Object

Representation ID: 6651

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Mr Dominic Ashley-Timms

The specific areas I object to are, the housing proposals on:

1) Land at Lower Heathcote Farm, south of Harbury Lane

And also:

2) Land South of Sydenham and east of Whitnash
3) Land at Woodside Farm, north of Harbury Lane, Whitnash
4) Land west of Europa Way, Warwick

My objections are based on the following:

* On the recent Housing Needs Survey conducted in Bishops Tachbrook, 500 of the 750 homes in the village responded and told us that only 15 new houses were needed in the village. Therefore we do not need 4200 new homes.

* 4200 houses between Bishops Tachbrook and Warwick Gates threatens the very existence of Bishops Tachbrook as a village. If it becomes another suburb of Leamington Spa this will reduce the quality of life for the community here in Warwick Gates, Whitnash and in Bishops Tachbrook.

* Large estates lack social cohesion which leads to anti social behaviour and poor education performance. This proposal is the same size as Warwick Gates, Chase Meadow and Hatton Park all put together; what kind of community is likely to be born as a result of this development? Especially as 40% will be social / council housing in an area with poor transport links to the areas that give the most support to the under privileged i.e. the town centres.
* I think that such a number of new homes contradicts the vision that Warwick District Council has, "providing a mix of historic towns and villages set within a rural landscape of open farmland and parklands".
* Utilities, Services (Police, Dentists, and Doctors etc.) are all stretched to the limit now. With both the major hospitals only accessible across congested bridges over the river Avon, we fear for how long it will take emergency cases to get the medical resource they need.

* The increase in traffic arising from at least 8000 new cars in this area will result in pollution and add to existing air quality problems in Warwick and Leamington town centres. At peak times the traffic along Europa Way (even as far as the J14 M40), Gallows Hill, Tachbrook Road and Tachbrook Park Drive are grid locked, your proposed development is situated right along these roads, simply adding to the congestion already experienced. So far you have failed to fix the current problems and there is no evidence on your part to suggest that you will, even for when this proposed development is complete.

* With the demise of AP, Fords, IBM and other firms, employment opportunities for incomers are diminishing. Many people already leave the area to work elsewhere. A large proportion of people living on Warwick Gates commute up and down the M40 or by rail as far away as London.

* There seems to be poor sense carpeting our green spaces with housing for a mobile population that works elsewhere. Remaining agricultural land should be preserved.

Q1. Why did you decide not to create a brand new settlement within the district (like Southam) maybe below the A46/J15 inter-change where direct links to the road network are very easily accessible? Why did you decide not to disperse the houses over the whole of the district? Your "Preferred Option" was not the public's preferred option in the initial consultation so why have you ignored our views?

Q2. Why have you reserved land at Finham for the Use of Coventry to meet their housing demands and to count towards satisfying their quota and not included this area as a potential for ameliorating the demands place on WDC?

Q3. Why isn't the brownfield site where the Puegot plant was located being considered for housing development?

Q4. Why isn't all housing demand placed upon the region not being centred around Coventry? Here is a city that badly needs an influx of new workers to the region, development of employment opportunities, retail centres and urban regeneration if Coventry is to emerge as a 21st century City. Why are new developments instead being concentrated around the rural and medieval towns and villages of Warwickshire?

I do believe that some housing may be needed for organic growth within individual communities; however, I feel this should be decided at a local level with the support of the local people. I urge you to rethink the Options radically; and focus imaginative thinking on leading the region in the regeneration of brownfield sites.