Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I am aware that we need to send comments and facts and reference the plan but I want to send this photo taken this morning just to show the rolling farm lands that is proposed to house 2,800 houses. This rural setting will be destroyed. The very reason people want to move to and live in the country is to get out of the rat race and traffic jams.

Building 2,800 houses on this designated land will not sustain Baldock and Bygrave's rural setting and will not enhance the town in anyway. You will find it hard to find people in favour of this proposed plan apart from the developers themselves. The council might make money by selling off the land but how much will it cost the council in the long run to maintain the roads, schools, sewerage etc. and what about the closest hospital - how will Lister Hospital (Stevenage) cope with all the extra people in the district. Are there plans for an extra hospital in North Herts?

The proposed Link Road is suppose to mitigate traffic out of Baldock but the fact remains that the rail station is at the heart of the congested junction and new residents will certainly not use the link road if they need to get the train or go to town. The Link Road is only good in mitigating traffic OUT of Baldock - how is this an enhancement to the town?

Please consider options to build South of Baldock which is closer to the A1M and the A505 and less traffic needing to use the Congested Junction coming from the North. More importantly does not require a Link Road and a bridge over a railway.

Please also consider why a town needs to be increased by 80%, surely a 20-30% increase is more reasonable and attainable. Keep Baldock rural.