Object

Gypsy and Traveller Site Options

Representation ID: 57952

Received: 24/07/2013

Respondent: Mrs Linda Roots

Representation Summary:

Council previously objected to residential development for various reasons including highway safety reasons. This road has a bad accident record.

Birmingham Rd is main road between Warwick and Birmingham and the towns lifeline of visitors. A gypsy site would intimidate people using the canal, it's walkways etc. Does council really want to deprive local shops and businesses by driving visitors away?

Increased pollution risk whether from activities on site and from motor vehicles. Peoples' health and historic buildings should be protected.

Previous Local Plan sought to reduce the impact of traffic on our town yet still unable to do it.

Local infrastructure cannot cope (GP's, Hospital, Schools or Emergency Services) with existing residents requirements.

Should use empty properties, factories and building sites before using green belt areas.

House prices can fall by up to 40% where gypsy sites, illegal or otherwise are located. People should not have their house values diminished like this.

This should not be inflicted on local people.

Beyond belief Oaklands Farm area being considered after what's happened at Kites Nest Lane.

Would hamper any future development of housing. Very short sighted of the council.

Full text:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to object to the proposed plans for Oaklands Farm to a Permanent Gypsy Site, Kites Nest and other local planning on the Birmingham Road are ; they are as follows:

1: The current owner & his father before him have applied for change of use/ building of small residential houses for many years & only recently been granted planning permission for 1 home & outbuilding. As a council you have objected due to the land accessing a country lane & the busy Birmingham Rd, along with other objections which are a matter or record. Proof of the dangers of this road are public knowledge with many deaths and serious injuries; which has seen yet again been brought to our attention the last few weeks with RTA's one of which requiring the Air Ambulance to attend!

2: A4177 Birmingham Rd is the main road between Warwick and the second city Birmingham this handles not only increased local traffic but Warwick Towns lifeline of visitors to its historic town and famous canal side. Putting a gypsy site there would intimidate people using the canal, it's walkways; this has already happened at the illegal Kites Nest Site where people no longer feel safe to walk or take their dogs due to the attitude of the illegal residents and their aggressive dogs. Does Warwick council really want to deprive the local shops, businesses and town folks of their incomes and feeling safe in their surroundings and driving potential much needed visitors away?

3: There is also the increase of pollution whether from activities that would take place on such a site or motor vehicles; our community should be protected from this. Warwick already suffers from pollution levels above European guidelines on safety. This not only takes it toll on our health but also the structure of our historic buildings.

4: The 1993 Local Plan along with the inspectors report in 1994 required measures to reduce the impact of traffic on our town centre; and yet over a decade on we have been unable to mitigate the traffic effect on this development, despite funding from the developer.

5: The local infrastructure cannot cope wether it being our local GP's, Hospital, Schools or Emergency Services; these should be paramount to being brought in line for the existing residents before adding to our community. These plans should be in place prior to any others for additional housing.

6: We should be looking at using empty properties, factories and building sites before using our treasured green belt areas for future housing; one can only presume it is easier and less costly for a developer to clear existing neglected housing and sites; they just want to make as much profit as they can in the shortest of time regardless of the local people and their feelings or safety.

7: As much as you do not consider the value of people's properties to be important in your proposals, it has shown in other areas that house prices can fall by up to 40% where gypsy sites, illegal or otherwise are. As a home owner and having worked for everything I own, paid taxes national insurance etc I feel having contributed into the system along with other hardworking taxpayers in our area that our home is our castle and should not have its value diminished by these sites.

8: We should therefore not have inflicted upon us non contributing, untidy and unruly people living within our community as the gypsy site proposals you as a council have put forward. Kites Nest illegal site has shown no respect to the locals or yourselves as councillors as they have blatantly disregarded the law and cost thousands of pounds opposing over the last three years!!! It is beyond belief that you now consider giving into this and even thinking of having a proposed additional site on the busy Birmingham Road on Oaklands Farm area.

9: Putting gypsy sites in and around our village would hamper any future development of housing as people would not be prepared to purchase homes with these sites in place. This is surely being very short sighted as a council representing our community.