Object

Representation ID: 66271

Received: 27/06/2014

Respondent: Lands Improvement Holdings (LIH) and Kenilworth Golf Club (KGC)

Agent: Indigo Planning Ltd

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Based on our assessment in Section 2, we consider that a proportion of the District wide housing requirement should be directed to Kenilworth. As a minimum, the Local Plan should direct 2,122 new dwellings to Kenilworth.

The level of housing growth for Kenilworth falls significantly short of the minimum 2,122 dwellings that we consider to be required to meet local housing need in the town.This is a shortfall of 892 dwellings. However, applying a more robust District-wide total (13,896) the shortfall will be 1,063 dwellings.

This creates a clear requirement to identify additional suitable locations for housing development in Kenilworth. In accordance with the NPPF requirement to plan positively and to meet for the needs of the area, WDC should aim to accommodate higher levels of housing growth in Kenilworth.

There are limited housing sites within the built up area of Kenilworth, other suitable sites need to be allocated in or around the town.

Kenilworth Golf Club (KGC) has already been identified by WDC as a potentially suitable site to accommodate housing growth in the town.In order to address the shortfall in housing provision in Kenilworth, KGC should be allocated
for housing. The site can accommodate 700 - 1,000 new dwellings, together with a mix of supporting community uses and high-quality formal and informal open space.

It should be noted that the Green Belt function of the site will be eroded by the route of HS2 as it will no longer form a cohesive part of the wider Green Belt or the countryside area. The site, therefore, offers
an opportunity to accommodate significant housing growth in addition to the sites already identified to meet the housing needs of Kenilworth.

On this basis, the KGC site should be released from the Green Belt and allocated for housing.