Object

Representation ID: 56572

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Warwickshire County Council Physical Assets Business Unit

Agent: Savills

Strongly objects to the reference at paragraph 4.6.1 of the Revised Development Strategy. It is considered that WDC's strategy for the selection of sites for employment does not properly take into account the following factors, which are considered to be key for sustainable development:

Market Signals:

a)The employment land take-up across the District has been slow.
The slow and apparently decreasing rate of completions should be taken into account when determining where future employment allocations should be best located and when they should be phased;

b) There is an increasing demand for residential land. To meet this demand and ensure that the residential development is phased appropriately, the most sequentially preferable sites should be
given priority for residential use.

Employment Land Phasing:

The allocation of additional employment land in the early phases of the Plan may prejudice the completion of other existing sites (Tournament Fields) and the delivery of proposed strategic employment sites (Coventry Gateway).

Sequential Approach:

The WCC land at Europa Way represents the most sequentially preferable site for residential development as it comprises part of the Myton Garden suburb, which adjoins the existing settlement boundary.

Based on the difficulties identified by Gallagher Estates in marketing their site and the emerging pressures for residential land, it is likely that the approach to employment land allocations being promoted by WDC would result in a substantial proportion of the WCC land remaining undeveloped for a significant period of time if it was allocated for employment use.

This would leave a significant gap in the urban extension to the Warwick/Leamington urban area for a significant length of time , resulting in unsustainable development.

Although the proposed allocation for employment land and a park and ride facility would only affect approximately 50% of the WCC land, lack of development of this gateway site could have serious implications for the wider area to the south of Warwick/Leamington.