NPPF Green Belt requirements
The NPPF have set 'Exceptional Circumstances' as an absolute requirement for altering Green Belt boundaries. So there have to be clear and certain exceptional circumstances for any alteration to the Green Belt boundary around Hatton Park. This is especially so for the proposed change to the Green Belt boundary that will remove Green Belt status from Smiths Covert which is ancient woodland of very high wildlife, habitat and landscape quality.
Thus without any exceptional circumstances no development can legally take place in Hatton Parish, in Hatton Park, or at either Site 1 or 2.
Section 3 of the Local Plan document is titled 'Green Belt and Exceptional Circumstances', but very clearly the reasons advanced by the WDC such as taking a 'more distributive approach to housing', or 'an emerging policy direction' clearly do not constitute 'Exceptional Circumstances' by any stretch of the imagination.
Therefore if a development is approved it will be contrary to the NPPF, and so the WDC will be responsible to the Government for an intended unwarranted infringement of the Green Belt, with the first step being to inform our MP.

The Designation of Hatton Park as Suitable for Development?
It is not at all clear why and how Hatton Park has been selected for development, as it does not appear to meet the criteria set. Also no case is made for a local need for such a lot of new housing. The other convincing reason why Hatton Park should not be developed is because it has already been recently developed to a vastly greater extent (2001-2011) so that even when balanced by much lower growth in Hampton Magna and Hatton Green that have grown relatively little over that period, its growth has still been 47.8% compared to the average for Warwick district of 8.5%; that 5.6 fold greater than the average for Warwick district. This very major scale of expansion has all been carried out without any significant improvement of the infrastructure, whether roads, schools, doctors surgeries and other such necessities, and now the intension is to repeat this with another expansion again coupled with again no provision of significant additional infrastructure.
To convince residents the scoring should be made public consistent with democracy and open government. Otherwise the conclusion will be that Hatton Park has been selected solely because it has been heavily developed in the recent past..

Lack of Consideration of Residents in the Planning Process
Nowhere in the Local Plan document or its appendices is there any consideration given to, or even any mention of, the effects of either development on the existing residents of Hatton Park and nearby areas, which in many cases involve serious losses in amenity and are contrary to assurances previously given by the Council or on behalf of the Council. This is a significant factor that needs to be taken into account, not least because residents pay for Council activities and so are being 'taxed without consideration.

Plan Quality
No details are provided for the proposed Sites, only a shaded area on a small scale map, so that no one knows properly in sufficient detail what is being proposed, and so what they may be seeing right next to their own properties soon!

Full and Proper Consultation has not taken place
It is now apparent that full and proper consultation has not taken place because residents have not been fully informed about the proposed development, with the only information provided being the Local Plan document and associated documentation, whereas it appears that a number of developers plans have been made that are contrary to the intent of the Local Plan (low density within a framework of small wooded copses), but have not been made available to residents by the WDC, or have only been made available at such a late stage that proper consultation cannot be deemed to have taken place. For instance the Taylor -Wimpey proposed development was made available only to the Parish Council at 5pm on the 13th January, and is completely inconsistent with the low density development of the whole of Site 1 that is described in the Appendix to the Local Plan. Subsequently it has been found that a second developers plan is for 130 houses on Site 1.
Thus for a proper Consultation to have been deemed to have taken place the Consultation should either be repeated or significantly extended to include a full disclosure to all residents of all plans that have been submitted or that are under consideration.

Strain on Local Infrastructure and Services
Strain on Local Services is a Key Consultation Theme and it is obvious that very considerable strain will be imposed. For instance:-
* The B1477 is jammed at rush hour, is prone to flooding which will be made more severe by any new development
* Any major building development along the B4177 will cause very significant disruptions to traffic flow and safety problems for an extended period while the proposed new houses are being built.
* The local school has been expanded, its catchment area reduced, but still it is full.
* No new community facilities are being offered such as Doctors Surgery, Schools, recreational facilities for young people etc

Planning Sprawl
By seeking to alter the Green Belt encouragement is given to ribbon development, especially towards the roundabout with the A46 and Warwick; especially since current planning extends over the next fifteen years, and considering how this type of development has already occurred in other parts of Warwick .

Landscape, Wildlife and Environmental Habitats including Ancient Woodland of very high wildlife, habitat and landscape quality will be significantly affected.

No Advantages of Scale Apply
No Advantages of Scale apply as mentioned in the early sections of the Local Plan. For instance Hatton Park does not contain a high proportion of elderly citizens who could benefit from a development that contains a predominance of housing specifically for their needs so as to enable them to continue to reside in the same area.
Completion of the Existing Infrastructure on Hatton Park
Before WDC begins any new development it should complete the previous development at Hatton Park by adopting and maintaining the continuation of Charingworth Drive and associated roads beyond the pinch-point opposite No 5 C.D. Given that this part of the infrastructure of Hatton Park remains un-adopted after ten years, despite residents paying full council tax, this is hardly an advertisement for the proposed new development.


Arguments in Favour of Site 2

Landscape Value
Site 2 is a partially industrial environment due to the water treatment plant with its three story high factory-like building complete with steel panels and pipes for all to see. This factor is not included in the assessment of Site 2. Thus this site actually has poor landscape quality.

Screening
Site 2 is currently very effectively screened both from the canal and tow path and from the B1477. So these screens only have to be maintained, and, from their plan that is the intention of the potential developers of Site 2, that is to retain the tree belts between the canal towpath and the site 2 on one side and between the B1477 and the Site 2 on the other. Furthermore Site 2 is at a significantly lower level than the level of the B1477 reducing any residual visual impact of the proposed development to passing traffic, which is in contrast to the proposed Site 1 which is somewhat higher than the level of the B1477. Thus the proposed development of Site 2 will have a lower landscape impact than will the proposed development on Site 1.

Effects on Traffic Flow
The proposed main road exit from Site 2 onto the B1477 is a considerable distance from the Shell Garage and Ugly Bridge Road, which together create a substantial bottleneck problem to the free flow of traffic on the BI477. Thus it will minimise adverse effects on traffic flow, and in particular will not further exacerbate this problem; which will be the case for the proposed access road onto the proposed Site 1 which will be in close proximity to the Shell Garage and Ugly Bridge Road. Furthermore the plan for the proposed development of Site to already includes provision for a new roundabout expressly so as to enhance safety by slowing traffic speed along the B1477 immediately before Hatton Park.
A point of detail. In Appendix 6 under Highways and Transport Issues the Ugly Bridge Road is mentioned in connection with Site 2. This is incorrect as this road is not adjacent to the proposed access onto Site 2, but very adjacent to the proposed access road onto Site 1 and to the Garage.

Access from Hatton Park to the Canal
The proposed pedestrian crossing of the B1477 incorporated in the proposed development of Site 2 will be an amenity to residents of Hatton Park, helping them to access the canal

Wildlife Value
Site 2 is a single field used just for grazing with only a single horse currently in residence. So it supports very little biodiversity and has only a low environmental value; whereas the proposed development includes a number of wildlife features, including a water feature, which will actually upgrade its wildlife and environmental values.

Proximity to the Canal
The proximity of Site 2 to the canal is cited as a very serious disadvantage to the proposed Site 2 development. However in both of the other proposed locations selected for development that include a canal, Hatton Station close by and at Radford Semele, proposed sites for development that are also immediately adjacent to the canal have actually been selected by the Council. This is illogical. Therefore the proximity of Site 2 to the canal cannot be used as an argument against the development of Site 2 .


Arguments Against the Development of Site 1

Plan Quality
No details are provided for the proposed Site 1, just a shaded area on a map, and so it is not possible to agree with it, as no one knows what they would be agreeing to! For instance there is no certainty at all that that the site will be developed as indicated. Thus the Taylor -Wimpey proposed Plan is completely inconsistent with the low density development of the whole of Site 1, that is 70-90 houses over the 7.78ha plot, as proposed by the WDC.

Flooding of the B1477
The B1477 already has a tendency to flood. This will be significantly increased to a high potential by the building of 90 houses on land above the level of the B1477 combined with the already limited local flood storage capacity.

Cost Effectiveness
Site 2 is a large area of land, far greater than required to build 70-90 houses at a comparable density to exists on Hatton Park (such as the Taylor Wimpy Plan), so that the cost of the land will be prohibitive to the Developer so that they will be unable to pay for community facilities as is normal in such developments: That is unless there is actually a covert understanding that a second phase of development far beyond the 70-90 house limit specified in the Local Plan exists. The same excessive land cost and consequent inability of the Developer to pay for community facilities also applies to the low density of housing described in the Appendix of the Local Plan

Loss of High Quality Agricultural Land
The development of Site 1 will cause the loss of prime arable agricultural land which is a Key Consultation Theme, and will further reduce our agricultural output as described in the introduction to the Local Plan document.

Smiths Copse
This is ancient woodland with a very high species diversity including many megafauna species including deer, badgers, bats, woodpeckers, owl and sparrowhawk that are very sensitive to disturbance, encroachment of human activities onto their habitat and reductions in access to their habitat. It is also the roost for flocks of crows and jackdaws, corvid species that have recently be proved to be more intelligent than many large mammals. Such ancient woodland is a far, far more scarce and valuable habitat than a simple field used for grazing and it and the access of animals to it should be preserved. Loss of habitat is a Key Consultation Theme and so nothing should be done to compromise such a high quality habitat let alone approving a building site and then 90 homes in its immediate vicinity. Otherwise representations against The development of Site 1 can be expected from local and national wildlife organisations and experts

Ribbon Development
The development of Site 1, which involves a revision of the Green Belt, will create a precedent for ribbon development and ultimately the coalescence of Hatton Park with the built-up outskirts of Warwick at the A46 roundabout which may sound unlikely, but if the growth rate for Hatton Park since 2001 is projected forwards in time then this will be the situation relatively soon; and also exactly this form of development has taken place recently in other areas of Warwick and surrounding districts.

Landscape Value
The proposed Site 1 is higher than the level of the B1477 and so will increase the visual impact of the proposed development to passing traffic; as compared with Site 2 which is significantly lower than the level of the B1477 which will reduce its visual impact.

Traffic Flow
The combination of Shell Garage and Ugly Bridge Road already create a substantial bottleneck problem to the free flow of traffic on the BI477 especially at rush hour. The creation of a main access to the proposed development of Site 1 and the rest of Hatton Park will greatly exacerbate this traffic problem and in an area where there have been recent multiple RTA fatalities. This reduction in traffic flow and safety risk will be yet further magnified if it is decided to site a new Gypsy-Traveller site in the immediate vicinity at Oakland Farm, also with access onto the B1477 very close to the other accesses above.

An Accident waiting to happen!
The very recently redeveloped Shell Garage now sells a greater range of consumer goods which will inevitably attract foot customers from the proposed new development, some of whom will be children. They will be tempted to cross a busy road complicated traffic turning in and out of the Ugly Bridge Road, the Shell Garage and the proposed access to Site 2. By contrast the development of Site 1 already includes provision for a new pedestrian crossing.