Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

In addition to personal worries about the effect on our property, we have the following general concerns about the impact of the proposed KB2 development:

1. Road Infrastructure
* The existing Orchard Way/Broom Grove estate has always had road problems, with only one way in and out of it. Traffic is often busy and dangerous where Orchard Way joins Gipsy Lane. The KB2 development could only dramatically increase this kind of problem.

* The current roads for the proposed site are smaller and poorly maintained. With Rabley Heath Farm now turned into light industry, cars & vans often heavily load them. The County Council apparently has no plans to improve them.

* The site development is also bound to make the congestion around the Station Road and Gun Lane bridges far worse.

2. Doctors
* The doctors' surgery barely copes with the current population and appointments within two weeks cannot be guaranteed. With a possible 663 homes considered, the existing facilities would have to be completely reviewed.

3. Environment
* Replacement of the fields with a built environment would have a huge impact on the immediate area.

* We have slowworms living in uncultivated area at top of our garden and they are also in nearby hedgerows and fields.

* Skylarks also nest in these fields.

4. Parking
* Spaces are currently insufficient for local needs, making it easier for residents to shop outside Knebworth, which cannot be good for our few local businesses. General street parking in Knebworth is also deteriorating through pressure from commuters. To have any possibility of Knebworth having a village/community feel, parking pressure in the centre especially must be relieved, not increased as it would be by such a population increase.

* The KB3 site & Chas Lowe business is a key factor in making Knebworth inhospitable to visitors.