the education of our young people - of our future - is not compromised for the profits of a few builders. The schools, the GP surgeries, the roads, the parks all need to be planned before the builders start building houses and punitive damages applied if and when the planning constraints are breached.

I strongly object to the current proposed plans. They need a drastic rethink.

I would like to express my objection to the above plans. In particular I have strong objection about the plans for new housing in Baldock.

Whilst I accept that there needs to be some new housing in Baldock I object to:

1) The huge and out of proportion amount of new houses proposed for Baldock town. The plans propose that 34% of North Herts are to be in Baldock. This will dramatically alter the nature of this small market town and have a magnified impact on a small town. The proposed plans, almost doubling the size of the town are too big a change. They need to be scales down considerable.

2) The current infrastructure in Baldock would not be able to cope with the proposed increase. In particular:
* School - Baldock primary schools are already full. In fact children living in Baldock are already having to travel to schools in Ashwell, Letchworth, Norton and surrounding areas as there is no room in Baldock schools currently. Adding 3000+ homes will not help! Before any new houses are built - new primary schools need to be built.
* the Secondary School is full. Again, a new school needs to be built before new houses can be built.
* Roads - the traffic going into Baldock is already bad, in particular North Road. Adding several thousand more cars to the town's traffic will create gridlock.
* Trains - there are already problems with parking and carriage space during peak times. This will be exacerbated by the proposed plans.
* There will need to be increase health, police and fire infrastructure.
3. Green Belt land is green belt. It should not be built upon and town/village envelopes stretched.

In my opinion the plans for 3000+ new homes in Baldock are flawed. Whilst new homes are required in North Herts, and some should be built in Baldock, the number is just too big.

Alternatives would be to look to:
a) Spread the proposed housing far more proportionately across North Herts
b) Create a whole new, small Garden City within the North Herts area - like Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.
c) Where ever more than a few hundred house are to be built, schools and infrastructure needs to be addressed, planned and paid for before the house building starts. With punitive damages for not doing so. Referring back to Cambourne the town existed for 10 years before a site for a secondary school was even looked for - and the school then took a further 5 years to open. 15 years to provide the fundamental infrastructure of schooling is too long. North Herts needs to learn from this and ensure the education of our young people - of our future - is not compromised for the profits of a few builders. The schools, the GP surgeries, the roads, the parks all need to be planned before the builders start building houses and punitive damages applied if and when the planning constraints are breached.

I strongly object to the current proposed plans. They need a drastic rethink.

I would like to express my objection to the above plans. In particular I have strong objection about the plans for new housing in Baldock.

Whilst I accept that there needs to be some new housing in Baldock I object to:

1) The huge and out of proportion amount of new houses proposed for Baldock town. The plans propose that 34% of North Herts are to be in Baldock. This will dramatically alter the nature of this small market town and have a magnified impact on a small town. The proposed plans, almost doubling the size of the town are too big a change. They need to be scales down considerable.

2) The current infrastructure in Baldock would not be able to cope with the proposed increase. In particular:
* School - Baldock primary schools are already full. In fact children living in Baldock are already having to travel to schools in Ashwell, Letchworth, Norton and surrounding areas as there is no room in Baldock schools currently. Adding 3000+ homes will not help! Before any new houses are built - new primary schools need to be built.
* The Secondary School is full. Again, a new school needs to be built before new houses can be built.
* Roads - the traffic going into Baldock is already bad, in particular North Road. Adding several thousand more cars to the town's traffic will create gridlock.
* Trains - there are already problems with parking and carriage space during peak times. This will be exacerbated by the proposed plans.
* There will need to be increase health, police and fire infrastructure.

3. Green Belt land is green belt. It should not be built upon and town/village envelopes stretched.


In my opinion the plans for 3000+ new homes in Baldock are flawed. Whilst new homes are required in North Herts, and some should be built in Baldock, the number is just too big.

Alternatives would be to look to:
a) Spread the proposed housing far more proportionately across North Herts
b) Create a whole new, small Garden City within the North Herts area - like Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.
c) Where ever more than a few hundred house are to be built, schools and infrastructure needs to be addressed, planned and paid for before the house building starts. With punitive damages for not doing so. Referring back to Cambourne the town existed for 10 years before a site for a secondary school was even looked for - and the school then took a further 5 years to open. 15 years to provide the fundamental infrastructure of schooling is too long. North Herts needs to learn from this and ensure the education of our young people - of our future - is not compromised for the profits of a few builders. The schools, the GP surgeries, the roads, the parks all need to be planned before the builders start building houses and punitive damages applied if and when the planning constraints are breached.

I strongly object to the current proposed plans. They need a drastic rethink.

I would like to express my objection to the above plans. In particular I have strong objection about the plans for new housing in Baldock.

Whilst I accept that there needs to be some new housing in Baldock I object to:

1) The huge and out of proportion amount of new houses proposed for Baldock town. The plans propose that 34% of North Herts are to be in Baldock. This will dramatically alter the nature of this small market town and have a magnified impact on a small town. The proposed plans, almost doubling the size of the town are too big a change. They need to be scales down considerable.

2) The current infrastructure in Baldock would not be able to cope with the proposed increase. In particular:
* School - Baldock primary schools are already full. In fact children living in Baldock are already having to travel to schools in Ashwell, Letchworth, Norton and surrounding areas as there is no room in Baldock schools currently. Adding 3000+ homes will not help! Before any new houses are built - new primary schools need to be built.
* the Secondary School is full. Again, a new school needs to be built before new houses can be built.
* Roads - the traffic going into Baldock is already bad, in particular North Road. Adding several thousand more cars to the town's traffic will create gridlock.
* Trains - there are already problems with parking and carriage space during peak times. This will be exacerbated by the proposed plans.
* There will need to be increase health, police and fire infrastructure.
3. Green Belt land is green belt. It should not be built upon and town/village envelopes stretched.

In my opinion the plans for 3000+ new homes in Baldock are flawed. Whilst new homes are required in North Herts, and some should be built in Baldock, the number is just too big.

Alternatives would be to look to:
a) Spread the proposed housing far more proportionately across North Herts
b) Create a whole new, small Garden City within the North Herts area - like Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.
c) Where ever more than a few hundred house are to be built, schools and infrastructure needs to be addressed, planned and paid for before the house building starts. With punitive damages for not doing so. Referring back to Cambourne the town existed for 10 years before a site for a secondary school was even looked for - and the school then took a further 5 years to open. 15 years to provide the fundamental infrastructure of schooling is too long. North Herts needs to learn from this and ensure the education of our young people - of our future - is not compromised for the profits of a few builders. The schools, the GP surgeries, the roads, the parks all need to be planned before the builders start building houses and punitive damages applied if and when the planning constraints are breached.

I strongly object to the current proposed plans. They need a drastic rethink.