Support

Village Housing Options and Settlement Boundaries

Representation ID: 61207

Received: 15/01/2014

Respondent: Mr & Mrs Brian & Janet Taylor

Representation Summary:

- The site is immediately adjacent to the heart of Kingswood and therefore many facilities.
- The site location means people would not have to over rely on their cars to access these facilities.
- The 2 sites will offer bungalows close to existing facilities, meaning downsizing will be more possible.

Full text:

, We have been thinking about the options regarding development in the local area and have studied the Warwick District Council Local Plan document that is open for consultation. We are residents of Rowington and as a result the pages dealing with Kingswood are of particular interest.

We understand that some development in the area has to take place to deal with housing needs and hence some of the Green Belt may have to be released for this purpose. Based on that supposition, we support development at Meadow House and Kingswood Farm.

I understand that some 30 houses are being considered for the 2 sites.

The advantage of these 2 sites over any others are that they are immediately adjacent to the heart of what we know as Lapworth but you call Kingswood. Lapworth has many facilities including a school, a railway station, an active village hall, a village store, an off licence, a garage, 2 hair dressers. If development takes place anywhere else in Lapworth or Rowington such facilities are likely to be accessed by car. There are already serious issues with cars around the school in the morning and afternoon, the station car park is very limited and is already full most days and the area around the garage, hairdressers and off licence is already potentially dangerous because of lack of parking. Whilst the new residents of a development as proposed would undoubtedly have cars one would hope that their use of local services would not require them to be used.

With an aging population in the area particularly Rowington, there are very few options for downsizing without moving to Henley or Dorridge and this involves moving further from friends and neighbours. Such people need good quality accommodation requiring less maintenance including bungalows, close to facilities and these 2 sites seem to fit the bill.

A lot of the Meadow House site has been used as a business before and because of its location only extends the village boundary by a small amount. It is land that is enclosed by canals, existing building and the railway and seems to us to be a natural place to extend the village boundary. without risk of further spread.