Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

The scale of the development is completely inappropriate for the village which will have a detrimental effect on the village causing an increased in the traffic volume and congestion as there are few opportunities for employment in the village.

NHDC's Local Plan of 1996 and again in 2007 confirmed that the status of the land around Codicote was Green Belt and it was protected accordingly. Why is land that NHDC considered should be "permanently open" 9 years ago now likely to end up underneath 315 houses by 2031.

The number of houses planned will increase the size of the village disproportionately. There are few opportunities for employment in the village and removing this place of employment will cause problems for the families who work here, many who live in the village itself. New homes will increase car levels as these new residents will need to travel to work.

The land here is subject to flooding.

The cars currently using the surrounding roads have huge difficulties in the winter months getting up the the main roads. Valley Road is impassable when it snows and is icy. Cars are frequently abandoned, or residents park on the High Street to ensure that they are able to get to work the next day.

The size of the development is far to large for this site. The access roads cannot take the level of traffic. These are very narrow roads which open onto blind corners or a steep hill. The school does not have enough room for all of the village children at present. The school needs expanding now. New houses will require more school places, the plan to extend the school is not big enough. The damage to the green belt and wildlife is unthinkable and goes against NHDC's 1996 local plan to protect the green belt.

The level of traffic to this site is already too high considering the number of dwellings on this site. The damage to the access roads and wildlife is visible already.