Object

Representation ID: 67238

Received: 10/12/2014

Respondent: Mr John Berkeley

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Longbridge is currently designated a Rural Area, protected from inappropriate development that would destroy its character and is not essential to meet local needs. Under the Council's Rural Area Policies, development is restricted to that which is provided specifically to meet the needs of the local population. New employment development is only permitted under strictly limited circumstances, where this is small in scale and low intensity or, once more, can be demonstrated to meet a local need. Removal of the protection of Rural Area status has been proposed, not on the basis of the needs of the local area or population, but simply because land previously designated for employment elsewhere in the District has now been allocated for other purposes. Large-scale changes to the A46 have been necessary to improve traffic flow on the A429 and the J15 roundabout and employment use of the Longbridge fields would once again create congestion. The primary route into the historic county town should not be allowed to become an employment 'corridor' with commercial development on both sides of the A429. Finally, with Tournament Fields, directly opposite the proposed site, still very largely undeveloped after 14 years with 700,000 sq ft of space currently advertised as available, it is patently obvious that there is more than sufficient employment land already allocated and available to meet future needs.