I wish to register my objection to the New Local Plan (2013) of Warwick District Council and in particular the proposal to place a Gypsy and Traveller Site at GT11 Land at Budbrooke Lodge, Racecourse and Hampton Road.
I have read the planning document and realise that it is necessary to offer a site for Gypsies and Travellers that is accessible and gives good access to local services. However, the local services are already stretched in the area with primary and secondary schools full. Access to a GP is already difficult as evidenced by the lengthy times taken to get an appointment with a doctor or nurse at the nearby New Dispensary Doctors Practice. Emergency appointments are usually available at present but these would be under increased demand if a transient population is nearby (transient populations are less likely to engage with preventative medicine which requires a relationship with a medical professional), giving further difficulty for routine and preventative care. The planning document emphasizes that it is essential that a new site for Gypsies and Travellers is not liable to flooding. The proposed GT11 site is known amongst local residents to be prone to regular flooding, though it is possible that this is not recorded in local flooding plots as the area does not currently have any important use. I realise that flooding can be avoided with work to waterways but that would be an unnecessary expense if the GT11 were not used. Further any work to prevent flooding will only move the problem to other locations.
Another difficulty I have with the proposal is due to the inevitable increase in traffic. I live on Purser Drive which is already a major thoroughfare for the estate. Most of the traffic along Purser Drive is local, mainly made up of private cars and small deliveries. The only larger vehicles regularly passing are for deliveries to the shops on the estate as building traffic is routed through the parts of the estate yet to be completed. When larger vehicles passes our house we can feel the vibrations in the building. A proposed Gypsy and Traveller site at GT11 would increase traffic passing our house and would often be comprised of larger vehicles including larger 4x4 cars and vans towing caravans and the larger vehicles suitable for towing.
All of the above are reasons why the proposal for a Gypsy and Traveller Site at GT11 would make life for me and my family and other residents of Chase Meadow Estate less pleasant.