Warwick Local Plan - Preferred Options:
Formal Representations - Land at Station Lane,
Lapworth.
We act on behalf of The Trustees of the F S Johnson 78NEL Settlement in respect of land at
Station Lane, Lapworth, and welcome the opportunity to make representations on the Warwick
Local Plan Preferred Options Development Plan Document (DPD). The extent of the land
ownership is shown on the attached plan, and I am pleased to set out our formal representations
below.
General Comments.
1. We support the principle for delivering 'Our Vision for the District' which proposes to meet
the housing needs of the existing and future population of the District, including the
identification of land for around 550 new homes per annum on new allocated sites, and
proposing to distribute development across the District.
Comments on Specific Policies.
PO3: Broad Location of Growth
2. We support the Council's Preferred Option to distribute growth across the District,
including within and / or on the edge of some villages, and to allow for a hierarchy of
growth in the rural area to include a higher level of growth in those villages with a broad
range of services and public transport to the towns.
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PO4: Distribution of Sites for Housing
3. We welcome and support the identification of Lapworth as a Category 1 village in
recognition of the range of services and public transport links available within the
settlement. We also support the explicit recognition given in the policy to the need to
define the boundaries of village envelopes, and then to exclude land within those village
envelopes from the green belt to enable development to take place.
4. We support the proposal to allocate land for 100 dwellings within Lapworth to be built and
phased across the three phases of the Plan up to 2029.
5. The supporting text, in paragraph 7.36, confirms that in the case of category 1 and 2
villages which are currently 'washed over' within the green belt, it will be necessary to
identify areas with potential for limited development and include it within a village
envelope along with the built up area of the village. The boundary of the green belt would
be adjusted accordingly around the village envelope.
6. In the case of Lapworth, the current village envelope reflects the largely linear nature of
the settlement, and includes the development along the length of Station Lane and two
small consolidated areas of development along the Old Warwick Road to either side of
the railway bridge.
7. In our view, the opportunities to identify land that would be seen as a 'natural extension'
of the current village envelope are limited, being constrained by the clear physical
boundary provided by the railway line, the location of the Grand Union and Stratford
Canals, the land at risk of flooding, and by the presence of attractive natural features such
as wooded areas or trees.
8. However, our clients' land provides one of those limited opportunities where development
could take place to provide the additional new housing that is needed whilst being seen
as a natural extension of the village envelope.
9. The land is located within Station Lane, with a frontage to the eastern side of the road
between an existing ribbon of houses to the south, which are already included within the
village envelope, and a further ribbon of houses that are not currently within the envelope
boundary. On the opposite, western side of the road, there is an established line of
relatively closely packed houses, and the frontage is therefore seen within an urban
context such that its inclusion within the envelope would be seen to be entirely
appropriate.
10. The land is very close to the village railway station and therefore provides a highly
sustainable location for new residents who need not be dependent on the use of a private
car to access employment opportunities or the higher order level of services and facilities
available in town and city centres.
11. The land is unconstrained, being open and available to accommodate a range of
development options. Field boundary hedging could be retained as part of any scheme of
development if desired, and access could be provided along the Station Lane frontage
whilst retaining the two existing mature trees. Only the strip of land along the canal lies
within the flood area, but this part of the site would be excluded from consideration in any
event.
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12. The land is within the central part of the village, as defined by the current village
envelope, rather than at the periphery and therefore the village school, post office and
shops and services are all within easy walking distance.
13. The existing field boundaries would provide clear physical boundaries which could be
utilised to define a robust and defensible boundary to the enlarged village envelope.
14. The land is one of only 3 gaps on the eastern side of Station Lane which lie outside the
current village envelope, which otherwise embraces the development along both sides of
the road. Whilst the land to the north of Meadow Lane is closest to the station, it is welltreed
and the removal of those trees as a consequence of development would result in
the loss of an attractive feature in the Lane. Of the two remaining gaps, our clients' land is
closer to the village centre than the land near Kingswood Close, enhancing its credentials
for selection as a first-choice allocated housing site.
15. The extent of the land available lends itself to a variety of development options, including
cul-de-sac development to mirror similar patterns of development elsewhere within the
village, including Station Lane, without looking in any way out of place or out of character
with the prevailing pattern and style of development within Station Lane, whilst providing
for the housing needs of the village.
16. In short, our clients' land constitutes the best opportunity available within the village to
achieve the housing requirement for Lapworth in a manner that meets the normal planning
objectives for site selection whilst minimising the impact on the village environment. It is a
'natural' infill opportunity within a Lane that is largely characterised by linear development
on both sides, and its development would be easily absorbed into the built fabric of the
village without appearing, in any way, to look out of place or out of character. On that basis,
and on behalf of our clients, we commend the merits of the site to the Council and request
that it be favourably considered as a formal housing land allocation in the next stage of the
plan preparation with the publication of the Draft Plan early in 2013.
17. We formally request that land forming part of our client's land holding at Station Lane be
allocated for housing development and included within an expanded village envelope for
Lapworth to accommodate the housing