* Why did you decide not to disperse the houses over the whole of the district? The concentrated location of large pitches in few areas south of Warwick, Leamington and Whitnash lacks social cohesion which leads to anti social behaviour and poor education performance. This majority of sites are south of the rivers and are around Warwick Gates and Chase Meadow; what kind of community is likely to be born as a result of these new pitches, especially as these are in areas with poor transport links to the areas that give the most support to the under privileged i.e. the town centres.

* We think that such a number of new sites contradicts the vision that Warwick District Council has, "providing a mix of historic towns and villages set within a rural landscape of open farmland and parklands".

* Utilities, Services (Police, Dentists, and Doctors etc.) are all stretched to the limit now. With both the major hospitals only accessible across congested bridges over the river Avon, we fear for how long it will take emergency cases to get the medical resources they need and this additional traffic will add to the congestion.

* The proposed site will be detrimental to the Health care provision for the G&T community through their remoteness from suitable capacity and suitable provision of service. It is recognised that this community will need good access to Primary, General and Specialist healthcare.

* The increase in traffic and noise arising additional, often heavy vehicles in this area will result in further pollution and add to existing air quality problems in Warwick and Leamington town centres. At peak times the traffic along Europa Way (even as far as the J14 M40), Gallows Hill, Tachbrook Road and Tachbrook Park Drive are already grid locked, your proposed development will simply be adding to the congestion already experienced. So far you have failed to fix the current problems and there is no evidence on your part to suggest that you will, even for when this proposed development is complete.

* We see no sense in carpeting our green spaces with housing for a mobile population to travel elsewhere. Our remaining agricultural land should be preserved to feed future generations. The UK currently imports around 40% of its food - an untenable situation as identified by DEFRA's Food Chain Analysis Group in December 2006. To carry-out non-sustainable development and changing agricultural usage green field land to built environment seems irresponsible and foolhardy at a time when Climate Change, Food Security, Energy Security and the Global Economy are all at large and likely to be so for some considerable time.


* There are simply not enough schools in the area to cope with these sites; Whitnash and Bishop's Tachbrook Primary Schools and Myton Secondary School are already heavily oversubscribed. New and existing schools are controlled by Warwickshire County Council; therefore the District Council is unable to guarantee that the large number of school age children who will live in the proposed sites will be able to find a local school to attend. Therefore, the capacity of the Schools in the area to provide secure and stable education to families moving into/out of the proposed Gypsy and Traveller site will compromise the G&T families' capability to provide a secure education to their children. The local authority have a legal duty to educate children as do their parents.
* Is it practical to expect local schools to be able to take on children as and when required? Do they have the space? Do they have the funding for these children? Due to the itinerant nature of these families' lifestyles, the children will often have difficulty keeping up or catching up with other pupils and will need the provision of extra resources like special needs teachers.

* Parents may have to travel miles in order to take their children to and from school. Alternatively, children may be required to walk long distances to and from school, which is likely to lead to an increase in truancy. This time spent travelling to and from school could be better spent actually focusing on their studies or enjoying recreational activities.

* It is very likely that many gypsy and traveller parents will have to travel to school by car. Travellers will also have to travel by car in order to reach their places of work. This will create even more morning and afternoon congestion on roads that are already extremely busy during these times. At peak times, the traffic along Europa Way (even as far as J14 of the M40), Gallows Hill, Tachbrook Road and Tachbrook Park drive, are grid locked. Your proposed developments will directly impact these roads.

* Public Transport - There is very limited public transport available in this area. The proposed site would mean residents of the G&T settlement would in reality have no alternative but to use private vehicles to travel to/from the site. The limited availability comprises only a very limited bus service, therefore if a Gypsy and Traveller site were to be established on this site it would result in an increase in the use of cars and other vehicles in the local area. This opposes a number of Warwick District Council's policies. This should be avoided both for the safety of the drivers, and the safety of children at the site.
* The huge increase in traffic in the area will result in an incredible increase in pollution and contribute to the existing air quality problems in Warwick and Leamington. The Highways Transport Development Control has estimated the potential increase in traffic to be in the order of 9 to 11 movements per pitch. Resulting in an additional 45 to 55 movements (2 way) per day on our busy local roads.
* It is interesting that the council choose to use the word "pitch" when we are considering an application for 5 "units". I do not feel it is safe to assume that an estimate made on the basis of a "pitch" equates to the same basis for a "unit"
* Even if the two terms did equate, we have to take into account that the planning application is only an illustration, and not a restriction on the use of the land. It would be quite feasible to park another 2 caravans on each "unit", thereby doubling the potential amount of traffic. This would result in 90 to 110 movements (2 way) per day.
* In order for people living in the area to travel into the town centre, it is necessary to cross the River Leam. There are currently only 3 bridges that make this possible, and these bridges can already become highly congested. Residents who move into the proposed sites will also have to travel this way in order to reach the facilities in Leamington town centre. The District Council has no control over plans for new roads or bridges and, therefore, is unable to rectify the problems they will be creating.

* Such a large number of proposed new sites in the area contradicts the very vision that Warwick District Council claims to have:

"A mix of historic towns and villages set within a rural landscape of open farmland and parklands, that have been developed a grown in a way which has protected their individual characteristics, and identities, contributed towards creating high quality safe environments with low levels of waste and pollution..." (The Preferred Vision for Warwick District to 2026: Point 1, Core Strategy document, June 2009).

* Of particular concern is the Southern area of Warwick, Leamington Spa and Whitnash as the Warwick Gates development of around 1,600 homes has already placed serious pressure on the roads and schools in this area and further development will seriously exacerbate the problem.
* Road Safety/Road Access - Road access to the site is via an extremely busy "A Road", where there have been a number of accidents over the years.

* If it becomes another suburb of Leamington Spa this will reduce the quality of life for the community here in Warwick Gates, Whitnash and in Bishops Tachbrook. The proposed site and associated facilities would not be suitable nor meet the needs of the gypsy and travelling community, nor the existing communities of Warwick Gates, Whitnash and Bishop's Tachbrook. I believe that this site is completely unsuitable for members of the gypsy and travelling communities and would severely compromise peaceful and integrated co-existence between the site and the local community.

* Employment - Employment opportunities within this area extremely limited with the demise of AP, Fords, IBM and other firms there is not the work available for incomers. Many people already leave the area to work elsewhere. A large proportion of people living on Warwick Gates commute up and down the M40 or by rail as far away as London. The proposed site would be therefore provide little opportunity for the G&T community to pursue careers and obtain employment.

* Foul Sewer: There is currently no provision on or near the site for the disposal of foul sewage into an adopted foul and surface water sewer system. Septic tanks only collect the solids, they are designed so that in principal, the foul water is allowed to overflow, run off slowly and be filtered as it passes through the ground. Septic tanks need emptying. An average septic tank is normally adequate for a family, and requires emptying once a year. This cost is normally paid for by the resident. It has not been made clear how the costs on the proposed site would be managed. In fact it is not clear if there is anyone responsible for emptying the tank. Failure to empty the tank would result in worse pollution than caused by the foul water run-off. We'd have to add solid sewage run-off to the problem. The provisions identified are considered inadequate and present an environmental threat to the area.

* Locating the site so near to residential areas would have a seriously detrimental impact on house prices. The increased risk of crime rates would also result in an increase in house insurance premiums.

* Flooding - The proposed site has a history of flooding. The proposed Gypsy and Traveller site will therefore compromise the G&T families' capability to provide a safe and pleasant living environment/habitat. I believe that the Task Force believe that the flooding issues can be simply resolved through use of Sustainable Drainage Systems; the cost of implementing SDS on this type of site is significant and not appropriate when public expenditure must be curtailed in response to the global recession/economic climate. This could potentially lead to unjustified and ill-directed resentment from the local community towards the residents of the "planning approved" site on the basis of funding/spend by the local authority when other more pressing needs in the area are currently facing severe budget cuts.

* I understand that the Gypsy community have stated that they wish to have sites located on the outskirts of towns, near schools, close to major roads and near to medical facilities. Therefore it is clear for the reasons outlined above that this G&T community needs. It would appear that there are other locations which are much more suitable.

* While there are grants to councils towards the provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites, these are nowhere near enough to cover the costs. Most of this will have to be borne by local council tax payers.
* There are many people who use the local roads for walking, jogging, cycling, and horse riding. With the expected increase in traffic, as mentioned above, and the potential for an increased number of animals (e.g. dogs), these road users will be put at increased risk.
* This is an agricultural area. Since the local land is water-logged, movement of farm machinery often leaves the roads muddy. What would be considered normal traffic on a clean main road would be considered unsafe on our muddy roads, and the danger to road users will be compounded by movement of G&T site traffic.