Objection to the Preferred Site GT04 for Gypsies and Travellers (G&T)

We wish to object to the Gypsy and Traveller preferred site GT04 Land at Harbury Lane, Fosse Way in the way that there has been a lack of publicised consultation by Warwick District Council the WDC's interpretation of the Government's planning policy framework, the impacto n the green belt and heritage of the area, the unsuitability of the site as regards health and safety and access to public amenities for the gypsies and travellers likely the use the site.

My comments and some of my concerns are as follows:

It is a requirement that councils should consider the existing capacity of current sites within its own district and adjacent districts. This has not been considered during the WDC consultation process. It has recently been reported in the press that the Bidford- on Avon traveller site is now defunct and being used to build 62 new houses. This can be interpreted that there is no need for extra traveller sites in the Stratford District or surrounding council districts


Planning Criteria
The site does not meet the fundamental planning criteria laid out in the NPPF, guidance from Department of Communities and Local Government and WDC's own consultation documents for Gypsy & Traveller sites.

GT04 does not comply with planning policy whereby sites should provide access to nearby services and quality of life. Specifically:-

Impact on the green belt, heritage, landscape character, farmland and wildlife
Site GT04 is on green belt land and neighbouring properties have had planning permission for extensions turned down for the very reason that they would visually compromise the green belt and landscape. This site will lack integration to the landscape and spoil the views from Chesterton Windmill, a 17th-century Grade I listed building and a striking landmark in South-East Warwickshire. The site
will have an adverse visual impact from Harbury and The Fosse Way (Roman Road).

GT04 is an area of good quality farmland fully utilised for livestock and arable farming. This would be detrimental to the farmers and community as a whole. Furthermore, the site will damage wildlife habitat.
The area is prone to flooding with Harbury Lane and surrounding fields are often under water. In accordance with planning and building regs, the site would be unable to use soak away or runoff based drainage systems as the soil is clay based and will require connection to mains sewerage which does not exist in Harbury Lane.

Poor access to local amenities and transport
The site is well away from shops and local services - certainly not within the 5 -10 minutes walking distance as recommended by the planning framework guidelines.
If the site were to be developed, the use of a vehicle or public transport to shops and schools is a necessity and not considered eco-friendly.

The nearest doctors surgery and primary school is approx. 3 miles away and would take at least 45 minutes to walk - according to government guidelines sites should be within 5-10 minutes walk. These facilities are already at capacity so children and persons requiring these facilities will have to travel quite a long way - possibly Leamington or Southam.

Busy road and poor lighting
The site is located near to the very busy Harbury Lane and Fosse Way cross roads which is a high risk travel route. This crossroads has poor visibility and an increasing number of accidents. Speed cameras and warning signs highlight this fact. Children will be at risk if allowed to stand on a busy road to wait for transport to school.

GT04 does meet national planning framework guidelines recommendations for availability of good infrastructure (roads, pavement, street lighting, broadband, cellphone reception).The infrastructure at GT04 is poor - there are no street lights and no pavements on this very busy stretch of road. In order to meet these requirements considerable investment would be needed. This is an expense that WDC should not incur during times of cutbacks in public expenditure and services.

Other health and safety hazards
Furthermore the site is within 400m of the Harbury Lane Breakers yard, which generates noise and air pollution and which would make GT04 an unpleasant place to live but also an unhealthy one. Furthermore according to aroma maps the site is within the zone of aerial discharge from Barnwell Chicken farm. Not only will the aroma and pollution from these sites be very unpleasant but it also raises serious environmental and health concerns. The aroma factor was a primary reason that the potential Gypsy &Traveller site at Barnwell farm was previously rejected. Site GT04 is only across the road.

Effects on local businesses and local residents
By placing the site in this position would mean that the Leamington Football Club would need to be relocated at a cost. There is no evidence that the Gypsies and Travellers could afford these additional costs or in fact would wish to pay it. Therefore the additional costs are likely to fall on the tax payer. Can this additional cost be justified.

The NPFF requires that the assessment of site suitability should be consistent with other planning requests. However I understand that other residential planning applications within 200m of GT04 have been recently rejected by council planning authorities, referencing rural policy on the grounds that the proposal would have an adverse "impact on the character of the area.

Other concerns about the application for the site.
There has been very little (and passive) publicity of the Consultation process and key milestones. Had it not been for the local Community group I would not have known about it, there were no posters in the village, no letters, leaflets or press release from the council advertising the consultation at the Village Hall. I am very upset about this approach towards the local community and it feels and looks like this is a deliberate underhanded approach

I understand that during the process to find out if there was a need for traveller/gypsy sites in the area Warwick District Council (WDC) used the findings from the Salford GTAA report. However there appears to be no evidence that WDC verified the accuracy of the report or its relevance to this area.

According to the Government's planning policy framework, adjacent District Councils (DC) are required to collaborate with each other. As Warwick DC and Stratford DC are at very different stages with their consultations they are clearly not working together on this matter.

The GTAA also ignores the impact of the planned Transit site near Southam which has been agreed since completion of the GTAA

The WDC proposals will provide for more accommodation than there are Gypsy &Traveller residents within WDC boundary the vast majority of whom already live in houses so the requirement is clearly seriously over-stated

There is clear evidence via Hansard that MP's now want a fair planning policy that should result in the abolition of the G&T planning requirement

Alternative site
We believe that the preferred site in the Warwick District should be GT15 - land east of Europa Way. This land already belongs to Warwickshire County Council and is not in the Green Belt.