Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Having lived in Knebworth for 31 years and raised a family, my wife and I are seriously concerned about the proposed additional housing for the following reasons.
1. Inadequate infrastructure
Living in London Road we already see serious traffic congestion outside our house during both morning and evening rush hours. Traffic pollution at these times is a serious health issue for both residents and pedestrians alike. Pupils walking to the local primary school are particulary at risk . Furthermore, traffic congestion is absolutely horrendous through Knebworth when the A1M is closed as it is fairly regularly.
Even during the day traffic congestion through Knebworth village can be terrible. Last Friday we had to take our daughter to Stevenage station to catch a London train for an important interview. It took over forty minutes instead of the10 minutes the journey should take because of congestion through the village. Not surprisingly she missed the train.
In our experience Knebworth GP Surgery has for some time seemed very stretched by the demands on it by the existing residents and it can be difficult to get timely appointments. This will clearly be made worse by the increase in population unless capacity is added.

2. Size of Knebworth and Green Belt Policy

As a family we moved to Knebworth largely because of its limited size and very real feel of being in the countryside. Knebworth residents generally refer to Knebworth as a village, and whilst large for a village, it still manages to retain that village community feel that is the essence of Knebworth. Inevitably that would be lost if the proposed increase in size goes ahead.
The development also threatens to undermine the whole concept of Green Belt designation which has been so important up til now in preventing the loss of countryside around towns and villages such as Knebworth.

At present both Knebworth and Woolmer Green have a strong sense of their own identity and strong community spirit as a result. Looking ahead one could envisage the loss of Green Belt land separating Woolmer Green, Knebworth and Stevenage which would totally change the character and open feel of the area.

We hope the above will be taken into account by the planning inspector when considering the proposed housing development.