Revised Development Strategy.
The increase in housing estimates from 10,800 to 12,300 is excessive and needs to be challenged. A knowledgeable source has put the figure at 5,400. It is important to have the estimate done accurately taking into account the estimates of adjoining District Councils since so much of the Plan is based on this estimate.
Given the estimate is nearer the 5,400 estimate, there will be no need to consider additional homes in villages and thereby protect the Green Belt.
In the case of Hampton Magna there is a proposed increase of 100-150 homes. This will mean an increase in the population of some 300 people. The existing amenities and infrastructure could not absorb this increase. Budbrooke School is already at capacity; the single road through it and Hampton-on-the-Hill is used as a "rat run" by speeding traffic to Warwick Parkway railway station and the M40. It is essential to preserve the rural character of both villages and they should be removed from any further consideration in the Plan.
Sites for Gypsies & Travellers.
From having no sites available in the 2012 Plan, there are now twenty. The selection of sites appears haphazard and unrealistic. Kites Nest Lane (GT13)is the subject of an Inquiry the outcome of which will not be known till October 2013. Land near J15 M40/A46 (GT20) was offered to the WDC for Gypsies before Morrisons returned it to farming use. It was refused on the grounds that it was too far from essential amenities. That being the case how can it now be considered in the Plan?
Since there is to be a development for many thousand homes, consideration should be given to accommodating Gypsies & Travellers within those communities where the amenities they require will be at hand.