4.3 Broad Location of Development Housing
1. The Council's revised assessment of housing need is welcome, specifically the reductions in the need for large developments on green-field sites by an improved focus on the capacities of urban SLHAA sites and likely windfall sites.
2. The Council's proposals to maintain important green areas, such as the Green Belt north of Leamington and the Asps adjacent to the Castle Park, the creation of a 'country park' along the Tach Brook and proposals for other as yet undefined green infrastructure corridors are also welcome. Further work should be done, however, to ensure the establishment of significant areas of connected green space within all major proposed housing developments in order to minimise the unrelieved uniformity that characterises so many modern large-scale housing developments and facilitate healthier alternative forms of transport. In this regard, my comments on paragraph 5.1 of this plan suggest a possible significant enhancement to the current proposal for the Country Park adjacent to the major development area south of Warwick and Whitnash
3. In particular, however, the location of the bulk of the housing to the south of Leamington, Warwick and Whitnash is strongly supported, not primarily because it minimises use of Green Belt land, although that is important, but because it does not necessitate the construction of an environmentally destructive new road across the Avon corridor north of Leamington. Significant development to the north of Leamington also makes no sense in terms of transport planning when most of the large retail outlets requiring car access are south of the railway and would increase cross-town car traffic - already at its limit because of the barriers of river and railway.
4. Spurious arguments of 'fairness' should be countered with robust defence of planning logic by officers and councillors - in particular in the area of transport planning. The areas now proposed already have good access to the M40, Leamington station and an existing, relatively easily upgradable transport infrastructure. The key transport problems within Leamington are railway crossings. North of the railway, development is currently fairly stable, while almost all of the new road infrastructure and major-volume retail development (Sainsbury, Lidl, Morrisons and Aldi) has been to the South, with further additions recently announced. Placing the bulk of housing development on land to the South of the railway line, with easy access to the motorway and rail network and to most major retail outlets, will minimise the traffic pressures at rail crossings and across the historic centre of the town.
5. There are, however, legitimate concerns for residents in areas adjacent to areas of large housing developments, particularly with respect to transport issues and to the look and feel of their neighbourhood. It is essential that the Council explores all possible options to ensure that these developments do not assume the character of the Warwick Gates development - a ghettoised housing desert of nearly identical builds relieved by few amenities, little communally useful green space, and almost no integration except by car with other areas of the town. It is essential in the major developments now envisaged, that the total outcome is a high-quality integrated urban development, which significantly enhances the overall attractiveness of the southern areas of Leamington, many areas of which seem to have been accorded 'second-class' status in the past.
4.4 Housing allocations
1. One topic completely missing from the current plan is the allocation of land for self-build properties. This has been raised in one of the consultation meetings and in my opinion should be included into the current consultation and review process and into any future reviews of the plan. The lack of land available for self-build in the district is well-known, so addressing this by identifying areas for self-build properties could provide a significant, practical and popular addition to the plan. Self-builds typically deliver higher quality and more varied housing and could provide an important quality-enhancement both to the housing stock as well as enhancing the amenity and character of the area. This could be ensured by requiring all such builds to meet the highest standards in terms of ecology and sustainability and design. It would also help local employment, because such developments are much more likely to use the services of local professionals and tradesmen.
2. In particular, as demonstrated in my submission to the original plan, there is significant scope for beneficial, larger scale development in both Primary and Secondary Service Villages and - in a more limited way - across the totality of the numerous smaller villages and settlements. This should be explored both as part of this plan and any future revisions of it because it is a way of managing development across the district while also minimising loss of/damage to Green Belt areas. Village residents are right in not wanting to have their environments degraded by significant developments, but this applies just as much in already established areas so real issues of 'fairness' lie here rather than in intra-town disputes fuelled by nimbyism. It cannot be right that inhabitants of major local villages parasitise services in neighbouring towns when many such services (schools, shops, health facilities) could with some extra growth in major villages sustainably be provided locally for themselves and adjacent smaller settlements. Apart from the added convenience for villagers, it would also reduce traffic problems across the district. Making self-build land a significant element in village developments (though not only there) could also do much to encourage developments of an unthreatening kind.
3. A further general comment relates to the uncertainty of some future aspects of housing allocation relating to negotiations with adjoining areas. In particular, with respect to the proposed major employment site around Coventry airport and the outcomes of the Joint Strategic Housing Market Assessment undertaken with other councils within Coventry's Housing Market Area, should further Green Belt land be required to provide additional housing in the Warwick District Council area, sites should be identified on the fringes of Coventry adjacent either to the airport development or in the proximity of Warwick University (a major employer located on the border between Coventry and WDC land). In the re-evaluation of the SHLAA presented with comments on the previous plan, a number of suitable sites with potentially significant capacity were identified. As with Kenilworth, there is no alternative to the use of Green Belt land, but all of these were sites where impact could be minimised, especially in conjunction with the development of green corridors similar to those proposed below for the proposed developments south of Warwick and Whitnash.
5.1 Southern Sites: Sites South of Warwick and Whitnash
1. While supporting in general the idea of a Country Park to prevent coalescence with Bishop's Tachbrook, the current proposal privileges only Bishop's Tachbrook residents and those in new developments immediately adjacent to it. It does not form part of any green infrastructure useful to the establishment of non-road transport alternatives or create an amenity benefit across the whole of the new development area. This proposal should be amended and extended to the potential benefit of all residents in the proposed new developments and adjacent areas by, for example:
a) Creating a significant green strip all along the north-eastern side of the proposed South Warwick development area (west of Europa Way, south of Harbury Lane and west of Oakley Wood Road) and south of Gallows Hill, which would both improve the green space and amenity areas to many more southern residents, and facilitate an appropriate base for the establishment of linked amenity areas as well as for a healthy, safe non-road transport infrastructure - for walking, cycling, mobility scooters and other sustainable personal transport devices.
b) Compensate for the loss of building land involved by moving the proposed Country Park to the area of 'possible expansion' shown for it south of the Tach Brook. This could extend right up to the current northern boundary of Bishop's Tachbrook, so facilitating the expansion of non-road transport links with it and ensuring a barrier against future coalescence or development north of Bishop's Tachbrook. If the ideas outlined in my response to 4.4 were adopted, there may be no need for further allocation of building land in this area, but if there were, some suitable space exists south of the current development west of Europa Way, which, but if kept close to Europa Way, would not significantly affect the designated protected area of the Asps.
c) This linked amenities/alternative transport infrastructure could form the basis for further enhancements to an alternative transport infrastructure linking the north-eastern corner of these development sites with the town centre and local retail sites to the potential benefit of many more local residents, especially if complemented by the addition of a new alternative transport crossing of the railway line and canal so better linking the north and south of the town and benefitting all town residents, including car users,. In the longer term this could, with the addition of bike hire as in London, also facilitate in the longer term the establishment of a "park and bike" scheme to complement any virtual park and ride facility south of the town.
5.6 District-wide Transport Mitigation Proposals
Note: In the comments made below, reference is often made in terms of cycling, but it is everywhere intended that these are taken to include walking and use of other low-speed personal transportation such as mobility scooters.
1. In the absence of the time or information to rank these proposals in priority order, it is noted that all seem in principle justifiable. This is, however, far from the key issue, which is the continuing lack of attention to sustainable alternative transport in the Warwickshire area and the continued imbalance towards expenditure on car transportation (specifically cars, because no such expensive works would be required even with a significant increase in public transport). A continuing progressive rebalancing is urgently needed.
2. As outlined, the proposed improvements to the cycle network are piecemeal and will result in little more than one significant cycle route - from Leamington to Kenilworth and on past Warwick University to the outskirts of Coventry - a sort of HS2 for cyclists with few linkages to any wider, safe alternative transport environment. All the rest of the cycle transport network consists and will continue to consist of (slightly upgraded) a hotchpotch of routes, sometimes partial, sometimes on roads, sometimes on pavements, usually ending just before a point where real investment is needed to provide safe facilities for cyclists, frequently ignored by drivers, who drive on them or park on them apparently with impunity because infringements are rarely if ever policed. They are also designed with little consideration of the desire (and need) of cyclists to travel efficiently - crossings and road junctions seem designed primarily for car users and to favour smooth flows for cars rather than for cyclists or pedestrians. Against this background of historical lack of delivery, all of the protestations about maximising sustainable travel, reducing the impact of car-based travel in the region appear to be just more hot air, unlikely to be realised.
3. The Warwick District Council plan requires a long-term strategic plan to establish a basic infrastructure (with targets for initial delivery and targets for extensions and improvements) if the health and amenity benefits of walking and cycling are ever to be properly realised and the mobility interests of disabled people to be addressed. The suggestion of enhanced green-corridors outlined in the comments on 5.1 above could be one element, which could be matched in all of the other major development sites. The strategy should then be to establish a network of major routes for personal non-car/motorbike travel within and between the local population areas, which could inter alia include:
a) a continuous tarred riverside pedestrian/cycle route from Warwick to Leamington with a pedestrian/cycle bridge to cross the Avon and the Leam/Avon junction (this route has been facilitated by the proposals to develop the old Guide Dogs for the Blind property and the 8 metre buffer zone from the watercourse to the development boundary) and would be relatively easy to achieve from St Nicholas Park to the Campion Hills, providing a safe alternative transport spine between the two towns. Appropriate long-term targets would be to enhance this so as to provide, in the longer term, an uninterrupted route with no interactions with conventional road traffic.
b) a continuous tarred canal-side route from Sydenham to Warwick Parkway Station created by cutting back growth and works to maximise the width where possible. Appropriate long-term targets would be to explore options for creating more space underneath existing bridges (perhaps as bridges are maintained/redeveloped), a link to Warwick hospital and railway station and towards the town centre, a link to the new southern development and riverside route, a link to Leamington station and on to Whitnash.
c) a south-north route within the town, from the station across the Leam and Pump Room Gardens and to Clarendon Road up Binswood street and Tavistock Street, which should both be made pedestrian/cycle and deliveries only. An extension up Beauchamp Road to Binswood Avenue would create a very efficient safe path for non-car users, especially children cycling to school, through the town with minimal impacts and possible improved footfall for shops, the loss of relatively few parking spaces and mostly positive impact for car drivers (the main town centre parking sites are along this route - all reachable from Augusta Place, Windsor street and Russell Street).
d) the effective extension of the cycle path past Guy's Cliffe to Coventry by identifying the B4115 as a road primarily for non-car use. This would not require the banning of traffic but through/inessential traffic could be minimised by enforcing a low speed limit and making some sections one-way only, so facilitating car and cycle separation. Long-term targets for this route, which could become the major inter-urban link for the area could include a link from Old Milverton to Hill Wootton with a pedestrian/cycle bridge across the Avon, links to Leek Wootton and Kenilworth across existing pedestrian/farm bridges, an extension from Old Milverton to Trinity School/North Leamington School along the backs of the allotments. An extension into Coventry could also be negotiated.
e) Alternative personal transport users, like car drivers, need secure places to leave their cycles, mobility vehicles, and other equipment. At all important destinations (stations, shopping malls and town centre locations, parks, etc.), provision of spaces where such vehicles can be securely parked should also be factored into a strategy with longer-term improvement targets - preferably with a good proportion protected from the weather and -if feasible - some provision for lock-up storage.
These proposals are not intended to favour the existing cycling community, though they would clearly benefit them. They are aimed at the increasing number of people who would like to cycle, who would like their children to cycle, but fear to do so because of the evident dangers of cycling in an environment which is so skewed in favour of cars that cyclists are ignored and resented in equal measure. Equally importantly, they are also aimed at benefitting pedestrians and the less mobile, who would welcome more, safer infrastructure to facilitate their travel. Safer cycling would increase uptake, reduce school-run impacts and other traffic problems, improve air quality, improve health, reduce healthcare costs - and be much cheaper than conventional roads to establish and maintain. The demographics of Leamington undoubtedly favour a progressive policy of this kind and could help to sustain the attractiveness of this area for young, highly-educated entrepreneurs.