Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

Policy Sp1 - Sustainable Development in North Herts Building 300 plus houses onto a village of 340 properties is not meeting in a sustainable way the needs of the residents of Wymondley. It brings with it issues of coalescence.
There does not appear to be in place any infrastructure, support plans or funding which would be needed to support a development of this scale.
The council has produced no evidence of exceptional circumstance to build on the Green Belt. They have unused Brownfield sites and non- Greenbelt sites available.
A development of this scale with hard surface run-off, particularly from roadways, will increase the flood risk in Little Wymondley which has a recent history of significant flooding.

Policy Sp 5 - Countryside and Green Belt This supports the principles of the Green Belt. The council has not, we believe, demonstrated or justified removing land from the Green Belt to make it available for building.

Policy Sp 6 - Sustainable Transport
The local area is already prone to gridlock on a daily basis in the rush hour and any minor delay can be the trigger.
The junction in Great Wymondley is identified by the council themselves as a particular problem. It already it has extremely high levels of 'rat running' as the Neighbourhood Plan traffic data confirms.
The local country lanes cannot simply be widened as this would destroy the rural nature of the parish.
The situation is made worse by the inability of the A1M to cope with the volume of traffic, forcing motorists to use alternative routes through the villages.

Policy Sp 8 - Housing
A 100% increase in the size of Little Wymondley housing stock is disproportionate to local needs as confirmed by the Neighbourhood Plan.
Hitchin on the other hand is just being asked to have a 10% increase!

Policy Sp 10 - Healthy Communities
Removing existing Green Belt land seems to be at odds with the policy statement to protect, enhance and create new physical green infrastructure to foster healthy lifestyles.
The levels of airborne pollution on the A602 already regularly exceeds the legal limits at the Air Quality Monitoring Point and is already one of the worst in the county. Additional traffic can only make the situation for the residents.

Policy Sp 11 - Natural Resources and Sustainability There is no budget to address the issue of the collapsed culvert in Stevenage Road which contributes significantly to flooding risk.
The drain clearing programme is ineffective and also adds to the flooding problem.
The SuDs regulation would not cover all aspects of a potential large scale development and hard surface run off would again contribute to potential flooding. The EA flood maps also shows the potential for water run off from the south of Stevenage Road.

Site WY1

The surface water movement through Little Wymondley is a major issue and there is currently no structural plan or adequate financial commitment to address this issue satisfactorily .
Currently surface water runoff from agricultural land to the north of the village and downstream water from Corey's Mill is sufficient to create flooding of properties in Stevenage Road Little Wymondley as has happened historically.
There is not just the problem of surface water runoff from the possible additional building in Little Wymondley but the construction of hundreds of houses in the upstream catchment area on the eastern side of the A1M with its associated runoff.
Additionally plans by Stevenage Borough Council to build an industrial complex directly on the flood plain at Corey's Mill will make the situation even worse.
Downstream at Nine Springs at the bottom of the Wymondley Road a greater flow of water will create a significant additional flood risk to properties bordering the stream culvert.
A practical and funded solution must be found for these problems before any commitment to further building is given the go ahead.

In Conclusion:-
The Wymondley Neighbourhood Plan states the residents' acceptance for housing need but that it must be on a manageable scale.
The Plan also clearly states opposition to building on Green Belt land which provides space between the area's villages and towns thus preventing urban sprawl eliminating the rural nature of a North Hertfordshire.
Clearly the traffic and flooding issues of the area need to be resolved before consideration is given to any substantial house building.
A retrospective approach with the traffic gridlocked and flooded properties in the area is not the way forward.

Policy Sp1 - Sustainable Development in North Herts Building 300 plus houses onto a village of 340 properties is not meeting in a sustainable way the needs of the residents of Wymondley. It brings with it issues of coalescence.
There does not appear to be in place any infrastructure, support plans or funding which would be needed to support a development of this scale.
The council has produced no evidence of exceptional circumstance to build on the Green Belt. They have unused Brownfield sites and non- Greenbelt sites available.
A development of this scale with hard surface run-off, particularly from roadways, will increase the flood risk in Little Wymondley which has a recent history of significant flooding.

Policy Sp 5 - Countryside and Green Belt This supports the principles of the Green Belt. The council has not, we believe, demonstrated or justified removing land from the Green Belt to make it available for building.

Policy Sp 6 - Sustainable Transport
The local area is already prone to gridlock on a daily basis in the rush hour and any minor delay can be the trigger.
The junction in Great Wymondley is identified by the council themselves as a particular problem. It already it has extremely high levels of 'rat running' as the Neighbourhood Plan traffic data confirms.
The local country lanes cannot simply be widened as this would destroy the rural nature of the parish.
The situation is made worse by the inability of the A1M to cope with the volume of traffic, forcing motorists to use alternative routes through the villages.

Policy Sp 8 - Housing
A 100% increase in the size of Little Wymondley housing stock is disproportionate to local needs as confirmed by the Neighbourhood Plan.
Hitchin on the other hand is just being asked to have a 10% increase!

Policy Sp 10 - Healthy Communities
Removing existing Green Belt land seems to be at odds with the policy statement to protect, enhance and create new physical green infrastructure to foster healthy lifestyles.
The levels of airborne pollution on the A602 already regularly exceeds the legal limits at the Air Quality Monitoring Point and is already one of the worst in the county. Additional traffic can only make the situation for the residents.

Policy Sp 11 - Natural Resources and Sustainability There is no budget to address the issue of the collapsed culvert in Stevenage Road which contributes significantly to flooding risk.
The drain clearing programme is ineffective and also adds to the flooding problem.
The SuDs regulation would not cover all aspects of a potential large scale development and hard surface run off would again contribute to potential flooding. The EA flood maps also shows the potential for water run off from the south of Stevenage Road.

Site WY1

The surface water movement through Little Wymondley is a major issue and there is currently no structural plan or adequate financial commitment to address this issue satisfactorily .
Currently surface water runoff from agricultural land to the north of the village and downstream water from Corey's Mill is sufficient to create flooding of properties in Stevenage Road Little Wymondley as has happened historically.
There is not just the problem of surface water runoff from the possible additional building in Little Wymondley but the construction of hundreds of houses in the upstream catchment area on the eastern side of the A1M with its associated runoff.
Additionally plans by Stevenage Borough Council to build an industrial complex directly on the flood plain at Corey's Mill will make the situation even worse.
Downstream at Nine Springs at the bottom of the Wymondley Road a greater flow of water will create a significant additional flood risk to properties bordering the stream culvert.
A practical and funded solution must be found for these problems before any commitment to further building is given the go ahead.

In Conclusion:-
The Wymondley Neighbourhood Plan states the residents' acceptance for housing need but that it must be on a manageable scale.
The Plan also clearly states opposition to building on Green Belt land which provides space between the area's villages and towns thus preventing urban sprawl eliminating the rural nature of a North Hertfordshire.
Clearly the traffic and flooding issues of the area need to be resolved before consideration is given to any substantial house building.
A retrospective approach with the traffic gridlocked and flooded properties in the area is not the way forward.

Policy Sp1 - Sustainable Development in North Herts Building 300 plus houses onto a village of 340 properties is not meeting in a sustainable way the needs of the residents of Wymondley. It brings with it issues of coalescence.
There does not appear to be in place any infrastructure, support plans or funding which would be needed to support a development of this scale.
The council has produced no evidence of exceptional circumstance to build on the Green Belt. They have unused Brownfield sites and non- Greenbelt sites available.
A development of this scale with hard surface run-off, particularly from roadways, will increase the flood risk in Little Wymondley which has a recent history of significant flooding.

Policy Sp 5 - Countryside and Green Belt This supports the principles of the Green Belt. The council has not, we believe, demonstrated or justified removing land from the Green Belt to make it available for building.

Policy Sp 6 - Sustainable Transport
The local area is already prone to gridlock on a daily basis in the rush hour and any minor delay can be the trigger.
The junction in Great Wymondley is identified by the council themselves as a particular problem. It already it has extremely high levels of 'rat running' as the Neighbourhood Plan traffic data confirms.
The local country lanes cannot simply be widened as this would destroy the rural nature of the parish.
The situation is made worse by the inability of the A1M to cope with the volume of traffic, forcing motorists to use alternative routes through the villages.

Policy Sp 8 - Housing
A 100% increase in the size of Little Wymondley housing stock is disproportionate to local needs as confirmed by the Neighbourhood Plan.
Hitchin on the other hand is just being asked to have a 10% increase!

Policy Sp 10 - Healthy Communities
Removing existing Green Belt land seems to be at odds with the policy statement to protect, enhance and create new physical green infrastructure to foster healthy lifestyles.
The levels of airborne pollution on the A602 already regularly exceeds the legal limits at the Air Quality Monitoring Point and is already one of the worst in the county. Additional traffic can only make the situation for the residents.

Policy Sp 11 - Natural Resources and Sustainability There is no budget to address the issue of the collapsed culvert in Stevenage Road which contributes significantly to flooding risk.
The drain clearing programme is ineffective and also adds to the flooding problem.
The SuDs regulation would not cover all aspects of a potential large scale development and hard surface run off would again contribute to potential flooding. The EA flood maps also shows the potential for water run off from the south of Stevenage Road.

Site WY1

The surface water movement through Little Wymondley is a major issue and there is currently no structural plan or adequate financial commitment to address this issue satisfactorily .
Currently surface water runoff from agricultural land to the north of the village and downstream water from Corey's Mill is sufficient to create flooding of properties in Stevenage Road Little Wymondley as has happened historically.
There is not just the problem of surface water runoff from the possible additional building in Little Wymondley but the construction of hundreds of houses in the upstream catchment area on the eastern side of the A1M with its associated runoff.
Additionally plans by Stevenage Borough Council to build an industrial complex directly on the flood plain at Corey's Mill will make the situation even worse.
Downstream at Nine Springs at the bottom of the Wymondley Road a greater flow of water will create a significant additional flood risk to properties bordering the stream culvert.
A practical and funded solution must be found for these problems before any commitment to further building is given the go ahead.

In Conclusion:-
The Wymondley Neighbourhood Plan states the residents' acceptance for housing need but that it must be on a manageable scale.
The Plan also clearly states opposition to building on Green Belt land which provides space between the area's villages and towns thus preventing urban sprawl eliminating the rural nature of a North Hertfordshire.
Clearly the traffic and flooding issues of the area need to be resolved before consideration is given to any substantial house building.
A retrospective approach with the traffic gridlocked and flooded properties in the area is not the way forward.

Policy Sp1 - Sustainable Development in North Herts Building 300 plus houses onto a village of 340 properties is not meeting in a sustainable way the needs of the residents of Wymondley. It brings with it issues of coalescence.
There does not appear to be in place any infrastructure, support plans or funding which would be needed to support a development of this scale.
The council has produced no evidence of exceptional circumstance to build on the Green Belt. They have unused Brownfield sites and non- Greenbelt sites available.
A development of this scale with hard surface run-off, particularly from roadways, will increase the flood risk in Little Wymondley which has a recent history of significant flooding.

Policy Sp 5 - Countryside and Green Belt This supports the principles of the Green Belt. The council has not, we believe, demonstrated or justified removing land from the Green Belt to make it available for building.

Policy Sp 6 - Sustainable Transport
The local area is already prone to gridlock on a daily basis in the rush hour and any minor delay can be the trigger.
The junction in Great Wymondley is identified by the council themselves as a particular problem. It already it has extremely high levels of 'rat running' as the Neighbourhood Plan traffic data confirms.
The local country lanes cannot simply be widened as this would destroy the rural nature of the parish.
The situation is made worse by the inability of the A1M to cope with the volume of traffic, forcing motorists to use alternative routes through the villages.

Policy Sp 8 - Housing
A 100% increase in the size of Little Wymondley housing stock is disproportionate to local needs as confirmed by the Neighbourhood Plan.
Hitchin on the other hand is just being asked to have a 10% increase!

Policy Sp 10 - Healthy Communities
Removing existing Green Belt land seems to be at odds with the policy statement to protect, enhance and create new physical green infrastructure to foster healthy lifestyles.
The levels of airborne pollution on the A602 already regularly exceeds the legal limits at the Air Quality Monitoring Point and is already one of the worst in the county. Additional traffic can only make the situation for the residents.

Policy Sp 11 - Natural Resources and Sustainability There is no budget to address the issue of the collapsed culvert in Stevenage Road which contributes significantly to flooding risk.
The drain clearing programme is ineffective and also adds to the flooding problem.
The SuDs regulation would not cover all aspects of a potential large scale development and hard surface run off would again contribute to potential flooding. The EA flood maps also shows the potential for water run off from the south of Stevenage Road.

Site WY1

The surface water movement through Little Wymondley is a major issue and there is currently no structural plan or adequate financial commitment to address this issue satisfactorily .
Currently surface water runoff from agricultural land to the north of the village and downstream water from Corey's Mill is sufficient to create flooding of properties in Stevenage Road Little Wymondley as has happened historically.
There is not just the problem of surface water runoff from the possible additional building in Little Wymondley but the construction of hundreds of houses in the upstream catchment area on the eastern side of the A1M with its associated runoff.
Additionally plans by Stevenage Borough Council to build an industrial complex directly on the flood plain at Corey's Mill will make the situation even worse.
Downstream at Nine Springs at the bottom of the Wymondley Road a greater flow of water will create a significant additional flood risk to properties bordering the stream culvert.
A practical and funded solution must be found for these problems before any commitment to further building is given the go ahead.

In Conclusion:-
The Wymondley Neighbourhood Plan states the residents' acceptance for housing need but that it must be on a manageable scale.
The Plan also clearly states opposition to building on Green Belt land which provides space between the area's villages and towns thus preventing urban sprawl eliminating the rural nature of a North Hertfordshire.
Clearly the traffic and flooding issues of the area need to be resolved before consideration is given to any substantial house building.
A retrospective approach with the traffic gridlocked and flooded properties in the area is not the way forward.

Policy Sp1 - Sustainable Development in North Herts Building 300 plus houses onto a village of 340 properties is not meeting in a sustainable way the needs of the residents of Wymondley. It brings with it issues of coalescence.
There does not appear to be in place any infrastructure, support plans or funding which would be needed to support a development of this scale.
The council has produced no evidence of exceptional circumstance to build on the Green Belt. They have unused Brownfield sites and non- Greenbelt sites available.
A development of this scale with hard surface run-off, particularly from roadways, will increase the flood risk in Little Wymondley which has a recent history of significant flooding.

Policy Sp 5 - Countryside and Green Belt This supports the principles of the Green Belt. The council has not, we believe, demonstrated or justified removing land from the Green Belt to make it available for building.

Policy Sp 6 - Sustainable Transport
The local area is already prone to gridlock on a daily basis in the rush hour and any minor delay can be the trigger.
The junction in Great Wymondley is identified by the council themselves as a particular problem. It already it has extremely high levels of 'rat running' as the Neighbourhood Plan traffic data confirms.
The local country lanes cannot simply be widened as this would destroy the rural nature of the parish.
The situation is made worse by the inability of the A1M to cope with the volume of traffic, forcing motorists to use alternative routes through the villages.

Policy Sp 8 - Housing
A 100% increase in the size of Little Wymondley housing stock is disproportionate to local needs as confirmed by the Neighbourhood Plan.
Hitchin on the other hand is just being asked to have a 10% increase!

Policy Sp 10 - Healthy Communities
Removing existing Green Belt land seems to be at odds with the policy statement to protect, enhance and create new physical green infrastructure to foster healthy lifestyles.
The levels of airborne pollution on the A602 already regularly exceeds the legal limits at the Air Quality Monitoring Point and is already one of the worst in the county. Additional traffic can only make the situation for the residents.

Policy Sp 11 - Natural Resources and Sustainability There is no budget to address the issue of the collapsed culvert in Stevenage Road which contributes significantly to flooding risk.
The drain clearing programme is ineffective and also adds to the flooding problem.
The SuDs regulation would not cover all aspects of a potential large scale development and hard surface run off would again contribute to potential flooding. The EA flood maps also shows the potential for water run off from the south of Stevenage Road.

Site WY1

The surface water movement through Little Wymondley is a major issue and there is currently no structural plan or adequate financial commitment to address this issue satisfactorily .
Currently surface water runoff from agricultural land to the north of the village and downstream water from Corey's Mill is sufficient to create flooding of properties in Stevenage Road Little Wymondley as has happened historically.
There is not just the problem of surface water runoff from the possible additional building in Little Wymondley but the construction of hundreds of houses in the upstream catchment area on the eastern side of the A1M with its associated runoff.
Additionally plans by Stevenage Borough Council to build an industrial complex directly on the flood plain at Corey's Mill will make the situation even worse.
Downstream at Nine Springs at the bottom of the Wymondley Road a greater flow of water will create a significant additional flood risk to properties bordering the stream culvert.
A practical and funded solution must be found for these problems before any commitment to further building is given the go ahead.

In Conclusion:-
The Wymondley Neighbourhood Plan states the residents' acceptance for housing need but that it must be on a manageable scale.
The Plan also clearly states opposition to building on Green Belt land which provides space between the area's villages and towns thus preventing urban sprawl eliminating the rural nature of a North Hertfordshire.
Clearly the traffic and flooding issues of the area need to be resolved before consideration is given to any substantial house building.
A retrospective approach with the traffic gridlocked and flooded properties in the area is not the way forward.

Policy Sp1 - Sustainable Development in North Herts Building 300 plus houses onto a village of 340 properties is not meeting in a sustainable way the needs of the residents of Wymondley. It brings with it issues of coalescence.
There does not appear to be in place any infrastructure, support plans or funding which would be needed to support a development of this scale.
The council has produced no evidence of exceptional circumstance to build on the Green Belt. They have unused Brownfield sites and non- Greenbelt sites available.
A development of this scale with hard surface run-off, particularly from roadways, will increase the flood risk in Little Wymondley which has a recent history of significant flooding.

Policy Sp 5 - Countryside and Green Belt This supports the principles of the Green Belt. The council has not, we believe, demonstrated or justified removing land from the Green Belt to make it available for building.

Policy Sp 6 - Sustainable Transport
The local area is already prone to gridlock on a daily basis in the rush hour and any minor delay can be the trigger.
The junction in Great Wymondley is identified by the council themselves as a particular problem. It already it has extremely high levels of 'rat running' as the Neighbourhood Plan traffic data confirms.
The local country lanes cannot simply be widened as this would destroy the rural nature of the parish.
The situation is made worse by the inability of the A1M to cope with the volume of traffic, forcing motorists to use alternative routes through the villages.

Policy Sp 8 - Housing
A 100% increase in the size of Little Wymondley housing stock is disproportionate to local needs as confirmed by the Neighbourhood Plan.
Hitchin on the other hand is just being asked to have a 10% increase!

Policy Sp 10 - Healthy Communities
Removing existing Green Belt land seems to be at odds with the policy statement to protect, enhance and create new physical green infrastructure to foster healthy lifestyles.
The levels of airborne pollution on the A602 already regularly exceeds the legal limits at the Air Quality Monitoring Point and is already one of the worst in the county. Additional traffic can only make the situation for the residents.

Policy Sp 11 - Natural Resources and Sustainability There is no budget to address the issue of the collapsed culvert in Stevenage Road which contributes significantly to flooding risk.
The drain clearing programme is ineffective and also adds to the flooding problem.
The SuDs regulation would not cover all aspects of a potential large scale development and hard surface run off would again contribute to potential flooding. The EA flood maps also shows the potential for water run off from the south of Stevenage Road.

Site WY1

The surface water movement through Little Wymondley is a major issue and there is currently no structural plan or adequate financial commitment to address this issue satisfactorily .
Currently surface water runoff from agricultural land to the north of the village and downstream water from Corey's Mill is sufficient to create flooding of properties in Stevenage Road Little Wymondley as has happened historically.
There is not just the problem of surface water runoff from the possible additional building in Little Wymondley but the construction of hundreds of houses in the upstream catchment area on the eastern side of the A1M with its associated runoff.
Additionally plans by Stevenage Borough Council to build an industrial complex directly on the flood plain at Corey's Mill will make the situation even worse.
Downstream at Nine Springs at the bottom of the Wymondley Road a greater flow of water will create a significant additional flood risk to properties bordering the stream culvert.
A practical and funded solution must be found for these problems before any commitment to further building is given the go ahead.

In Conclusion:-
The Wymondley Neighbourhood Plan states the residents' acceptance for housing need but that it must be on a manageable scale.
The Plan also clearly states opposition to building on Green Belt land which provides space between the area's villages and towns thus preventing urban sprawl eliminating the rural nature of a North Hertfordshire.
Clearly the traffic and flooding issues of the area need to be resolved before consideration is given to any substantial house building.
A retrospective approach with the traffic gridlocked and flooded properties in the area is not the way forward.

Policy Sp1 - Sustainable Development in North Herts Building 300 plus houses onto a village of 340 properties is not meeting in a sustainable way the needs of the residents of Wymondley. It brings with it issues of coalescence.
There does not appear to be in place any infrastructure, support plans or funding which would be needed to support a development of this scale.
The council has produced no evidence of exceptional circumstance to build on the Green Belt. They have unused Brownfield sites and non- Greenbelt sites available.
A development of this scale with hard surface run-off, particularly from roadways, will increase the flood risk in Little Wymondley which has a recent history of significant flooding.

Policy Sp 5 - Countryside and Green Belt This supports the principles of the Green Belt. The council has not, we believe, demonstrated or justified removing land from the Green Belt to make it available for building.

Policy Sp 6 - Sustainable Transport
The local area is already prone to gridlock on a daily basis in the rush hour and any minor delay can be the trigger.
The junction in Great Wymondley is identified by the council themselves as a particular problem. It already it has extremely high levels of 'rat running' as the Neighbourhood Plan traffic data confirms.
The local country lanes cannot simply be widened as this would destroy the rural nature of the parish.
The situation is made worse by the inability of the A1M to cope with the volume of traffic, forcing motorists to use alternative routes through the villages.

Policy Sp 8 - Housing
A 100% increase in the size of Little Wymondley housing stock is disproportionate to local needs as confirmed by the Neighbourhood Plan.
Hitchin on the other hand is just being asked to have a 10% increase!

Policy Sp 10 - Healthy Communities
Removing existing Green Belt land seems to be at odds with the policy statement to protect, enhance and create new physical green infrastructure to foster healthy lifestyles.
The levels of airborne pollution on the A602 already regularly exceeds the legal limits at the Air Quality Monitoring Point and is already one of the worst in the county. Additional traffic can only make the situation for the residents.

Policy Sp 11 - Natural Resources and Sustainability There is no budget to address the issue of the collapsed culvert in Stevenage Road which contributes significantly to flooding risk.
The drain clearing programme is ineffective and also adds to the flooding problem.
The SuDs regulation would not cover all aspects of a potential large scale development and hard surface run off would again contribute to potential flooding. The EA flood maps also shows the potential for water run off from the south of Stevenage Road.

Site WY1

The surface water movement through Little Wymondley is a major issue and there is currently no structural plan or adequate financial commitment to address this issue satisfactorily .
Currently surface water runoff from agricultural land to the north of the village and downstream water from Corey's Mill is sufficient to create flooding of properties in Stevenage Road Little Wymondley as has happened historically.
There is not just the problem of surface water runoff from the possible additional building in Little Wymondley but the construction of hundreds of houses in the upstream catchment area on the eastern side of the A1M with its associated runoff.
Additionally plans by Stevenage Borough Council to build an industrial complex directly on the flood plain at Corey's Mill will make the situation even worse.
Downstream at Nine Springs at the bottom of the Wymondley Road a greater flow of water will create a significant additional flood risk to properties bordering the stream culvert.
A practical and funded solution must be found for these problems before any commitment to further building is given the go ahead.

In Conclusion:-
The Wymondley Neighbourhood Plan states the residents' acceptance for housing need but that it must be on a manageable scale.
The Plan also clearly states opposition to building on Green Belt land which provides space between the area's villages and towns thus preventing urban sprawl eliminating the rural nature of a North Hertfordshire.
Clearly the traffic and flooding issues of the area need to be resolved before consideration is given to any substantial house building.
A retrospective approach with the traffic gridlocked and flooded properties in the area is not the way forward.