Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I write to express my objections to the proposal to develop green belt land in Codsicote, nr Hitchin, Herts for the purposes of additional housing. I was born in Dark Lane, Codicote in the 1960's and have lived there throughout my childhood and on & off during adulthood. I continue to spend considerable time there with family & friends & hence have considerable knowledge of the local community.
I would like to make the following points to support my objection to large scale development in Codicote & particularly the violation of green belt:
1. Codicote is a relatively small rural village which would not sustain a sudden expansion of housing stock of nearly 25%.
2. The proposal is all to take place on green belt land and is not in fill between established buildings.
3. Currently the population consists of a mixture of those employed locally in rural, retail & service industry and commuters travelling to larger conurbations including Stevenage, Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans & London. There is no likelihood of the proposed expansion in housing being matched by a similar increase in local jobs hence there will be considerable increase in strain on transport links & the village risks becoming a dormitory town to London.
4. Codicote is situated on the B656 which is a very busy B road but is already struggling to deal with the current traffic density. The road is particularly narrow between Codicote & Welwyn (which is the nearest access to the A1(M)) & during peak hours entry onto this road from St Albans Rd, Heath Rd, Cowards La, Whitwell Rd & Rabley Heath Rd is very difficult & potentially dangerous due to sight lines & parked cars - these problems will only intensify with development of the village.
5. The B656 due to its route is well known as an accident blackspot between Codicote & Hitchin.
6. The access to Wheathampstead & St. Albans is via St. Albans/Codicote Rd, this is a narrow C road & is unsuitable for heavy traffic (and already accommodates HGV's & heavy plant from the Quarry)
7. There is no public transport from Codicote to St Albans & irregular/limited bus services to Hitchin, Welwyn & Stevenage. There is no Train station in the village & access to the mainline will require car use (cycling facilities are limited) with increase in congestion, pollution & car parking problems.
8. Educational facilities are limited to a primary school, which would struggle to manage an influx of pupils. The drop off & pick-up points for the school tends to be from St Albans Rd. accessing the school via a footpath alleyway (the road entrance to the school is on Meadow Way) - the volume of parked cars & traffic during School drop off creates dangers & delays.
9. Secondary school & higher education facilities are absent
10. There are no emergency services based in Codicote - the nearest hospitals are in Stevenage & Welwyn Garden City as are the nearest Police Stations there is a ?volunteer firestation in Welwyn (along with the Library). There are no GP primary care services within the village & based on personal experiences there is considerable difficulty in appointing new GPs in areas with a high cost of living due to NHS salaries. (I suspect this applies to almost all other community professionals eg Teachers etc)
11. There are no entertainment hubs within walking distance except village pubs.
12. There are no major supermarkets or retail outlets within walking distance.
13. The services in the village are limited or finite: The mains drainage is not designed to cope with the current demand (& Dark Lane does not have main drain); Water is pumped from the river Mimram, which often reduces to barely a trickle during Summer months; Internet speeds are slow.
14. The level of pollution from traffic & housing is likely to rise considerably particularly along the B656 which is the main village shopping centre/High Street.
15. There are limited crossing points across the High St/B656 but shops on both sides putting pedestrians at risk. Parking is limited in this area with cars encroaching on the pavements (further crossing points would increase vehicle traffic delays & potentially cause gridlock at peak times with consequent pollution problems)
16. The environmental impact will be huge - the proposal will destroy large areas of agricultural, grazing hedgerows & spinneys displacing wildlife & could risk eradicating or contaminating surrounding rivers.
17. There will be considerable light pollution generated by the development, which would particularly effect the Three Hills area & Mimram Valley and the Hamlet of Ayot St Lawrence, which is a known beauty spot.
18. The proposed access to the Heath la/St Albans Rd site(CD5) is not viable:
- The farm track between houses on the St Albans Rd is approx. 12 feet wide
- The narrow strip of land on Dark Lane is not wide enough for access to a major development (& would need to allow Emergency & sevice vehicles) and opens onto Dark lane which is unsuitable for motor vehicles, single track and has a junction on to St Albans Rd at a sharp bend with a very poor site line.
- The possibility of access via Heath La is also not viable as this again is a very narrow road & a steep (1:10) hill.

I can find little to commend the proposals and trust you will note the above points when considering the application.

I write to express my objections to the proposal to develop green belt land in Codsicote, nr Hitchin, Herts for the purposes of additional housing. I was born in Dark Lane, Codicote in the 1960's and have lived there throughout my childhood and on & off during adulthood. I continue to spend considerable time there with family & friends & hence have considerable knowledge of the local community.
I would like to make the following points to support my objection to large scale development in Codicote & particularly the violation of green belt:
1. Codicote is a relatively small rural village which would not sustain a sudden expansion of housing stock of nearly 25%.
2. The proposal is all to take place on green belt land and is not in fill between established buildings.
3. Currently the population consists of a mixture of those employed locally in rural, retail & service industry and commuters travelling to larger conurbations including Stevenage, Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans & London. There is no likelihood of the proposed expansion in housing being matched by a similar increase in local jobs hence there will be considerable increase in strain on transport links & the village risks becoming a dormitory town to London.
4. Codicote is situated on the B656 which is a very busy B road but is already struggling to deal with the current traffic density. The road is particularly narrow between Codicote & Welwyn (which is the nearest access to the A1(M)) & during peak hours entry onto this road from St Albans Rd, Heath Rd, Cowards La, Whitwell Rd & Rabley Heath Rd is very difficult & potentially dangerous due to sight lines & parked cars - these problems will only intensify with development of the village.
5. The B656 due to its route is well known as an accident blackspot between Codicote & Hitchin.
6. The access to Wheathampstead & St. Albans is via St. Albans/Codicote Rd, this is a narrow C road & is unsuitable for heavy traffic (and already accommodates HGV's & heavy plant from the Quarry)
7. There is no public transport from Codicote to St Albans & irregular/limited bus services to Hitchin, Welwyn & Stevenage. There is no Train station in the village & access to the mainline will require car use (cycling facilities are limited) with increase in congestion, pollution & car parking problems.
8. Educational facilities are limited to a primary school, which would struggle to manage an influx of pupils. The drop off & pick-up points for the school tends to be from St Albans Rd. accessing the school via a footpath alleyway (the road entrance to the school is on Meadow Way) - the volume of parked cars & traffic during School drop off creates dangers & delays.
9. Secondary school & higher education facilities are absent
10. There are no emergency services based in Codicote - the nearest hospitals are in Stevenage & Welwyn Garden City as are the nearest Police Stations there is a ?volunteer firestation in Welwyn (along with the Library). There are no GP primary care services within the village & based on personal experiences there is considerable difficulty in appointing new GPs in areas with a high cost of living due to NHS salaries. (I suspect this applies to almost all other community professionals eg Teachers etc)
11. There are no entertainment hubs within walking distance except village pubs.
12. There are no major supermarkets or retail outlets within walking distance.
13. The services in the village are limited or finite: The mains drainage is not designed to cope with the current demand (& Dark Lane does not have main drain); Water is pumped from the river Mimram, which often reduces to barely a trickle during Summer months; Internet speeds are slow.
14. The level of pollution from traffic & housing is likely to rise considerably particularly along the B656 which is the main village shopping centre/High Street.
15. There are limited crossing points across the High St/B656 but shops on both sides putting pedestrians at risk. Parking is limited in this area with cars encroaching on the pavements (further crossing points would increase vehicle traffic delays & potentially cause gridlock at peak times with consequent pollution problems)
16. The environmental impact will be huge - the proposal will destroy large areas of agricultural, grazing hedgerows & spinneys displacing wildlife & could risk eradicating or contaminating surrounding rivers.
17. There will be considerable light pollution generated by the development, which would particularly effect the Three Hills area & Mimram Valley and the Hamlet of Ayot St Lawrence, which is a known beauty spot.
18. The proposed access to the Heath la/St Albans Rd site(CD5) is not viable:
- The farm track between houses on the St Albans Rd is approx. 12 feet wide
- The narrow strip of land on Dark Lane is not wide enough for access to a major development (& would need to allow Emergency & sevice vehicles) and opens onto Dark lane which is unsuitable for motor vehicles, single track and has a junction on to St Albans Rd at a sharp bend with a very poor site line.
- The possibility of access via Heath La is also not viable as this again is a very narrow road & a steep (1:10) hill.

I can find little to commend the proposals and trust you will note the above points when considering the application.

I write to express my objections to the proposal to develop green belt land in Codsicote, nr Hitchin, Herts for the purposes of additional housing. I was born in Dark Lane, Codicote in the 1960's and have lived there throughout my childhood and on & off during adulthood. I continue to spend considerable time there with family & friends & hence have considerable knowledge of the local community.
I would like to make the following points to support my objection to large scale development in Codicote & particularly the violation of green belt:
1. Codicote is a relatively small rural village which would not sustain a sudden expansion of housing stock of nearly 25%.
2. The proposal is all to take place on green belt land and is not in fill between established buildings.
3. Currently the population consists of a mixture of those employed locally in rural, retail & service industry and commuters travelling to larger conurbations including Stevenage, Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans & London. There is no likelihood of the proposed expansion in housing being matched by a similar increase in local jobs hence there will be considerable increase in strain on transport links & the village risks becoming a dormitory town to London.
4. Codicote is situated on the B656 which is a very busy B road but is already struggling to deal with the current traffic density. The road is particularly narrow between Codicote & Welwyn (which is the nearest access to the A1(M)) & during peak hours entry onto this road from St Albans Rd, Heath Rd, Cowards La, Whitwell Rd & Rabley Heath Rd is very difficult & potentially dangerous due to sight lines & parked cars - these problems will only intensify with development of the village.
5. The B656 due to its route is well known as an accident blackspot between Codicote & Hitchin.
6. The access to Wheathampstead & St. Albans is via St. Albans/Codicote Rd, this is a narrow C road & is unsuitable for heavy traffic (and already accommodates HGV's & heavy plant from the Quarry)
7. There is no public transport from Codicote to St Albans & irregular/limited bus services to Hitchin, Welwyn & Stevenage. There is no Train station in the village & access to the mainline will require car use (cycling facilities are limited) with increase in congestion, pollution & car parking problems.
8. Educational facilities are limited to a primary school, which would struggle to manage an influx of pupils. The drop off & pick-up points for the school tends to be from St Albans Rd. accessing the school via a footpath alleyway (the road entrance to the school is on Meadow Way) - the volume of parked cars & traffic during School drop off creates dangers & delays.
9. Secondary school & higher education facilities are absent
10. There are no emergency services based in Codicote - the nearest hospitals are in Stevenage & Welwyn Garden City as are the nearest Police Stations there is a ?volunteer firestation in Welwyn (along with the Library). There are no GP primary care services within the village & based on personal experiences there is considerable difficulty in appointing new GPs in areas with a high cost of living due to NHS salaries. (I suspect this applies to almost all other community professionals eg Teachers etc)
11. There are no entertainment hubs within walking distance except village pubs.
12. There are no major supermarkets or retail outlets within walking distance.
13. The services in the village are limited or finite: The mains drainage is not designed to cope with the current demand (& Dark Lane does not have main drain); Water is pumped from the river Mimram, which often reduces to barely a trickle during Summer months; Internet speeds are slow.
14. The level of pollution from traffic & housing is likely to rise considerably particularly along the B656 which is the main village shopping centre/High Street.
15. There are limited crossing points across the High St/B656 but shops on both sides putting pedestrians at risk. Parking is limited in this area with cars encroaching on the pavements (further crossing points would increase vehicle traffic delays & potentially cause gridlock at peak times with consequent pollution problems)
16. The environmental impact will be huge - the proposal will destroy large areas of agricultural, grazing hedgerows & spinneys displacing wildlife & could risk eradicating or contaminating surrounding rivers.
17. There will be considerable light pollution generated by the development, which would particularly effect the Three Hills area & Mimram Valley and the Hamlet of Ayot St Lawrence, which is a known beauty spot.
18. The proposed access to the Heath la/St Albans Rd site(CD5) is not viable:
- The farm track between houses on the St Albans Rd is approx. 12 feet wide
- The narrow strip of land on Dark Lane is not wide enough for access to a major development (& would need to allow Emergency & sevice vehicles) and opens onto Dark lane which is unsuitable for motor vehicles, single track and has a junction on to St Albans Rd at a sharp bend with a very poor site line.
- The possibility of access via Heath La is also not viable as this again is a very narrow road & a steep (1:10) hill.

I can find little to commend the proposals and trust you will note the above points when considering the application.