Support

Representation ID: 56488

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Steele Raymond LLP & A Rajkowski

Agent: Savills

The identification of Lapworth as a primary service village is supported. Lapworth represents a sustainable location for new housing development to meet identified needs having a population of approximately 2,000 people, with a range of facilities including pre-school and primary school, GP surgery, village hall, shops, pubs and restaurants.

The settlement benefits from a railway station on the Chiltern Line from London to Birmingham, offering regular services to Birmingham, Solihull, Warwick and Leamington Spa.

Lapworth is identified in Policy RD5 for 100-150 dwellings over the plan period.

There is scope for Lapworth to accommodate development at the upper end of this range and above, and consideration should be given to increasing the level of housing proposed for Lapworth as part of ongoing cross boundary housing needs assessment and economic growth benefits of additional housing.

An accompanying report sets out the potential for land to the East of Station Lane, Lapworth to accommodate new development which is suitably and sustainably located to meet identified local housing needs by providing a mix of dwelling types, styles and tenures including family homes at a location that is well related to existing services, facilities and public transport.

The benefits of the site can be summarised as follows:

* Freehold ownership, land is available now
* Certainty of delivery
* A self contained, easily and quickly developed site
* Limited infrastructure requirements and short lead-in to development
* Local facilities within easy reach
* Well located in relation to Solihull and Leamington Spa, offering significant employment, retail, community facilities, services and public transport.
* The site has scope to deliver additional new facilities for Lapworth, to be agreed locally.
* Highly accessible to Birmingham and other main centres.
* Free from significant environmental constraints
* The site is well defined and contained by existing features (road, canal and existing development).
* Development of the scale proposed will not compromise the role and function of the Green Belt

This site represents a sustainable, well located and deliverable opportunity for high quality development to meet identified housing needs. The site should therefore be removed from the Green Belt and allocated for development to meet the housing needs of the area.