Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Concerns with the proposed local plan for Barkway:

The proposed plan includes changing the permitted development boundary to include the area BK3, a site that appears to fall short of many of the criteria previously used by NHDC and parts of the National Planning Policy Framework.

1. The limited local amenities, these have not changed and in the past have meant that BK3 was not included in the local plan.

2. Limited public transport means that adults living in the village will need private transport resulting in increased strain on the local infrastructure.

Whilst there is undoubtedly a need for more housing in North Herts, Barkway included, the proposed development of BK3 throws up many issues apart from the overall size, which would result in the rapid growth of the village, including the fact that concentrating the development in one area on the outskirts of the Village could well lead to the development of two distinct communities within the village rather than one integrated community.