Questions & Answers
Frequently asked questions, including the tricky ones, are answered on this page. Click on a question to reveal the answer. If still can't find your answer please feel free to ask us.
Q: Why were we originally told the proposed site is by Lessiters in Woolmer Green?
A: When the campaign started we hadn’t identified a site but were looking around at various options. Aafter a few weeks we were offered the Knebworth South site. Recently we realised the site near Lessiters was mentioned again in the newspapers and we have since discussed this with them and we are now all clear as to the proposed location. Our website has displayed maps showing the Knebworth South site since June. We have not printed or published information specifying any other site.
Q: How would it benefit the community by destroying a picturesque field used by walkers, dog walkers, and with views enjoyed by residents that overlook the field?
A: It’s a very large plot of land (90 acres) and only a third of it will be used for building houses. Currently the field is private property and used by a farmer. Our proposal will make more of the land publically accessible. We will build woodlands, a park, a pond, all for public use. This would also enhance the ecological diversity of the site which is currently very limited.
Q: Will public and school transport be affected?
A: It would give us a chance to improve public transport for our villages. The situation regarding school buses could do with attention anyway, as at present there is no shelter and an unsafe waiting area (Knebworth Sites Appraisal 2007). If we could reduce the need for larger buses and use minibuses it would be safer for everyone, as we could use alternative pick up points.
Q: I think Knebworth should remain a village. Won’t 200 new homes turn it into a small town?
A: The North Herts Local Development Framework has identified 7 plots of land in Knebworth that are deemed suitable for house building. The purpose is to select one or two plots to build new homes, such is the demand from the East of England due to rapid population growth. This means the chances are new houses will be built in Knebworth anyway and there will probably be far more than 200. The 200 new homes our campaign proposes is the equivalent of two new roads. Two extra roads won’t turn a village into a town.
However, if the houses are built on the Welwyn Hatfield side of the land they will not adjoin Knebworth village, there would be a wide stretch of green between the new houses and the south side of Knebworth. It would also mean residents of Woodstock who look out onto the field will still see green.
Q: Greenbelt should not be built on. Why is the campaign proposing to do this?
A: The North Herts Local Development Framework (LDF) has already proposed to build on one of 6 green field sites. The Government are forcing green belt to be given up and councils are having to support this in order to find land to build new homes. We do not want to tarmac green fields, but our plan gives us the choice of building on only one third of the field and keeping the rest as a place of beauty with a new woodland, park, pond, and playing fields. The plans put forward by the LDF do not provide this choice while our proposal will enhance the ecology of the site attacting new wildlife, plants and insects.
Q: What will become of the existing cemetery?
A: The land the cemetery is on was donated by Knebworth Estates to the village. It now belongs to the council so we have no influence in its future. We will not disturb it.
Q: With new houses there will be extra demand for primary school places. If they become oversubscribed children will have to travel to Stevenage primary schools. Isn’t that counterproductive to the campaign’s arguments?
A: Local primary schools are already looking at ways to expand. For example, St Michael’s in Woolmer Green are increasing capacity and need more classrooms. The issue is being looked at now regardless of new houses being built. The extra demand would ensure the sustainability of the local junior schools as the there would be enough children to ensure the extra intakes are viable.
Q: New homes will put a strain on local resources such as doctors, trains and other infrastructure.
A: The doctor’s surgery stated their intention a while ago to move out of Knebworth to Stevenage. New homes could actually strengthen the case for keeping the surgery in Knebworth, it would certainly not give them further cause to move away. Trains at peak times from Knebworth appear to have capacity, certainly enough room for the small number of new residents who need to commute by train. The sewage problem for the entire area is already being investigated and an upgrade to expand capacity will be in the pipeline (pun intended) regardless of new houses being built or not.
Q: If schools in Stevenage are finding places for our children why do we need a new school in Knebworth?
A: Half of children in Knebworth are not given their first choice of school. A third didn't get their first, second or third choice! This percentage fairs badly with other towns and villages, especially Stevenage whose children get priority. In fact 98% of Stevenage get their first choice leaving Knebworth children to get what’s left over. We deserve to have the same chance of sending our children to our preferred choice of schools but this is not happening.
Children can’t walk or cycle from our villages to schools in Stevenage, but a local school will give the majority of them the opportunity to walk and by that they are exercising which is essential when childhood obesity is on the increase. This will in addition reduce the number of car journeys necessary.
Q: There could be an extra 300 vehicles in the village if there are 200 new houses. Isn’t that bad for traffic and the environment?
A: All of those cars won’t be in use at the same time, there won’t be a convoy of cars appearing from the new development. Half of those commuting to work by car or travelling to shopping centres will travel south without having to go through Knebworth. Because the school will be well within a 25 minute walking distance for at least half of the children there will be roughly 300 less school runs by car each morning. Therefore there will be no increase in traffic through Knebworth. Furthermore, there will be less traffic causing congestion on the road going up to Stevenage where existing school runs fill the road.
Q: Will the profit from the sale of 200 houses be enough to pay for construction of the school and community facilities, taking into account the cost of the utility infrastructure and tunnel under the railway line that’s required to access the land?
A: Yes, the expert we consulted said it is possible. We are working on a detailed financial plan to demonstrate its viability and will make it available on this website once it's complete.
Q: A percentage of new homes must be “affordable homes”. I heard the campaign wants to sell homes for £300K each. How is that affordable?
A: That figure is the average price of a home. Some will cost more (4 bed family houses) and some will cost less (1 and 2 beds for key workers such as teachers, police, & nurses). It is up to each local authority to define the requirements of affordable housing which we will be obligated to adhere to.
Q: Wouldn’t the school’s catchment area eventually expand to solve placement issues further afield resulting in local children not getting into the school?
A: The primary reason for building the school is to serve local children. The mums and dads putting their heart and soul into the campaign are only interested in getting a school for local use and our children will always have the priority, just as children in Stevenage are given the priority to attend their local schools ahead of outsiders from Knebworth.
Q; Is it safe to locate a school close to a railway?
A: As safe as it is to locate a village near a railway. We have lived with the railway in our village and will continue to do so. The railway is raised above ground level. There will be suitable protection to ensure the children’s safely.
Q: Will parents still drive to school anyway?
A; No, kids want to be independent at secondary school age, and when a school is local will be glad to make their own way to school with their friends. We are looking at initiatives in order to improve foot and cycle paths, ensuring the safety of our children.
Q: Didn’t the village secondary school in Wheathampstead close because there weren’t enough children attending?
A: We have spoken to a District Councillor from Wheathampstead who said it was a very successful school built in the 1960’s. There were 4 key reasons why it closed in 1989 which are...
1) National policy changed to favour 5-form entry schools and Wheathampstead was 3-form entry and had no space on its site to expand.
2) The County Council said they need to close a school because they had calculated the child population was going to decrease. Their calculations turned out to be completely wrong.
3) Malicious rumours were started saying that Wheathampstead is going to close. These rumours were untrue as no decision had been made, but was enough to cause parents to worry and send their children elsewhere. As a result fewer children enrolled and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
4) There was political interest to protect nearby Manland School from closure. “It was pure politics that closed Wheathampstead”, we are told by the District Councillor.
There is renewed demand in their village to build a new school because children are bussed off everywhere including to the other side of St Albans and parents rarely get their first or second choice of school.