Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I feel outraged at this greedy, ill-thought-out plan. How can people be so short-sighted? Here are my objections:

1 The green belt is increasingly precious. It must not be violated any more, on clear environmental grounds. It provides essential respite in the over-populated south-east of this country for diminishing species of wild life of both the plant and animal variety. To dangerously compromise this with a 25% expansion scheme is almost Trump-like in its crassness. If it were a limited number of houses in the 'affordable' bracket - say, no more than 60, to be generously realistic - then this construction scheme might to an extent dovetail with such major environmental concerns. But if land owners could be persuaded, in the interests of the planet as well as Codicote, to invest in renewable energy projects rather than a glut of houses, this would be kinder and more appropriate than to propose 315 new houses.

2 There is absolutely no space in and around the village for the necessary major infrastructure development to support these proposed 315 new houses! If only two people were to occupy each house, there would be an additional 630 people needing support to maintain their everyday lives! If an average of three people were to occupy each house, this multiplies to a rise in little Codicote's population of little short of 1,000 people, all of whom require doctors, schooling, water, drainage, sewage ... !

3 I would draw the Inspector's attention urgently to the question of traffic in this area, which already grossly supercedes the space available only on small 'B' roads and a limited network of pot-holed, single-lane side roads, some of which are little more than tracks. This, of course, is typical of rural areas like Codicote. Again, there is no space available whatsoever to alter this, either by road widening or by, say, an urban style underpass dug at great cost and hideous disruption - no, a remedy as fanciful as that does not begin to be feasible. So. At a conservative estimate, what is being proposed is introducing new 630 car owners to Codicote - you have to have a car in a country village to get to work, do the weekly shop, ferry your kids to school and not live in isolation (buses are too few and far between to accommodate the needs of busy, modern living). Air quality along the roads through and around Codicote is already severely compromised at times. To consider the release of an additional 630 cars on roads which are already groaning with traffic is a rather desperate form of madness.

4 I have saved this until last, because aesthetic and general well-being concerns are maybe lesser than the absolute necessity of blocking this proposal on grounds 1-3 above. Also, the proposers will no doubt be quick to accuse such an objection as 'nimby-ism'. But to wilfully destroy the character of an ancient village where people live modestly and peacefully, as they have done for hundreds of years, is what this dreadful plan actually proposes. Don't entertain it.