Proposed Main Modifications

I wish to lodge my objections to the following aspects of the proposed NHDC Local Plan:

1. The proposed plan to build houses on NHDC Green Belt Land to the east of Luton around Cockernhoe, Mangrove and Tea Green will undo the successful green lung and buffer zone, which has contained the unwise expansion of Luton near to an ever expanding Luton Airport.

Expansion of housing has already accelerated in and around Luton and on the former Vauxhall site, to the point that the area is now unrecognisable to long standing residents. Does Luton really still have an unmet need and should it be met in the most polluted area of the borough, which will only cause greater pollution as more cars will spread out on daily journeys across country on small already congested roads.

2. I object to the removal of the Green Belt around Luton by NHDC and then to the blanket imposition of the new Green Belt across areas in Hertfordshire to try to contain Luton's expansion which they are proposing to "facilitate".

Many villages covered by this "New Green Belt" have the need for small scale appropriate housing for their existing growing elderly populations, who are living in large inappropriate accommodation and would like to stay in their communities in single-storey accommodation. This will be made much more difficult, if not impossible, by imposing a "blanket Green Belt" across villages that were never in the Green Belt.

The scale of exodus from these villages is frightening eg Kings Walden Census 2001 1,600 people Census 2011 1,015 people. This has problems then for key local services, primary schools and creates communities that are no longer cohesive.

NHDC will achieve a quick fix in terms of housing numbers to the east of Luton, whilst destroying the Green Belt policy that has worked there for some time, and imposing a blanket approach elsewhere with no consultation which will lead to further damage to rural communities by failing to allow small scale single-storey flexible homes to be built in villages.

This should not be allowed to occur and is not planning it's just a quick fix in terms of numbers and has frightening consequences for residents of villages in rural Hertfordshire.

I wish to lodge my objections to the following aspects of the proposed NHDC Local Plan:

1. The proposed plan to build houses on NHDC Green Belt Land to the east of Luton around Cockernhoe, Mangrove and Tea Green will undo the successful green lung and buffer zone, which has contained the unwise expansion of Luton near to an ever expanding Luton Airport.

Expansion of housing has already accelerated in and around Luton and on the former Vauxhall site, to the point that the area is now unrecognisable to long standing residents. Does Luton really still have an unmet need and should it be met in the most polluted area of the borough, which will only cause greater pollution as more cars will spread out on daily journeys across country on small already congested roads.

2. I object to the removal of the Green Belt around Luton by NHDC and then to the blanket imposition of the new Green Belt across areas in Hertfordshire to try to contain Luton's expansion which they are proposing to "facilitate".

Many villages covered by this "New Green Belt" have the need for small scale appropriate housing for their existing growing elderly populations, who are living in large inappropriate accommodation and would like to stay in their communities in single-storey accommodation. This will be made much more difficult, if not impossible, by imposing a "blanket Green Belt" across villages that were never in the Green Belt.

The scale of exodus from these villages is frightening eg Kings Walden Census 2001 1,600 people Census 2011 1,015 people. This has problems then for key local services, primary schools and creates communities that are no longer cohesive.

NHDC will achieve a quick fix in terms of housing numbers to the east of Luton, whilst destroying the Green Belt policy that has worked there for some time, and imposing a blanket approach elsewhere with no consultation which will lead to further damage to rural communities by failing to allow small scale single-storey flexible homes to be built in villages.

This should not be allowed to occur and is not planning it's just a quick fix in terms of numbers and has frightening consequences for residents of villages in rural Hertfordshire.