Object

Representation ID: 63513

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Lenco Investments

Agent: RPS Planning

-On the basis that all net new employees at Gateway site require homes in Warwick and Coventry, the EDFS study assumes that workers are already accounted for within the existing floorspace provisions are therefore do not require new homes. The housing requirement is therefore likely to be proportionally lower. However, on the basis that 25% or 50% of employment is being displaced from existing areas, these areas will either lose employment or gain replacements. This may leave vacant employment land at other locations but on this basis that it is backfilled by other employment, the scenarios do not result in a housing decrease as there would always be a net gain in workforce required. The issue needs more clarity and justification if the authority is to use the scenarios within any final housing requirement figure.
-The employment land to the new Gateway site south of Coventry will be meeting Warwick's needs but this is not expressed as a percentage in order to compare it with the scenarios tested, nor is it confirmed as to whether this is a displacement resulting in lost employment elsewhere or if it is backfilled. The conclusion in the document is, however, that 6.5ha of the district's employment land will be provided for through the Gateway site south of Coventry. Despite the uncertainty of this statement and the lack of clarity on its relationship to the sensitivity scenarios that have been undertaken, it is assumed by RPS that this 6.5ha of employment land to be provided at the Gateway site is in fact net additional employment land.
-In seeking to justify its housing requirement, the Council has accepted that a degree of shift in employment will take place from existing areas to the Gateway site, but it is not clear how this has actually translated into the justification of housing need in establishing the requirement of 12,300 dwellings.
-Paragraph 4.1.8 sets out that the economic projections point to a need of between 13,300 dwellings and 13,800 dwellings between 2011 - 2029, depending upon the Gateways Scheme displacing jobs in the district. However, paragraph 6.6 and figure 44 set out that the figures are between 13,100 and 13,900 dwellings for 8,745 jobs and 9,900 jobs respectfully. Given the above, and the acceptance by the Council that the Gateway Scheme is likely to have a small influence on the district, the figure is therefore likely to be closer to the 13,900 dwellings figure (with the associated 9,900 jobs)