Further Proposed Modifications to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011- 2031

This email is a written objection statement to the Further Modification to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (the Plan), May 2021.

As a resident of Barkway village, I am concerned by the clear lack of transparency of the process relating to the schedule of Further Modifications. This lack of transparency has meant that we (residents) have not had a fair or proportionate opportunity to put our case against the inclusion of site BK3 to the plan.

I fully support NHDC's previous request to remove site BK3 from their Local Plan. It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the draft schedule for Further Modifications. There has been no public correspondence between the Inspector and NHDC on the draft schedule for Further Modifications, only NHDC's assertion that the Inspector has agreed the schedule for Further Modifications.

To add to this, there has also been no public correspondence outlining the reasons why the Inspectors did not accept NHDCs request to exclude BK3 from the Local Plan.

I also object to the proposed enlarged of BK3 to include Hertfordshire County Council's School Site. BK3 land is not required nor has it been requested by Hertfordshire County Council. Therefore the inclusion of the School Site within the Examination Document ED175 in unjustified and should be removed. There are sufficient lower and primary schools within the area but little consideration appears to have been given to the increasing pressure this proposal will place on secondary/upper schools and the increased traffic in/out of Royston and Buntingford (to reach these schools), which are already heavily congested routes.

I would strongly dispute any traffic survey that has been carried out as part of the proposal, which does not recognise two key factors when reviewing the volume of traffic - 1) impact of Covid (heavily reduced traffic as many work from home and schools are closed or on staggered start/finish times) and 2) the impact of the other proposed housing development south side of Royston (for 300 new homes). Looking ahead 24-36 months, both proposals for additional housing will seriously and negatively impact in particular the two key routes in and out of Royston, the Barkway Road and A10. An additional lower/primary school in Barkway will not address this issue nor the need for children to receive a secondary education, which is currently via the nearest catchment school in Royston or alternatively, Buntingford. I drive along these roads daily, minimum 4 times to travel to work and to take children to school and even with the current reduced traffic (and without the additional housing) these routes can quickly become very congested due to the one way system in Royston.

It is stated numerous times in the Schedule of Further Modifications that the development of new homes in Barkway will provide contribution to school transport. School transport already exists. If this modification to introduce a bus service between Barley and Barkway was to remain, Barley would clearly be benefiting from the (over)development in Barkway. For the reasons highlighted above, the proposed contribution to the school transport between Barkway and Barley will have absolutely no impact on the real issues created by 140 extra houses being placed in a small villages i.e. the two main roads in and out of the nearest town Royston, which can not support the additional traffic.

Due to this I recommend that the following statements are deleted from the following documents, along with any reference to sharing contributions from development in Barkway with Barley:

MM215/FM111 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM216/FM112 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM219/FM114 "Contributions to support sustainable travel between the two sites should be secured from new developments.”

Finally the figures stated for Housing Allocations, Completions and Permissions are unjustified. MM217/FM113 states figures which have been given in the modification along with subsequent correction for these figures. However, no justification is provided for how the figures have been derived.
Please also note that MM010/FM039 states the homes expected to be delivered in Barkway village through the local plan period is 208. No evidence is given for this figure, nor has any justification been provided as to why Barkway has been identified as suitable to support housing levels higher than other Category A villages.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed development for new homes on the BK3 site. We have recently made the decision to move to Barkway to improve our quality of life. Our primary focus was to improve our health and wellbeing and provide a safe environment for our children to grow up in with lower volumes of traffic and pollution. A development such as the proposed BK3 would, without doubt negatively impact this and have a destructive impact on the environment. The noise, traffic and pollution that a development like BK3 would be truly devastating for a village like Barkway, and an impact on a historic village which would be completely irreversible.

A development of 140 new homes in a small village which does not even possess a local shop seems completely irrational and one I can not comprehend. The amount of increased traffic generated as new residents move in and out of the area would choke the village and key routes both in and out of Royston and Buntingford. Towns already under intense development themselves.

I sincerely hope that the technical challenges to the Local Plan listed above are appropriately responded to. I also hope that the personal plea to protect and preserve Barkway and the local area is positively considered.

This email is a written objection statement to the Further Modification to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (the Plan), May 2021.

As a resident of Barkway village, I am concerned by the clear lack of transparency of the process relating to the schedule of Further Modifications. This lack of transparency has meant that we (residents) have not had a fair or proportionate opportunity to put our case against the inclusion of site BK3 to the plan.

I fully support NHDC's previous request to remove site BK3 from their Local Plan. It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the draft schedule for Further Modifications. There has been no public correspondence between the Inspector and NHDC on the draft schedule for Further Modifications, only NHDC's assertion that the Inspector has agreed the schedule for Further Modifications.

To add to this, there has also been no public correspondence outlining the reasons why the Inspectors did not accept NHDCs request to exclude BK3 from the Local Plan.

I also object to the proposed enlarged of BK3 to include Hertfordshire County Council's School Site. BK3 land is not required nor has it been requested by Hertfordshire County Council. Therefore the inclusion of the School Site within the Examination Document ED175 in unjustified and should be removed. There are sufficient lower and primary schools within the area but little consideration appears to have been given to the increasing pressure this proposal will place on secondary/upper schools and the increased traffic in/out of Royston and Buntingford (to reach these schools), which are already heavily congested routes.

I would strongly dispute any traffic survey that has been carried out as part of the proposal, which does not recognise two key factors when reviewing the volume of traffic - 1) impact of Covid (heavily reduced traffic as many work from home and schools are closed or on staggered start/finish times) and 2) the impact of the other proposed housing development south side of Royston (for 300 new homes). Looking ahead 24-36 months, both proposals for additional housing will seriously and negatively impact in particular the two key routes in and out of Royston, the Barkway Road and A10. An additional lower/primary school in Barkway will not address this issue nor the need for children to receive a secondary education, which is currently via the nearest catchment school in Royston or alternatively, Buntingford. I drive along these roads daily, minimum 4 times to travel to work and to take children to school and even with the current reduced traffic (and without the additional housing) these routes can quickly become very congested due to the one way system in Royston.

It is stated numerous times in the Schedule of Further Modifications that the development of new homes in Barkway will provide contribution to school transport. School transport already exists. If this modification to introduce a bus service between Barley and Barkway was to remain, Barley would clearly be benefiting from the (over)development in Barkway. For the reasons highlighted above, the proposed contribution to the school transport between Barkway and Barley will have absolutely no impact on the real issues created by 140 extra houses being placed in a small villages i.e. the two main roads in and out of the nearest town Royston, which can not support the additional traffic.

Due to this I recommend that the following statements are deleted from the following documents, along with any reference to sharing contributions from development in Barkway with Barley:

MM215/FM111 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM216/FM112 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM219/FM114 "Contributions to support sustainable travel between the two sites should be secured from new developments.”

Finally the figures stated for Housing Allocations, Completions and Permissions are unjustified. MM217/FM113 states figures which have been given in the modification along with subsequent correction for these figures. However, no justification is provided for how the figures have been derived.
Please also note that MM010/FM039 states the homes expected to be delivered in Barkway village through the local plan period is 208. No evidence is given for this figure, nor has any justification been provided as to why Barkway has been identified as suitable to support housing levels higher than other Category A villages.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed development for new homes on the BK3 site. We have recently made the decision to move to Barkway to improve our quality of life. Our primary focus was to improve our health and wellbeing and provide a safe environment for our children to grow up in with lower volumes of traffic and pollution. A development such as the proposed BK3 would, without doubt negatively impact this and have a destructive impact on the environment. The noise, traffic and pollution that a development like BK3 would be truly devastating for a village like Barkway, and an impact on a historic village which would be completely irreversible.

A development of 140 new homes in a small village which does not even possess a local shop seems completely irrational and one I can not comprehend. The amount of increased traffic generated as new residents move in and out of the area would choke the village and key routes both in and out of Royston and Buntingford. Towns already under intense development themselves.

I sincerely hope that the technical challenges to the Local Plan listed above are appropriately responded to. I also hope that the personal plea to protect and preserve Barkway and the local area is positively considered.

This email is a written objection statement to the Further Modification to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (the Plan), May 2021.

As a resident of Barkway village, I am concerned by the clear lack of transparency of the process relating to the schedule of Further Modifications. This lack of transparency has meant that we (residents) have not had a fair or proportionate opportunity to put our case against the inclusion of site BK3 to the plan.

I fully support NHDC's previous request to remove site BK3 from their Local Plan. It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the draft schedule for Further Modifications. There has been no public correspondence between the Inspector and NHDC on the draft schedule for Further Modifications, only NHDC's assertion that the Inspector has agreed the schedule for Further Modifications.

To add to this, there has also been no public correspondence outlining the reasons why the Inspectors did not accept NHDCs request to exclude BK3 from the Local Plan.

I also object to the proposed enlarged of BK3 to include Hertfordshire County Council's School Site. BK3 land is not required nor has it been requested by Hertfordshire County Council. Therefore the inclusion of the School Site within the Examination Document ED175 in unjustified and should be removed. There are sufficient lower and primary schools within the area but little consideration appears to have been given to the increasing pressure this proposal will place on secondary/upper schools and the increased traffic in/out of Royston and Buntingford (to reach these schools), which are already heavily congested routes.

I would strongly dispute any traffic survey that has been carried out as part of the proposal, which does not recognise two key factors when reviewing the volume of traffic - 1) impact of Covid (heavily reduced traffic as many work from home and schools are closed or on staggered start/finish times) and 2) the impact of the other proposed housing development south side of Royston (for 300 new homes). Looking ahead 24-36 months, both proposals for additional housing will seriously and negatively impact in particular the two key routes in and out of Royston, the Barkway Road and A10. An additional lower/primary school in Barkway will not address this issue nor the need for children to receive a secondary education, which is currently via the nearest catchment school in Royston or alternatively, Buntingford. I drive along these roads daily, minimum 4 times to travel to work and to take children to school and even with the current reduced traffic (and without the additional housing) these routes can quickly become very congested due to the one way system in Royston.

It is stated numerous times in the Schedule of Further Modifications that the development of new homes in Barkway will provide contribution to school transport. School transport already exists. If this modification to introduce a bus service between Barley and Barkway was to remain, Barley would clearly be benefiting from the (over)development in Barkway. For the reasons highlighted above, the proposed contribution to the school transport between Barkway and Barley will have absolutely no impact on the real issues created by 140 extra houses being placed in a small villages i.e. the two main roads in and out of the nearest town Royston, which can not support the additional traffic.

Due to this I recommend that the following statements are deleted from the following documents, along with any reference to sharing contributions from development in Barkway with Barley:

MM215/FM111 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM216/FM112 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM219/FM114 "Contributions to support sustainable travel between the two sites should be secured from new developments.”

Finally the figures stated for Housing Allocations, Completions and Permissions are unjustified. MM217/FM113 states figures which have been given in the modification along with subsequent correction for these figures. However, no justification is provided for how the figures have been derived.
Please also note that MM010/FM039 states the homes expected to be delivered in Barkway village through the local plan period is 208. No evidence is given for this figure, nor has any justification been provided as to why Barkway has been identified as suitable to support housing levels higher than other Category A villages.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed development for new homes on the BK3 site. We have recently made the decision to move to Barkway to improve our quality of life. Our primary focus was to improve our health and wellbeing and provide a safe environment for our children to grow up in with lower volumes of traffic and pollution. A development such as the proposed BK3 would, without doubt negatively impact this and have a destructive impact on the environment. The noise, traffic and pollution that a development like BK3 would be truly devastating for a village like Barkway, and an impact on a historic village which would be completely irreversible.

A development of 140 new homes in a small village which does not even possess a local shop seems completely irrational and one I can not comprehend. The amount of increased traffic generated as new residents move in and out of the area would choke the village and key routes both in and out of Royston and Buntingford. Towns already under intense development themselves.

I sincerely hope that the technical challenges to the Local Plan listed above are appropriately responded to. I also hope that the personal plea to protect and preserve Barkway and the local area is positively considered.

This email is a written objection statement to the Further Modification to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (the Plan), May 2021.

As a resident of Barkway village, I am concerned by the clear lack of transparency of the process relating to the schedule of Further Modifications. This lack of transparency has meant that we (residents) have not had a fair or proportionate opportunity to put our case against the inclusion of site BK3 to the plan.

I fully support NHDC's previous request to remove site BK3 from their Local Plan. It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the draft schedule for Further Modifications. There has been no public correspondence between the Inspector and NHDC on the draft schedule for Further Modifications, only NHDC's assertion that the Inspector has agreed the schedule for Further Modifications.

To add to this, there has also been no public correspondence outlining the reasons why the Inspectors did not accept NHDCs request to exclude BK3 from the Local Plan.

I also object to the proposed enlarged of BK3 to include Hertfordshire County Council's School Site. BK3 land is not required nor has it been requested by Hertfordshire County Council. Therefore the inclusion of the School Site within the Examination Document ED175 in unjustified and should be removed. There are sufficient lower and primary schools within the area but little consideration appears to have been given to the increasing pressure this proposal will place on secondary/upper schools and the increased traffic in/out of Royston and Buntingford (to reach these schools), which are already heavily congested routes.

I would strongly dispute any traffic survey that has been carried out as part of the proposal, which does not recognise two key factors when reviewing the volume of traffic - 1) impact of Covid (heavily reduced traffic as many work from home and schools are closed or on staggered start/finish times) and 2) the impact of the other proposed housing development south side of Royston (for 300 new homes). Looking ahead 24-36 months, both proposals for additional housing will seriously and negatively impact in particular the two key routes in and out of Royston, the Barkway Road and A10. An additional lower/primary school in Barkway will not address this issue nor the need for children to receive a secondary education, which is currently via the nearest catchment school in Royston or alternatively, Buntingford. I drive along these roads daily, minimum 4 times to travel to work and to take children to school and even with the current reduced traffic (and without the additional housing) these routes can quickly become very congested due to the one way system in Royston.

It is stated numerous times in the Schedule of Further Modifications that the development of new homes in Barkway will provide contribution to school transport. School transport already exists. If this modification to introduce a bus service between Barley and Barkway was to remain, Barley would clearly be benefiting from the (over)development in Barkway. For the reasons highlighted above, the proposed contribution to the school transport between Barkway and Barley will have absolutely no impact on the real issues created by 140 extra houses being placed in a small villages i.e. the two main roads in and out of the nearest town Royston, which can not support the additional traffic.

Due to this I recommend that the following statements are deleted from the following documents, along with any reference to sharing contributions from development in Barkway with Barley:

MM215/FM111 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM216/FM112 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM219/FM114 "Contributions to support sustainable travel between the two sites should be secured from new developments.”

Finally the figures stated for Housing Allocations, Completions and Permissions are unjustified. MM217/FM113 states figures which have been given in the modification along with subsequent correction for these figures. However, no justification is provided for how the figures have been derived.
Please also note that MM010/FM039 states the homes expected to be delivered in Barkway village through the local plan period is 208. No evidence is given for this figure, nor has any justification been provided as to why Barkway has been identified as suitable to support housing levels higher than other Category A villages.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed development for new homes on the BK3 site. We have recently made the decision to move to Barkway to improve our quality of life. Our primary focus was to improve our health and wellbeing and provide a safe environment for our children to grow up in with lower volumes of traffic and pollution. A development such as the proposed BK3 would, without doubt negatively impact this and have a destructive impact on the environment. The noise, traffic and pollution that a development like BK3 would be truly devastating for a village like Barkway, and an impact on a historic village which would be completely irreversible.

A development of 140 new homes in a small village which does not even possess a local shop seems completely irrational and one I can not comprehend. The amount of increased traffic generated as new residents move in and out of the area would choke the village and key routes both in and out of Royston and Buntingford. Towns already under intense development themselves.

I sincerely hope that the technical challenges to the Local Plan listed above are appropriately responded to. I also hope that the personal plea to protect and preserve Barkway and the local area is positively considered.

This email is a written objection statement to the Further Modification to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (the Plan), May 2021.

As a resident of Barkway village, I am concerned by the clear lack of transparency of the process relating to the schedule of Further Modifications. This lack of transparency has meant that we (residents) have not had a fair or proportionate opportunity to put our case against the inclusion of site BK3 to the plan.

I fully support NHDC's previous request to remove site BK3 from their Local Plan. It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the draft schedule for Further Modifications. There has been no public correspondence between the Inspector and NHDC on the draft schedule for Further Modifications, only NHDC's assertion that the Inspector has agreed the schedule for Further Modifications.

To add to this, there has also been no public correspondence outlining the reasons why the Inspectors did not accept NHDCs request to exclude BK3 from the Local Plan.

I also object to the proposed enlarged of BK3 to include Hertfordshire County Council's School Site. BK3 land is not required nor has it been requested by Hertfordshire County Council. Therefore the inclusion of the School Site within the Examination Document ED175 in unjustified and should be removed. There are sufficient lower and primary schools within the area but little consideration appears to have been given to the increasing pressure this proposal will place on secondary/upper schools and the increased traffic in/out of Royston and Buntingford (to reach these schools), which are already heavily congested routes.

I would strongly dispute any traffic survey that has been carried out as part of the proposal, which does not recognise two key factors when reviewing the volume of traffic - 1) impact of Covid (heavily reduced traffic as many work from home and schools are closed or on staggered start/finish times) and 2) the impact of the other proposed housing development south side of Royston (for 300 new homes). Looking ahead 24-36 months, both proposals for additional housing will seriously and negatively impact in particular the two key routes in and out of Royston, the Barkway Road and A10. An additional lower/primary school in Barkway will not address this issue nor the need for children to receive a secondary education, which is currently via the nearest catchment school in Royston or alternatively, Buntingford. I drive along these roads daily, minimum 4 times to travel to work and to take children to school and even with the current reduced traffic (and without the additional housing) these routes can quickly become very congested due to the one way system in Royston.

It is stated numerous times in the Schedule of Further Modifications that the development of new homes in Barkway will provide contribution to school transport. School transport already exists. If this modification to introduce a bus service between Barley and Barkway was to remain, Barley would clearly be benefiting from the (over)development in Barkway. For the reasons highlighted above, the proposed contribution to the school transport between Barkway and Barley will have absolutely no impact on the real issues created by 140 extra houses being placed in a small villages i.e. the two main roads in and out of the nearest town Royston, which can not support the additional traffic.

Due to this I recommend that the following statements are deleted from the following documents, along with any reference to sharing contributions from development in Barkway with Barley:

MM215/FM111 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM216/FM112 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM219/FM114 "Contributions to support sustainable travel between the two sites should be secured from new developments.”

Finally the figures stated for Housing Allocations, Completions and Permissions are unjustified. MM217/FM113 states figures which have been given in the modification along with subsequent correction for these figures. However, no justification is provided for how the figures have been derived.
Please also note that MM010/FM039 states the homes expected to be delivered in Barkway village through the local plan period is 208. No evidence is given for this figure, nor has any justification been provided as to why Barkway has been identified as suitable to support housing levels higher than other Category A villages.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed development for new homes on the BK3 site. We have recently made the decision to move to Barkway to improve our quality of life. Our primary focus was to improve our health and wellbeing and provide a safe environment for our children to grow up in with lower volumes of traffic and pollution. A development such as the proposed BK3 would, without doubt negatively impact this and have a destructive impact on the environment. The noise, traffic and pollution that a development like BK3 would be truly devastating for a village like Barkway, and an impact on a historic village which would be completely irreversible.

A development of 140 new homes in a small village which does not even possess a local shop seems completely irrational and one I can not comprehend. The amount of increased traffic generated as new residents move in and out of the area would choke the village and key routes both in and out of Royston and Buntingford. Towns already under intense development themselves.

I sincerely hope that the technical challenges to the Local Plan listed above are appropriately responded to. I also hope that the personal plea to protect and preserve Barkway and the local area is positively considered.

This email is a written objection statement to the Further Modification to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (the Plan), May 2021.

As a resident of Barkway village, I am concerned by the clear lack of transparency of the process relating to the schedule of Further Modifications. This lack of transparency has meant that we (residents) have not had a fair or proportionate opportunity to put our case against the inclusion of site BK3 to the plan.

I fully support NHDC's previous request to remove site BK3 from their Local Plan. It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the draft schedule for Further Modifications. There has been no public correspondence between the Inspector and NHDC on the draft schedule for Further Modifications, only NHDC's assertion that the Inspector has agreed the schedule for Further Modifications.

To add to this, there has also been no public correspondence outlining the reasons why the Inspectors did not accept NHDCs request to exclude BK3 from the Local Plan.

I also object to the proposed enlarged of BK3 to include Hertfordshire County Council's School Site. BK3 land is not required nor has it been requested by Hertfordshire County Council. Therefore the inclusion of the School Site within the Examination Document ED175 in unjustified and should be removed. There are sufficient lower and primary schools within the area but little consideration appears to have been given to the increasing pressure this proposal will place on secondary/upper schools and the increased traffic in/out of Royston and Buntingford (to reach these schools), which are already heavily congested routes.

I would strongly dispute any traffic survey that has been carried out as part of the proposal, which does not recognise two key factors when reviewing the volume of traffic - 1) impact of Covid (heavily reduced traffic as many work from home and schools are closed or on staggered start/finish times) and 2) the impact of the other proposed housing development south side of Royston (for 300 new homes). Looking ahead 24-36 months, both proposals for additional housing will seriously and negatively impact in particular the two key routes in and out of Royston, the Barkway Road and A10. An additional lower/primary school in Barkway will not address this issue nor the need for children to receive a secondary education, which is currently via the nearest catchment school in Royston or alternatively, Buntingford. I drive along these roads daily, minimum 4 times to travel to work and to take children to school and even with the current reduced traffic (and without the additional housing) these routes can quickly become very congested due to the one way system in Royston.

It is stated numerous times in the Schedule of Further Modifications that the development of new homes in Barkway will provide contribution to school transport. School transport already exists. If this modification to introduce a bus service between Barley and Barkway was to remain, Barley would clearly be benefiting from the (over)development in Barkway. For the reasons highlighted above, the proposed contribution to the school transport between Barkway and Barley will have absolutely no impact on the real issues created by 140 extra houses being placed in a small villages i.e. the two main roads in and out of the nearest town Royston, which can not support the additional traffic.

Due to this I recommend that the following statements are deleted from the following documents, along with any reference to sharing contributions from development in Barkway with Barley:

MM215/FM111 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM216/FM112 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM219/FM114 "Contributions to support sustainable travel between the two sites should be secured from new developments.”

Finally the figures stated for Housing Allocations, Completions and Permissions are unjustified. MM217/FM113 states figures which have been given in the modification along with subsequent correction for these figures. However, no justification is provided for how the figures have been derived.
Please also note that MM010/FM039 states the homes expected to be delivered in Barkway village through the local plan period is 208. No evidence is given for this figure, nor has any justification been provided as to why Barkway has been identified as suitable to support housing levels higher than other Category A villages.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed development for new homes on the BK3 site. We have recently made the decision to move to Barkway to improve our quality of life. Our primary focus was to improve our health and wellbeing and provide a safe environment for our children to grow up in with lower volumes of traffic and pollution. A development such as the proposed BK3 would, without doubt negatively impact this and have a destructive impact on the environment. The noise, traffic and pollution that a development like BK3 would be truly devastating for a village like Barkway, and an impact on a historic village which would be completely irreversible.

A development of 140 new homes in a small village which does not even possess a local shop seems completely irrational and one I can not comprehend. The amount of increased traffic generated as new residents move in and out of the area would choke the village and key routes both in and out of Royston and Buntingford. Towns already under intense development themselves.

I sincerely hope that the technical challenges to the Local Plan listed above are appropriately responded to. I also hope that the personal plea to protect and preserve Barkway and the local area is positively considered.

This email is a written objection statement to the Further Modification to the North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 - 2031 (the Plan), May 2021.

As a resident of Barkway village, I am concerned by the clear lack of transparency of the process relating to the schedule of Further Modifications. This lack of transparency has meant that we (residents) have not had a fair or proportionate opportunity to put our case against the inclusion of site BK3 to the plan.

I fully support NHDC's previous request to remove site BK3 from their Local Plan. It is therefore extremely disappointing to see the draft schedule for Further Modifications. There has been no public correspondence between the Inspector and NHDC on the draft schedule for Further Modifications, only NHDC's assertion that the Inspector has agreed the schedule for Further Modifications.

To add to this, there has also been no public correspondence outlining the reasons why the Inspectors did not accept NHDCs request to exclude BK3 from the Local Plan.

I also object to the proposed enlarged of BK3 to include Hertfordshire County Council's School Site. BK3 land is not required nor has it been requested by Hertfordshire County Council. Therefore the inclusion of the School Site within the Examination Document ED175 in unjustified and should be removed. There are sufficient lower and primary schools within the area but little consideration appears to have been given to the increasing pressure this proposal will place on secondary/upper schools and the increased traffic in/out of Royston and Buntingford (to reach these schools), which are already heavily congested routes.

I would strongly dispute any traffic survey that has been carried out as part of the proposal, which does not recognise two key factors when reviewing the volume of traffic - 1) impact of Covid (heavily reduced traffic as many work from home and schools are closed or on staggered start/finish times) and 2) the impact of the other proposed housing development south side of Royston (for 300 new homes). Looking ahead 24-36 months, both proposals for additional housing will seriously and negatively impact in particular the two key routes in and out of Royston, the Barkway Road and A10. An additional lower/primary school in Barkway will not address this issue nor the need for children to receive a secondary education, which is currently via the nearest catchment school in Royston or alternatively, Buntingford. I drive along these roads daily, minimum 4 times to travel to work and to take children to school and even with the current reduced traffic (and without the additional housing) these routes can quickly become very congested due to the one way system in Royston.

It is stated numerous times in the Schedule of Further Modifications that the development of new homes in Barkway will provide contribution to school transport. School transport already exists. If this modification to introduce a bus service between Barley and Barkway was to remain, Barley would clearly be benefiting from the (over)development in Barkway. For the reasons highlighted above, the proposed contribution to the school transport between Barkway and Barley will have absolutely no impact on the real issues created by 140 extra houses being placed in a small villages i.e. the two main roads in and out of the nearest town Royston, which can not support the additional traffic.

Due to this I recommend that the following statements are deleted from the following documents, along with any reference to sharing contributions from development in Barkway with Barley:

MM215/FM111 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM216/FM112 "Contribution towards travel by sustainable modes of transport between Barley and Barkway schools”

MM219/FM114 "Contributions to support sustainable travel between the two sites should be secured from new developments.”

Finally the figures stated for Housing Allocations, Completions and Permissions are unjustified. MM217/FM113 states figures which have been given in the modification along with subsequent correction for these figures. However, no justification is provided for how the figures have been derived.
Please also note that MM010/FM039 states the homes expected to be delivered in Barkway village through the local plan period is 208. No evidence is given for this figure, nor has any justification been provided as to why Barkway has been identified as suitable to support housing levels higher than other Category A villages.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed development for new homes on the BK3 site. We have recently made the decision to move to Barkway to improve our quality of life. Our primary focus was to improve our health and wellbeing and provide a safe environment for our children to grow up in with lower volumes of traffic and pollution. A development such as the proposed BK3 would, without doubt negatively impact this and have a destructive impact on the environment. The noise, traffic and pollution that a development like BK3 would be truly devastating for a village like Barkway, and an impact on a historic village which would be completely irreversible.

A development of 140 new homes in a small village which does not even possess a local shop seems completely irrational and one I can not comprehend. The amount of increased traffic generated as new residents move in and out of the area would choke the village and key routes both in and out of Royston and Buntingford. Towns already under intense development themselves.

I sincerely hope that the technical challenges to the Local Plan listed above are appropriately responded to. I also hope that the personal plea to protect and preserve Barkway and the local area is positively considered.