Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I object to this site allocation on a number of grounds.
The site was previously considered in earlier drafts for inclusion as Green Belt land and the change from this position to housing allocation is merely convenient and has no basis in demonstrable need.
The site is prone to flooding as demonstrated by the LLFA and recent real life flooding events, it's allocation as housing land is therefore unsound.
The site does not integrate with the existing village and is outside of the current village envelope, this allocation merely seeks to move the goalposts and enable development where other smaller developments have been turned down on these grounds.
Parish Council consultation has established that local residents accept the need for additional housing, this site however does not fit with the scale identified or fit with residents aspirations for the nature of future growth.
The HCC landscape character assessment for this area concurs that small scale incremental growth is appropriate but also points out the significance of the land form exhibited by this site to the local area in the context of the Chilterns AONB.
Recent landscape and biodiversity grant targetting communications from the AONB office has identified the landscape between offley and whitwell specifically as a target area and indicated that that they are considered an area for any possible future boundary review to take account of.
The site is prominent within the typical chiltern hills fringe landscape and is significantly visible from the Hertfordshire Way, several definitive public rights of way and areas of historic parkland, all of which contribute significantly to the local tourist economy.
Scant consideration has been given to the ecological effects of the development of this site. This despite the national and local evidence that loss of farmland continues to have on our much beloved bird species as well as pollinating insects and iconic butterfly species.