Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

The sewage pipes in Ickleford are old and regularly cause unpleasant flooding of foul water particularly in the area of Duncots Close. At present there are no plans to improve these pipes.

This proposed development is on green belt land between Ickleford and Hitchin. Ickleford is a historic village with many listed buildings and common land. It is important to preserve the character of this village so that it does not become part of Hitchin. Moreover this land is subject to regular surface water flooding.

This development was not part of the initial consultation. The development is on green belt land some of which is open land used for farming. The size of the development coupled with the proposal to move the school would change the character of Ickleford which is a historic village with several listed buildings including the school and church centred around a village green.

Overall the Council's view that it is sensible to increase the size of a village like Ickleford by 40% (IC1, IC2, IC3, LC1) while it is not appropriate to recommend any development in smaller villages seems flawed. The council's argument seems to be that Ickleford has the infrastructure (school, shop, pubs and church) to support more houses while a smaller village does not. However the council is proposing so many houses that the primary school is too small and would need to be moved - better to build houses in a village without a school so that a new school can be built where there is no school. The same is true of shops; increasing the population of a village without a shop increases the viability of a shop - more useful to all of the inhabitants.

This development is within the parish of Ickleford. It was not in the initial consultation. It is on open green belt land used for farming. In preparing the local plan, this development and IC3 look as though they have been added as an afterthought with no proper consideration or consultation. There was no landscape study for this area and the transport study does not take account of the proposed housing in South Bedfordshire.