Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I'm writing to you with regards to my concerns for the proposed applications for new home developments in the village, as stated in the Local Plan 2011-2031.

I understand the calls for further housing to address the need in the borough and country as a whole, but feel that the ones proposed will not meet the requirements of those people or Codicote residents.

The numbers contemplated are huge in relation to the size of the village and would see the population increase by a disproportionate amount. Codicote does not have the infrastructure to deal with this:-

The services offered here are very limited. We have no doctor and the local surgery is at capacity - there is no walk-in surgery anymore and it is very common to wait 3-4 weeks for an appointment. This is a huge predicament to those registered at the practice, which covers a wide area, and the problem will only get worse. Bearing in mind the hundreds of people who may move in (many of whom will be children) I don't see where they would be able to register or receive medical attention.

There have been a few small-scale housing developments already in recent years, which have kept in character with the village but some of the sprawling sites proposed will see this character irreversibly eroded.

I note that a percentage of houses that may be built will be affordable housing. In the Chancellor's Autumn statement, investment in housing was high on the agenda. The important issue of affordable homes was brought up and it was mentioned that these should be in "high-demand" areas. I don't think that can apply to Codicote as there are virtually no employment opportunities available. Codicote is not within walking distance of a train station and has a restricted bus service that is often standing-room only. The commute to work would most likely be by private car, which would only add to the heavy traffic experienced at present. Some may not be able to afford this mode of transport and would be at a disadvantage. Realistically, there are probably better alternative sites.

Traffic in the area is a major issue. The High Street is gridlocked during the rush hours and the simplest of journeys can take an age. The school buses are full. There is inadequate parking along the High Street and cars are parked on both sides of the road in places, allowing only one vehicle to pass at a time, adding to the congestion. They are also on the pavement, sometimes forcing pedestrians into the road. The village is used as a cut-through by those travelling from Hitchin, Welwyn and beyond who do not wish to use the A1 and traffic is often diverted this way when the motorway is blocked. St. Albans Road is also used as a route to Harpenden, St Albans, etc. In my daily experience, even accessing the High Street from Cowards lane or St Albans Road is extremely difficult. Visibility is poor due to parked cars and both roads only have single access in places.

Our local school is well regarded and popular. One of the options includes extending the school. However, the proposed site has a public footpath running through it which is used to get to school and by many residents of Hill Road and Meadow Way and their public right of way would be threatened. How would this work with regards to safety of pupils and residents access? The field proposed to be the new school field is not particularly large for the influx of children suggested and is contaminated by excrement (dogs, cows, etc). There is also the question of secondary school places. Codicote pupils usually attend the state secondary schools in Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin (as did mine) and a certain number of places are allocated to Codicote. These schools are considerably oversubscribed and this situation will just worsen with the numbers of new housing being built in the towns and villages. My daughter did not obtain her preferred option and my son only got his on the continued interest list. This was over 10 years ago! The primary school will simply be at capacity again due to the number of new residents and where are these children expected to go to secondary school? Many parents don't want the school to literally double in size or to lose it's sense of community.

The prospective sites are within the Green Belt. There are no exceptional circumstances that warrant moving the Green Belt boundary, losing agricultural land and removing the benefits of the enjoyment of open land. We should be using brownfield sites and protecting our Green Belt wherever possible, as suggested by the Government. The Land South of Heath Lane site has just been increased to 200 homes from 140. This is an enormous estate. Access is via Dark Lane, which is a small country highway that is used regularly by walkers, cyclists, horse riders, etc. It leads down to the River Mimram. For years many local children play by the river as it is a safe place to access, there being no roads to cross. It is used by families too. The Heath Lane site could potentially have hundreds of cars using it. To turn right from St Albans Road into Dark Lane is by a blind corner which has had accidents and near misses due to vehicles travelling too fast or not giving way. It is a very dangerous corner and not adequate for the means of entry to such a large development. This is close to the St Albans Road Quarry which is extremely busy and has hundreds of lorry movements. In summer in particular, they are sometimes as frequent as one per minute at times. The lorries often mount the pavement when passing each other. The lorries clog up local roads due to their size and numbers and create noise, pollution, etc. St Albans Road has cars parked on both sides during school drop off and pick up times. The lorries also have to negotiate and the road is often blocked by them. I use this road on a regular basis - for a few hundred yards only one vehicle can pass at a time and the road narrows towards the High Street, again only allowing one car at a time. How will this road cope with all the extra traffic movement both from the new houses and extra school places? It prejudices highway safety and is used by many children. This is a real concern.

The Heath Lane site is also elevated in places. Apart from any visual impact, the houses and gardens which this land slopes towards (at the end of St Albans Road and Dark Lane) flood during heavy rain. This would create a further risk of flooding (perhaps to other properties too). Due to the contours of the land in the area most of this eventually ends up at the nearby River Mimram. This could affect the water quality. The fact that developers have just raised the numbers is also questionable and a major overdevelopment. Can this be justified in this area?

Codicote is a rural village - not a town. The majority of local people do not support the plan. If these plans go ahead, Codicote would no longer be a village and not a town either as it just doesn't have the services or amenities to support it or, indeed, be an attractive proposition. It just doesn't offer benefits to anyone who will live here now or in the future. The lives of so many people could be adversely affected and i urge you to please look at the plans for Codicote. Some are totally unsuitable and will be so detrimental to so many people.