Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Whilst I agree with all the points raised in this regard by Ickleford Parish council, I would like to make specific representation in regard to the suggestion of closing the current school and building a new 2 entrant school on the proposed site.

I recognise that there is a requirement to build new homes and that North Hertfordshire will be required to take a share of these.

However, I believe that homes should be integrated with, and benefit from, the village that they may be added to.

For some villages, they have a central point which may be a church, a pub, a village hall that represents the 'heart of the village'. In the case of Ickleford the church doesn't even have a toilet, the village hall is always booked and we have three pubs. The centrepoint, the place where our main community events happen and where you will find congregations of people interacting with each other, building relationships, enabling a village community rather than a shared area to live, is our school.

From the social events such as Christmas and summer fayres, school events such as plays, sports days etc. to classes, the school is a focal point for much that is good about Ickleford.

If you do not consider the objections on practical and environmental grounds enough to change the plans, I would urge you to reconsider closing the school.

Build a new one entrant school at the north of the village, expand a local primary on Old Hale Way, build on the area north of The Priory school but please do not close the current school as that land will just be built on at some point and we may retain the title of a village, but the essence of what makes Ickleford a village will be lost. We will become just a collection of houses on the north edge of Hitchin - a suburb of a town.

Please consider our points carefully as we should be building vibrant sustainable communities, not destroying the work that has been done in this regard over many years.