Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Knebworth is a Village (Category A) and the plan incorrectly treats it as if it is a town and this development will have an unsound impact on the Parish. None of the sites proposed can be justified as meeting the guidance on development and therefore is not deliverable.
Site KB4 Land east of Knebworth - this is the first time that this land has been included in the plan which proves there has been a lack of consultation, it has just been added into the final plan without being included in the draft plan. Therefore, it is not justified as it has not followed due process.
There is a total lack of strategy between the planned housing, cumulative development and the infrastructure. The village of Knebworth could not sustain the number of people this housing would introduce.
There is another area (Stevenage West) where land has already been reserved for 3100 homes - providing enough housing to satisfy the area's needs. The house prices in this location would be more affordable. The average price for a semi-detached 3-bed house in Knebworth is £495,626. Which would not be affordable to many.
As I live on the edge of the village near the Knebworth sign on Watton Road, I want to preserve the green belt which, according to government policy, is to protect the space between towns so they do not merge. Stopping a village merging into a town is very important. Building on site KB4 would take Knebworth nearer to Bragbury End and Stevenage.
Watton Road (which has traffic calming because of the crematorium in Bragbury End) is already a bottleneck and with extra housing there will be major traffic difficulties especially at the rush hours. Difficulties occur at the roundabout on to Stevenage/London Roads. Cars from Bragbury End have to drive through Knebworth to get to Stevenage as their exit to Stevenage has been made into "Buses only".
If the parking and traffic flow in Knebworth is even more restricted, then its shops and the commerce will be greatly affected. The local economy will be effected by the Chas Lowe closure.
The 3 railway bridges on Gun Lane, Deards End Lane and Station Road create major hazards with extra traffic. All of these roads and bridges cannot be widened to accommodate more traffic.
663 dwellings could mean 1326 cars!! To develop this number of houses the existing roads are not adequate enough to handle the construction traffic that the plan will generate because building materials would have to be brought in from Ware and St Albans in very large trucks). These roads have already got lack of capacity. Deliveries to Chas Lowe blocks the high street regularly.
If developers are not required to provide infrastructure - how are they going to give the new house owners enough school places, adequate transport systems, doctors, dentists, train seats etc. There has already been a 70% increase in the use of the railway in recent times so how would the station cope with the extra commuters this size of development would generate?
The junior school planned (KB2) will give 200 more places - for 600 houses - the figures do not add up. Bellamy close was originally planned to be a Senior school for the village but it is more lucrative for developers to produce houses so how will the provision of schooling be guaranteed to match requirements?
As a governor of Hitchin boys school, we have to incorporate an extra classroom per year by 2018 for the extra secondary school student's natural growth has generated. This is only one school that Knebworth pupils are sent to but every school in the area is already been asked to increase the intake - where are places going to be found for the students the new housing would generate? There are no firm plans for access to Secondary Schools and this is already a major problem for Knebworth residents with the current population. KB2 is where the primary school is proposed but is this justified when consideration is given to the noise and pollution levels (highest levels along its length) of the A1M.
As the green belt disappears towards Stevenage there is a loss of character and open views of this village and as the open landscape disappears, loss of productive agricultural land and localised flooding issues will be exaggerated. The field of KB4 has a very long storm drain buried that runs between Stevenage and Datchworth - can this be built on?
There are constraints in the drainage infrastructure connecting Rye Meads near Hoddesdon with major capacity issues regarding sewerage. There are surface water flooding issues from the A1 and this impacts KB2. Water issues are also a problem at KB3 and KB4.
The Plan would bring years of disruption, congestion and a lack of facilities to existing and new residents. It is not fair for Knebworth have a much higher rate of development for Knebworth than other parts of North Hertfordshire. The government policy states any development must be sustainable - Knebworth's current and planned infrastructure would not be able to cope. There is already over demand on trains, schools, roads, healthcare, parking.
The plan cannot be justified as it brings the threat of coalescence between Knebworth, Stevenage and Woolmer Green.
It does not deliver a sustainable solution for Knebworth and does not address local concerns. The lack of infrastructure capacity would render it ineffective. The Plan would bring years of disruption, congestion and a lack of facilities to existing and new residents as Knebworth's current and planned infrastructure would not be able to cope.

SUMMARY
The plan is not positive:
No proper consultation on Site KB4
Knebworth is not a town
Plan does not adequately acknowledge local infrastructure issues
Unsustainable -needs increased infrastructure.
The plan is not justified:
Stevenage West (3100 homes) -a better alternative.
The Plan would bring years of disruption, congestion and a lack of facilities to existing and new Knebworth's residents
The plan results in coalescence between Knebworth, Stevenage, and Woolmer Green.
This plan is not effective but problem generating:
It does not deliver a sustainable solution and lack of infrastructure capacity would render it ineffective

CHANGES
The plan especially KB4, which has not gone through the normal consultation process needs to removed.
The development of the Stevenage West for 3,100 homes need to be implemented to provide all the new housing requirements of the local areas.