Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I would like to comment on the North Hertfordshire District Council's Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (Proposed Submission, October 2016). Particularly, I wish to object to the massive proposed development at the Blackhorse Farm site to the north of Baldock.

The proposed siting of the development, BA1, is ill-considered not only in terms of its shear size but also the majority of the land is on a greenfield site used by many villagers and tourists for recreation, cycling, horse riding and dog walking. Next is plans or rather a lack of for schooling where this was hardly mentioned in any of the documents especially how existing schools in and around Baldock could absorb a potential massive influx of children needing education. Shoehorning would jeopardise both the quality of teaching and learning at these schools which would result in negatively impacting the Ofsted reports and in turn steers away anyone moving to the area.

Such overdeveloping would impact everything in and around Baldock: resources, roads, access, parking, noise and air pollution etc which surely makes no sense to put it all into one historic town. The more pragmatic consideration perhaps should be shared with other neighbouring towns and cities where the overall impact are moderated.

Our family moved to the small hamlet of Bygrave as it is rural and offers a quiet and peaceful lifestyle. This proposal would mean that our quiet hamlet would become engulfed by a larger town. Is this even legal?