Testun llawn:
I am pleased to see that the revised Plan more clearly reflects the feelings and wishes of the village. The reduced number of dwellings is far more reasonable for Kingswood. The preferred sites are of a smaller size and therefore also more suitable for a rural village location.
However, there are some concerns which I feel need to be addressed before the Plan is finalised.
The increase of 62 dwellings should be phased over the full period of the Plan, i.e. to 2029, to avoid any sudden large increase in the number of residents, which would cause problems with the existing limited infrastructure. This has been requested before,but so far we have had no reassurance from the council on this.
Over the period of the Plan, any "windfall sites" should be included in the number of 62 new dwellings permitted. We have also sought clarification on this point before, and had no response from the Council.
The preferred sites are all central in the village, and consequently the increased traffic could pose a problem in an area that already suffers from congestion due to parking around the Village Shop, the garage, and the school, and problems at the junction of Brome Hall Lane, and the entrances to the surgery and village hall. Particular attention should be paid to ways of mitigating the impact of extra traffic in these areas.
There are flooding issues in many parts of Kingswood, and an increase in the number of dwellings must have some effect on these areas. Therefore it is important to have a thorough investigation of the sites before any new building is permitted, to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent flooding being increased in either these areas, or those adjacent.
The brown line of the settlement boundary, as shown in your proposed Plan, should remain the defining boundary for all development for the duration of the plan, with no land outside it being made available for development, and any sites within it being allowed only at the density level of existing housing.. No large scale developments should be allowed which are inappropriate for the area.
There is a shortage of housing in the area for both first-time buyers, and young families. Therefore any Affordable Housing should first and foremost be made available to those with local connections.
I would hope that the Council would take all these points in to account, and consider the wishes of all the local residents, before finalising the details of the proposed Local Plan.