Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

The following supports my objection to the details contained in paragraphs 13.183 to 13.202 of the Proposed Submission Local Plan.

Legal Compliance
It is obviously difficult for the layman to comment on legal compliance but there have been significant shortcomings in the communication of the proposed plan. No formal communication has been delivered to me personally. I was notified of the proposals by a neighbour. Also the original proposal which was open for consultation did not include site KB4. At best it is extremely poor communication but it may be construed that this section of the plan was not properly open to public consultation.

Sound
Positively Prepared
Sites over 500 homes, with the exception of Knebworth, have been classified as a Strategic Housing Site. Whilst there a 4 separate sites in Knebworth they are close together and in the context of a village they should be considered collectively. This may be a function of the late addition of KB4 taking the number of houses from 463 to 663 (including built and planned)

Justified
Again it is difficult for the layman to comment but there are a number of inconsistencies with the proposal and policies defined in the plan.

There is no description of the "exceptional circumstance" that are required for the removal of the Green Belt particularly for the KB4 site. I am informed that a recent Council review of the Green Belt put a high value on this site. This site is particularly useful in preventing Knebworth and Stevenage from coalescing. As well as being Green Belt KB4 is valuable agricultural land and is under cultivation.

Effective
There seems to be confusion between the definite provision of a primary school in KB2 and the possible provision of All-through secondary school in KB4. Again it looks as if the addition of KB4 has not been fully considered.

Transport provision in Knebworth is already under resourced. The recently proposed changes in the rail timetable combined with a 33% increase in population would mean that Knebworth could not operate effectively as a commuter village. Similarly, the road network, specifically the town centre, is congested already. An additional 663 homes plus the proposed new surgery / library complex in St Martin's Lane will exacerbate the situation even further particularly as section 13.195 basically states that it is a known problem but nothing is going to be done about it.

Consistent with National Policy
I'm not sure whether Section 2 is National Policy but it is certainly inconsistent with the proposals in paragraphs 13.183 to 13.202 of Section 4. Section 2 states that the majority of development will take place in towns and "some growth allowing our villages to thrive". Adding 663 homes (a 33% increase and by far the largest number allocated to any village) to Knebworth and as well breaking the policies set out, will irrevocably change the nature of the village.

Legal Compliance
Given that my objections in this section relate to the consultation process itself nothing can be done to make it legally compliant (if it was illegal in the first place).

Sound
The plan relates to the next 15 years when it only needs to relate to the next 5 years. Given this and current uncertainty in the demand given international events a shorter horizon would appear to be more appropriate.

The area West of Stevenage has been reviewed a number of times but is now being 'reserved' for future use. The use of this site would fulfil a number of the policies better that the proposal particularly in reference to Knebworth and KB4 in particular.

The following supports my objection to the details contained in paragraphs 13.183 to 13.202 of the Proposed Submission Local Plan.

Legal Compliance
It is obviously difficult for the layman to comment on legal compliance but there have been significant shortcomings in the communication of the proposed plan. No formal communication has been delivered to me personally. I was notified of the proposals by a neighbour. Also the original proposal which was open for consultation did not include site KB4. At best it is extremely poor communication but it may be construed that this section of the plan was not properly open to public consultation.

Sound
Positively Prepared
Sites over 500 homes, with the exception of Knebworth, have been classified as a Strategic Housing Site. Whilst there a 4 separate sites in Knebworth they are close together and in the context of a village they should be considered collectively. This may be a function of the late addition of KB4 taking the number of houses from 463 to 663 (including built and planned)

Justified
Again it is difficult for the layman to comment but there are a number of inconsistencies with the proposal and policies defined in the plan.

There is no description of the "exceptional circumstance" that are required for the removal of the Green Belt particularly for the KB4 site. I am informed that a recent Council review of the Green Belt put a high value on this site. This site is particularly useful in preventing Knebworth and Stevenage from coalescing. As well as being Green Belt KB4 is valuable agricultural land and is under cultivation.

Effective
There seems to be confusion between the definite provision of a primary school in KB2 and the possible provision of All-through secondary school in KB4. Again it looks as if the addition of KB4 has not been fully considered.

Transport provision in Knebworth is already under resourced. The recently proposed changes in the rail timetable combined with a 33% increase in population would mean that Knebworth could not operate effectively as a commuter village. Similarly, the road network, specifically the town centre, is congested already. An additional 663 homes plus the proposed new surgery / library complex in St Martin's Lane will exacerbate the situation even further particularly as section 13.195 basically states that it is a known problem but nothing is going to be done about it.

Consistent with National Policy
I'm not sure whether Section 2 is National Policy but it is certainly inconsistent with the proposals in paragraphs 13.183 to 13.202 of Section 4. Section 2 states that the majority of development will take place in towns and "some growth allowing our villages to thrive". Adding 663 homes (a 33% increase and by far the largest number allocated to any village) to Knebworth and as well breaking the policies set out, will irrevocably change the nature of the village.

Legal Compliance
Given that my objections in this section relate to the consultation process itself nothing can be done to make it legally compliant (if it was illegal in the first place).

Sound
The plan relates to the next 15 years when it only needs to relate to the next 5 years. Given this and current uncertainty in the demand given international events a shorter horizon would appear to be more appropriate.

The area West of Stevenage has been reviewed a number of times but is now being 'reserved' for future use. The use of this site would fulfil a number of the policies better that the proposal particularly in reference to Knebworth and KB4 in particular.