Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Knebworth grew up around the railway station and it is bisected by the north-south East Coast mainline which runs on a raised (5 meter) embankment.

Access from the western side of the railway to the east and the main north-south road (the B197) is via (under) two railway bridges at Gun Road and Station Road; the roads are narrow and badly aligned making visibility difficult and presenting a danger to pedestrians.

These bridges have a usable traffic height of fourteen feet.

There's a third bridge where traffic passes over the railway at Deards End Lane; the bridge is a listed monument and has a 7.5 tonne weight limit. Access is via a narrow residential lane.

The fourth access from the west of the railway to the east is at Woolmer Green (Bridge Road) which is again a road under a badly aligned bridge, with a narrow residential section at its eastern end.

The B 197 is a two-lane road; the high street (past Chas Lowe site KB3) is a pinch-point due to parking on both sides but this has the benefit of slowing traffic in this retail / pedestrian area. The road runs parallel to the A1(M) and is used as a (very congested) relief road when the A1(M) is closed.

A recent planning application for a solar farm nearby (at Three Houses Lane) was turned down as inappropriate green belt development although it was designed as a temporary (25-30 year) structure. No exceptional circumstance exists to mean permanent housing would be appropriate on the green belt in this area where a temporary structure would not.

The only exceptional circumstance for green belt development in the region is that NHDC have failed to implement their plans the West of Stevenage site or a new Garden City and are now tight on time to provide any Local Plan at all regardless of quality.

The four proposed sites KB1-4 should be considered together when assessing the overall impact on Knebworth; taking into account employment and travel needs.

The Odessey site is within the Knebworth Parish boundary and was listed in an earlier Local Plan draft but has since been removed as unsuitable. In the interim planning consent has been granted for 70 homes on this green belt (currently leisure use) site.

The land at KB1 (Deards End Lane) is designated green belt land. No exceptional circumstance exists which would lead to the conclusion this land needs to be developed.

The land is bound at its western side by the A1(M) and subject to atmospheric and noise pollution from the motorway; it is not suitable for permanent housing.

No provision has been made for any future widening of the A1(M) which is two-lane through its Knebworth section.

Access is difficult due to local narrow lanes and low bridges.

The land at KB2 (Gypsy Lane) is designated green belt land. No exceptional circumstance exists which would lead to the conclusion this land needs to be developed.

The land is bound at its western side by the A1(M) and subject to atmospheric and noise pollution from the motorway; it is not suitable for permanent housing and is particularly unsuitable as a site for a
primary school.

The land is prone to flooding (and in particular runoff from the A1(M) when the drainage pond fills); existing housing at nearby Broome Grove suffer from this runoff.

No provision has been made for any future widening of the A1(M) which is two-lane through its Knebworth section.

Access is difficult due to local narrow lanes and low bridges.

KB4 is on a slight rise east of Knebworth, which currently offers views over open countryside. In particular the recreation ground has an open view to its east over the site. Access to the main north-south road from the east is very restricted, via narrow (in some parts single-track) Swangleys Lane; Watton Road - a residential street with speed bumps; or St Martin's road (a private road.)

The proposed development here would narrow the green-belt barrier separating Knebworth from Stevenage (at Bragbury
End.)

Access is difficult due to local narrow lanes and low bridges.

The only exceptional circumstance for green belt development in the region is that NHDC have failed to implement their plans the West of Stevenage site or a new Garden City and are now tight on time to provide any Local Plan at all regardless of quality.

The Chas Lowe site KB3 is a key retail site in Knebworth. In addition to bulk building materials they have a separate tool
shop; a paint and decorating materials shop; a plumber's merchants; and a bathroom showroom. These together provide a core retail function in Knebworth - they're the only shops where you can buy anything
useful (in fact anything other than food or chemists' goods.)

I support the requirement that any development of this site must include retail facilities.

I support the principal of the green belt and do not consider anything in this plan provides an exceptional circumstance justifying the need to move existing and long-standing green-belt boundaries.

I support the requirement that developers should make a significant financial contribution to local infrastructure.