Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

We understand and agree that our country and our county, Hertfordshire, are in need of additional housing for the future.

However, we have concerns for Codicote and we submit below our representations. My husband and I have previously presented our views at the appropriate times by way of emails and letters since the commencement of the North Herts Local Plan 2011-2031. We fervently trust all views will to be taken into account.

We consider that the sites to the north and south of the village, CD2 Codicote Garden Centre - site number 205 and CD1 Hollard's Farm - site number 318, appear to be the more viable areas for development mainly as their access would be directly on to the B656 and not by way of Codicote's housing estate roads.

On the contrary, our main objection is to the proposed development known as CD3 Land adjacent to The Close - site number 032 and wish to present our reasons as to why we believe this site to be unviable.

The land, a field, is known to be a floodplain, confirmed by an Infinity Water Company representative, when houses adjacent to the right hand side of The Close (address of The Paddocks) flooded again earlier this year. Sewerage has been known to overflow on several occasions from drains in the front garden of a home in The Close and residents have series concerns as to whether or not the water/sewage system in place could cope with additional use in the future.

Consideration should be given to the three water springs at the top end of the field. These have become particularly evident and thereby exposed since 2014 with excess water appearing in the field following rainfall because the farmer (who rents the field) 'dug up', for no apparent reason, many and all young oak trees that had grown over the past years - the beginnings of a wood, such as was in the field fifty years ago. Some of them were at least 20cm diameter (evidence of this is the pile of trees next to the remaining aged oak tree on the far side of the site). A gas main runs directly through the field - there is a 'gas shed' just inside the field. A storm water drain runs parallel to the fence The Close garages and The Paddocks.

Residents are extremely concerned about where the access for the proposed houses will be.

The roads: Valley Road, The Close and The Paddocks (past the junction with The Ridgeway) have residents' vehicles parked all along both sides of these roads. It is known that residents from Newtown also use Valley Road for parking and visitors have trouble finding parking spaces. The Close also provides access to 19 NHDC garages. Officials wishing to understand the difficulties of driving along the narrow centre of these housing estate roads would be advised to visit the area at 8 am and 6pm week days and on weekends. Any inspection, as has recently been the case, during mid-morning, when many cars have left for the day, would give a completely misinformed reading of traffic congestion in the vicinity.

The site off The Close is frequented by many dog walkers, ramblers and families enjoying an area of Codicote countryside. There are the public footpaths and other pathways (clearly seen on aerial views) ingrained over the years by walkers. Residents understand that these paths, if walked for over 20 years, do indeed become 'public footpaths'.

This is Green Belt land and although we understand it is permissible to extend the boundaries for Green Belt, it is hoped that some Green Belt land will remain surrounding Codicote.

The field has been fallow in excess of 30 years and many indigenous varieties of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and wildlife survive in the field and its bordering areas of natural habitat, together with numerous wild birds, including wrens, song thrush, kestrels and the once rare, Red Kite, roost and breed in the mature oak tree on the site and the trees and shrubs edging the field. Owls frequent the area and bats have been spotted.

Furthermore, there are public concerns regarding the high volume of traffic on the roads leading into the village.

Bury Lane running east to west in Codicote. Already a very busy road, being the main route from Codicote village to Knebworth and Stevenage, it can be foreseen that if the large amount of proposed housing on the edge of Knebworth is built, those residents will use Park Lane and Bury Lane travelling through the village, either to Hitchin or Welwyn to access the A1M motorway. Road maintenance is poor on Bury Lane, a country lane with substantial side potholes, particularly on the road from the bottom of Church Hill to the Sally Deards Lane junction - causing traffic to slow in order to manoeuvre safely.

This will create additional traffic on the already very congested B656 through Codicote, particularly at peak times. Congestion and tailbacks through the village have increased since the housing was built at the south end of Codicote Road and on the site of The Clock Hotel on the roundabout at Welwyn when joining the A1M. Additionally, when problems occur on the A1M, Codicote bears the diverted traffic.

The B656 becomes Codicote High Street and then continues to Old Welwyn. The High Street consists of a few shops, public houses and many homes (some of which date back to the Victorian era and earlier), therefore residents' park 'nose to tail' on both sides of this road thus already restricting the available space for passing vehicles - from cars to heavy plant.

St. Albans Road (running west to east in the village) experiences a large number of major large plant vehicles to and from Codicote Quarry joining/leaving the junction at the High Street. (At present this Quarry is subject to an unauthorised development appeal under the Town and Planning Act 1990, under Section 174 and residents of Codicote are in the process of making representations to reduce the movement of vehicles.)

Heath Lane also running west to east in the village experiences a great deal of traffic, including farm vehicles and farm delivery vehicles,) and through traffic.

St. Albans Road, Heath Lane and in particular Bury Lane are country lanes - they are narrow, windy and unkempt - requiring effective maintenance to cope with any increase in the volume of traffic entering and leaving Codicote. Widening of these roads would be costly and difficult to achieve due to the routes they take. At the entrance to Codicote via Bury Lane is the historic 1000 year old St. Giles Church.

Further great concern is the lack of infrastructure for any additional housing and people. Aside, from the congestion on our arterial roads, High Street, estate roads, Codicote has no doctors' surgery or dental practice. Residents currently have to travel to either Knebworth, Old Welwyn or beyond for these facilities - to oversubscribed practices. Codicote Primary School is an Ofsted Outstanding School - it has a waiting list and although could expand in the future, has no accommodation currently for larger classes. There are no secondary schools in Codicote - students have to travel by public transport to outlying towns, Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.

Reference should be made to the Member of Parliament for Stevenage (including the Parish of Codicote), Stephen McPartland's two page letter, paragraph 4, dated November 2016 headed 'Formal response to consultation on North Hertfordshire District Council Local Plan 2011-2031 (Proposed Submission)'. This letter was linked via his email Newsletter of the 27th November 2016.

I hope due consideration and extensive reviews of the plans are given by everyone making decisions about the future, and also respecting the history and heritage, of the village of Codicote.

Thank you for reading our presentation.

We understand and agree that our country and our county, Hertfordshire, are in need of additional housing for the future.

However, we have concerns for Codicote and we submit below our representations. My husband and I have previously presented our views at the appropriate times by way of emails and letters since the commencement of the North Herts Local Plan 2011-2031. We fervently trust all views will to be taken into account.

We consider that the sites to the north and south of the village, CD2 Codicote Garden Centre - site number 205 and CD1 Hollard's Farm - site number 318, appear to be the more viable areas for development mainly as their access would be directly on to the B656 and not by way of Codicote's housing estate roads.

On the contrary, our main objection is to the proposed development known as CD3 Land adjacent to The Close - site number 032 and wish to present our reasons as to why we believe this site to be unviable.

The land, a field, is known to be a floodplain, confirmed by an Infinity Water Company representative, when houses adjacent to the right hand side of The Close (address of The Paddocks) flooded again earlier this year. Sewerage has been known to overflow on several occasions from drains in the front garden of a home in The Close and residents have series concerns as to whether or not the water/sewage system in place could cope with additional use in the future.

Consideration should be given to the three water springs at the top end of the field. These have become particularly evident and thereby exposed since 2014 with excess water appearing in the field following rainfall because the farmer (who rents the field) 'dug up', for no apparent reason, many and all young oak trees that had grown over the past years - the beginnings of a wood, such as was in the field fifty years ago. Some of them were at least 20cm diameter (evidence of this is the pile of trees next to the remaining aged oak tree on the far side of the site). A gas main runs directly through the field - there is a 'gas shed' just inside the field. A storm water drain runs parallel to the fence The Close garages and The Paddocks.

Residents are extremely concerned about where the access for the proposed houses will be.

The roads: Valley Road, The Close and The Paddocks (past the junction with The Ridgeway) have residents' vehicles parked all along both sides of these roads. It is known that residents from Newtown also use Valley Road for parking and visitors have trouble finding parking spaces. The Close also provides access to 19 NHDC garages. Officials wishing to understand the difficulties of driving along the narrow centre of these housing estate roads would be advised to visit the area at 8 am and 6pm week days and on weekends. Any inspection, as has recently been the case, during mid-morning, when many cars have left for the day, would give a completely misinformed reading of traffic congestion in the vicinity.

The site off The Close is frequented by many dog walkers, ramblers and families enjoying an area of Codicote countryside. There are the public footpaths and other pathways (clearly seen on aerial views) ingrained over the years by walkers. Residents understand that these paths, if walked for over 20 years, do indeed become 'public footpaths'.

This is Green Belt land and although we understand it is permissible to extend the boundaries for Green Belt, it is hoped that some Green Belt land will remain surrounding Codicote.

The field has been fallow in excess of 30 years and many indigenous varieties of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and wildlife survive in the field and its bordering areas of natural habitat, together with numerous wild birds, including wrens, song thrush, kestrels and the once rare, Red Kite, roost and breed in the mature oak tree on the site and the trees and shrubs edging the field. Owls frequent the area and bats have been spotted.

Furthermore, there are public concerns regarding the high volume of traffic on the roads leading into the village.

Bury Lane running east to west in Codicote. Already a very busy road, being the main route from Codicote village to Knebworth and Stevenage, it can be foreseen that if the large amount of proposed housing on the edge of Knebworth is built, those residents will use Park Lane and Bury Lane travelling through the village, either to Hitchin or Welwyn to access the A1M motorway. Road maintenance is poor on Bury Lane, a country lane with substantial side potholes, particularly on the road from the bottom of Church Hill to the Sally Deards Lane junction - causing traffic to slow in order to manoeuvre safely.

This will create additional traffic on the already very congested B656 through Codicote, particularly at peak times. Congestion and tailbacks through the village have increased since the housing was built at the south end of Codicote Road and on the site of The Clock Hotel on the roundabout at Welwyn when joining the A1M. Additionally, when problems occur on the A1M, Codicote bears the diverted traffic.

The B656 becomes Codicote High Street and then continues to Old Welwyn. The High Street consists of a few shops, public houses and many homes (some of which date back to the Victorian era and earlier), therefore residents' park 'nose to tail' on both sides of this road thus already restricting the available space for passing vehicles - from cars to heavy plant.

St. Albans Road (running west to east in the village) experiences a large number of major large plant vehicles to and from Codicote Quarry joining/leaving the junction at the High Street. (At present this Quarry is subject to an unauthorised development appeal under the Town and Planning Act 1990, under Section 174 and residents of Codicote are in the process of making representations to reduce the movement of vehicles.)

Heath Lane also running west to east in the village experiences a great deal of traffic, including farm vehicles and farm delivery vehicles,) and through traffic.

St. Albans Road, Heath Lane and in particular Bury Lane are country lanes - they are narrow, windy and unkempt - requiring effective maintenance to cope with any increase in the volume of traffic entering and leaving Codicote. Widening of these roads would be costly and difficult to achieve due to the routes they take. At the entrance to Codicote via Bury Lane is the historic 1000 year old St. Giles Church.

Further great concern is the lack of infrastructure for any additional housing and people. Aside, from the congestion on our arterial roads, High Street, estate roads, Codicote has no doctors' surgery or dental practice. Residents currently have to travel to either Knebworth, Old Welwyn or beyond for these facilities - to oversubscribed practices. Codicote Primary School is an Ofsted Outstanding School - it has a waiting list and although could expand in the future, has no accommodation currently for larger classes. There are no secondary schools in Codicote - students have to travel by public transport to outlying towns, Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.

Reference should be made to the Member of Parliament for Stevenage (including the Parish of Codicote), Stephen McPartland's two page letter, paragraph 4, dated November 2016 headed 'Formal response to consultation on North Hertfordshire District Council Local Plan 2011-2031 (Proposed Submission)'. This letter was linked via his email Newsletter of the 27th November 2016.

I hope due consideration and extensive reviews of the plans are given by everyone making decisions about the future, and also respecting the history and heritage, of the village of Codicote.

Thank you for reading our presentation.

We understand and agree that our country and our county, Hertfordshire, are in need of additional housing for the future.

However, we have concerns for Codicote and we submit below our representations. My husband and I have previously presented our views at the appropriate times by way of emails and letters since the commencement of the North Herts Local Plan 2011-2031. We fervently trust all views will to be taken into account.

We consider that the sites to the north and south of the village, CD2 Codicote Garden Centre - site number 205 and CD1 Hollard's Farm - site number 318, appear to be the more viable areas for development mainly as their access would be directly on to the B656 and not by way of Codicote's housing estate roads.

On the contrary, our main objection is to the proposed development known as CD3 Land adjacent to The Close - site number 032 and wish to present our reasons as to why we believe this site to be unviable.

The land, a field, is known to be a floodplain, confirmed by an Infinity Water Company representative, when houses adjacent to the right hand side of The Close (address of The Paddocks) flooded again earlier this year. Sewerage has been known to overflow on several occasions from drains in the front garden of a home in The Close and residents have series concerns as to whether or not the water/sewage system in place could cope with additional use in the future.

Consideration should be given to the three water springs at the top end of the field. These have become particularly evident and thereby exposed since 2014 with excess water appearing in the field following rainfall because the farmer (who rents the field) 'dug up', for no apparent reason, many and all young oak trees that had grown over the past years - the beginnings of a wood, such as was in the field fifty years ago. Some of them were at least 20cm diameter (evidence of this is the pile of trees next to the remaining aged oak tree on the far side of the site). A gas main runs directly through the field - there is a 'gas shed' just inside the field. A storm water drain runs parallel to the fence The Close garages and The Paddocks.

Residents are extremely concerned about where the access for the proposed houses will be.

The roads: Valley Road, The Close and The Paddocks (past the junction with The Ridgeway) have residents' vehicles parked all along both sides of these roads. It is known that residents from Newtown also use Valley Road for parking and visitors have trouble finding parking spaces. The Close also provides access to 19 NHDC garages. Officials wishing to understand the difficulties of driving along the narrow centre of these housing estate roads would be advised to visit the area at 8 am and 6pm week days and on weekends. Any inspection, as has recently been the case, during mid-morning, when many cars have left for the day, would give a completely misinformed reading of traffic congestion in the vicinity.

The site off The Close is frequented by many dog walkers, ramblers and families enjoying an area of Codicote countryside. There are the public footpaths and other pathways (clearly seen on aerial views) ingrained over the years by walkers. Residents understand that these paths, if walked for over 20 years, do indeed become 'public footpaths'.

This is Green Belt land and although we understand it is permissible to extend the boundaries for Green Belt, it is hoped that some Green Belt land will remain surrounding Codicote.

The field has been fallow in excess of 30 years and many indigenous varieties of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and wildlife survive in the field and its bordering areas of natural habitat, together with numerous wild birds, including wrens, song thrush, kestrels and the once rare, Red Kite, roost and breed in the mature oak tree on the site and the trees and shrubs edging the field. Owls frequent the area and bats have been spotted.

Furthermore, there are public concerns regarding the high volume of traffic on the roads leading into the village.

Bury Lane running east to west in Codicote. Already a very busy road, being the main route from Codicote village to Knebworth and Stevenage, it can be foreseen that if the large amount of proposed housing on the edge of Knebworth is built, those residents will use Park Lane and Bury Lane travelling through the village, either to Hitchin or Welwyn to access the A1M motorway. Road maintenance is poor on Bury Lane, a country lane with substantial side potholes, particularly on the road from the bottom of Church Hill to the Sally Deards Lane junction - causing traffic to slow in order to manoeuvre safely.

This will create additional traffic on the already very congested B656 through Codicote, particularly at peak times. Congestion and tailbacks through the village have increased since the housing was built at the south end of Codicote Road and on the site of The Clock Hotel on the roundabout at Welwyn when joining the A1M. Additionally, when problems occur on the A1M, Codicote bears the diverted traffic.

The B656 becomes Codicote High Street and then continues to Old Welwyn. The High Street consists of a few shops, public houses and many homes (some of which date back to the Victorian era and earlier), therefore residents' park 'nose to tail' on both sides of this road thus already restricting the available space for passing vehicles - from cars to heavy plant.

St. Albans Road (running west to east in the village) experiences a large number of major large plant vehicles to and from Codicote Quarry joining/leaving the junction at the High Street. (At present this Quarry is subject to an unauthorised development appeal under the Town and Planning Act 1990, under Section 174 and residents of Codicote are in the process of making representations to reduce the movement of vehicles.)

Heath Lane also running west to east in the village experiences a great deal of traffic, including farm vehicles and farm delivery vehicles,) and through traffic.

St. Albans Road, Heath Lane and in particular Bury Lane are country lanes - they are narrow, windy and unkempt - requiring effective maintenance to cope with any increase in the volume of traffic entering and leaving Codicote. Widening of these roads would be costly and difficult to achieve due to the routes they take. At the entrance to Codicote via Bury Lane is the historic 1000 year old St. Giles Church.

Further great concern is the lack of infrastructure for any additional housing and people. Aside, from the congestion on our arterial roads, High Street, estate roads, Codicote has no doctors' surgery or dental practice. Residents currently have to travel to either Knebworth, Old Welwyn or beyond for these facilities - to oversubscribed practices. Codicote Primary School is an Ofsted Outstanding School - it has a waiting list and although could expand in the future, has no accommodation currently for larger classes. There are no secondary schools in Codicote - students have to travel by public transport to outlying towns, Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.

Reference should be made to the Member of Parliament for Stevenage (including the Parish of Codicote), Stephen McPartland's two page letter, paragraph 4, dated November 2016 headed 'Formal response to consultation on North Hertfordshire District Council Local Plan 2011-2031 (Proposed Submission)'. This letter was linked via his email Newsletter of the 27th November 2016.

I hope due consideration and extensive reviews of the plans are given by everyone making decisions about the future, and also respecting the history and heritage, of the village of Codicote.

Thank you for reading our presentation.