Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Overall strategy:
There is no overall strategy. There are four sites within the village of Knebworth and as each individually does not reach a high enough number of houses there is no strategy. They should be grouped and then the number of houses would trigger a strategy. The plan can not be effective without an overall strategy. If there was a strategy there would be a plan to tackle the issues surrounding the highways and infrastructure needed to support the amount of housing proposed in the plan. It seems deceptive to have four separate sites in one village each individually less than 500 homes so that no overall strategy is required. There must be a strategy before over 500 homes are added to our village.
The plan proposed 663 dwellings which would increase the village size by 31%. The previous plan (from 2 years ago) proposed 200 less homes than this current plan. The issues that were raised when the previous plan was proposed have not been addressed and the proposed number of homes has increased.
I understand there is planning at the Odyssey Gym site to the north of Knebworth for approx. 70-100 homes. This doesn't seem to have been included in the plan for Knebworth though? If there was a proper strategy in place then this would have been taken into account. I also understand that there is a reservation for just over 3,000 homes on land to the west of Stevenage. Stevenage is a town with much better facilities to offer new residents than Knebworth.
Further to this there is a plan for an extra 150 homes in Woolmer Green. Woolmer Green, Knebworth and Stevenage will end up joined together if all the plans in place go through.
Part of the plan is to build properties on the Chas Lowe site. This will change the village centre as this site is currently commercial use. I understand the village centre should be kept for commercial use under policy SP4. This should be developed like the current Putterills/Robert Ellis Court site, with a shop front and then flats above and behind to retain the village commercial centre.
It is really important to note that Please note Knebworth is a village, even though it is referred to as a town in the Plan. The Green Belt land around the village makes a significant contribution to protecting spaces between towns and maintaining the separate identity of Knebworth as a village. Development of sites KB1 and KB2 will remove the Green Belt buffer between the village and the A1. There will be a loss of countryside and the open landscape setting.
The plan does not address the drainage issues that the village currently suffers and will be excerbated by any new development. My understanding is that there will be a major capacity issue at Rye Meads Sewage Treatment Works which is yet to be addressed.
The Plan says (13.195) that there are no mitigation requirements regarding transport. However, the Highways Agency raised this when the previous plans were submitted. The two railway bridges at each end of the village are already dangerous due to the current volume of traffic and the narrow roads and pavements. Both bridges only allow one car through at a time (there are no white lines down the middle of the road). The roads under these two bridges are used every day by children going to and from school. An increase in people using these two roads is a huge concern to those of us who regularly use them. I cannot understand how the plan can ignore this.
Furthermore, the high street and the roundabout at the north end of the high street where the current doctors surgery and butchers are, are both known pinch points. Watton Road and Swangley's Lane are both unable to take extra traffic. Watton Road has parking all down one side and speed bumps and Swangleys Lane is a narrow village road. The Highways Agency raised these traffic concerns when the previous plan was submitted and nothing has been done to address this in the current plan.
The plan (13.192) states that much of the traffic in the mornings is caused by secondary school pupils going to school in the car which is not true. Virtually ALL secondary school pupils use the trains (to Hitchin and Hatfield) and the school provided buses (to Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Hertford, Ware), and public buses. The plan offers a solution to this non-problem by offering a new 'through school'. I understand Herts County Council do not plan to make any extra school provision in Knebworth as they do not believe it is required and have said so when previous plans have been proposed. There is anough provision within Stevenage. I also understand a school cannot be built on a site next to a motorway which is what the plan proposes for the KB2 site. It would also involve yet more children using the road under the railway bridge to the south end of the village. A non-problem has been raised and the a non-workable solution to it has been proposed!
Interestingly the plan states that the planning permission has already been granted for a new doctor's surgery and library. This is true, but this is to REPLACE the current doctor's surgery and library; this did not take into account additional population. Therefore, the services provided will not meet the requirements of a village increased by 31% (number of homes).
Finally, I understand there has to be a consultation for any new site. Site KB4 has not previously undergone any consultation. This is against policy and I understand possibly illegal?

There is no plan in place to address the highways issues, specifically the railway bridges.
The drainage issues have not been addressed.

The issues surrounding the railway bridge at Gun Lane have not been addressed. There will be no green belt buffer between Gypsy Lane and the motorway. The drainage issue has not been addressed. An overall strategy needs to be in place to address all of these issues.

I object to this as it will change the commercial nature of the village centre. This should be a mixed use site with commercial and residential properties proposed.

I object to this plan on the following grounds:
there will be an impact on all of the local roads but particularly the high street, Watton Road and Swangleys Lane which has not been planned for.
Drainage issues have not been considered.
It will practically join Knebworth and Stevenage.

Overall strategy:
There is no overall strategy. There are four sites within the village of Knebworth and as each individually does not reach a high enough number of houses there is no strategy. They should be grouped and then the number of houses would trigger a strategy. The plan can not be effective without an overall strategy. If there was a strategy there would be a plan to tackle the issues surrounding the highways and infrastructure needed to support the amount of housing proposed in the plan. It seems deceptive to have four separate sites in one village each individually less than 500 homes so that no overall strategy is required. There must be a strategy before over 500 homes are added to our village.
The plan proposed 663 dwellings which would increase the village size by 31%. The previous plan (from 2 years ago) proposed 200 less homes than this current plan. The issues that were raised when the previous plan was proposed have not been addressed and the proposed number of homes has increased.
I understand there is planning at the Odyssey Gym site to the north of Knebworth for approx. 70-100 homes. This doesn't seem to have been included in the plan for Knebworth though? If there was a proper strategy in place then this would have been taken into account. I also understand that there is a reservation for just over 3,000 homes on land to the west of Stevenage. Stevenage is a town with much better facilities to offer new residents than Knebworth.
Further to this there is a plan for an extra 150 homes in Woolmer Green. Woolmer Green, Knebworth and Stevenage will end up joined together if all the plans in place go through.
Part of the plan is to build properties on the Chas Lowe site. This will change the village centre as this site is currently commercial use. I understand the village centre should be kept for commercial use under policy SP4. This should be developed like the current Putterills/Robert Ellis Court site, with a shop front and then flats above and behind to retain the village commercial centre.
It is really important to note that Please note Knebworth is a village, even though it is referred to as a town in the Plan. The Green Belt land around the village makes a significant contribution to protecting spaces between towns and maintaining the separate identity of Knebworth as a village. Development of sites KB1 and KB2 will remove the Green Belt buffer between the village and the A1. There will be a loss of countryside and the open landscape setting.
The plan does not address the drainage issues that the village currently suffers and will be excerbated by any new development. My understanding is that there will be a major capacity issue at Rye Meads Sewage Treatment Works which is yet to be addressed.
The Plan says (13.195) that there are no mitigation requirements regarding transport. However, the Highways Agency raised this when the previous plans were submitted. The two railway bridges at each end of the village are already dangerous due to the current volume of traffic and the narrow roads and pavements. Both bridges only allow one car through at a time (there are no white lines down the middle of the road). The roads under these two bridges are used every day by children going to and from school. An increase in people using these two roads is a huge concern to those of us who regularly use them. I cannot understand how the plan can ignore this.
Furthermore, the high street and the roundabout at the north end of the high street where the current doctors surgery and butchers are, are both known pinch points. Watton Road and Swangley's Lane are both unable to take extra traffic. Watton Road has parking all down one side and speed bumps and Swangleys Lane is a narrow village road. The Highways Agency raised these traffic concerns when the previous plan was submitted and nothing has been done to address this in the current plan.
The plan (13.192) states that much of the traffic in the mornings is caused by secondary school pupils going to school in the car which is not true. Virtually ALL secondary school pupils use the trains (to Hitchin and Hatfield) and the school provided buses (to Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Hertford, Ware), and public buses. The plan offers a solution to this non-problem by offering a new 'through school'. I understand Herts County Council do not plan to make any extra school provision in Knebworth as they do not believe it is required and have said so when previous plans have been proposed. There is anough provision within Stevenage. I also understand a school cannot be built on a site next to a motorway which is what the plan proposes for the KB2 site. It would also involve yet more children using the road under the railway bridge to the south end of the village. A non-problem has been raised and the a non-workable solution to it has been proposed!
Interestingly the plan states that the planning permission has already been granted for a new doctor's surgery and library. This is true, but this is to REPLACE the current doctor's surgery and library; this did not take into account additional population. Therefore, the services provided will not meet the requirements of a village increased by 31% (number of homes).
Finally, I understand there has to be a consultation for any new site. Site KB4 has not previously undergone any consultation. This is against policy and I understand possibly illegal?