Development in the green belt to the north of Leamington does not comply with the National Planning Policy Framework, is not sustainable, is not close to employment opportunities, and is, therefore, inappropriate. The notion of spreading development across the District is ill conceived since development should be sustainable and close to employment. Warwick District Council has consistently failed to demonstrate the Exceptional Circumstances required by the National Planning Policy Framework to allow substantial development in the Green Belt to the north of Leamington.
In the most recent draft of the Local Plan it is proposed to build 250 houses and park-and-ride scheme on the Green Belt in Old Milverton. In addition land for a further 1100 houses, employment opportunities and a railway station is to be removed from the Green Belt and safeguarded for use in the future. Warwick District Council has stated that it wants to remove this land from the Green Belt to support Coventry City Council's housing need; although it also states that the safeguarded land could be used in the future to support Leamington's housing need. If this land is to be used to support Leamington's housing need, as has been previously demonstrated there are no exceptional circumstances to remove it from the green belt. There are other more appropriate and sustainable sites outside the green belt. Similarly, exceptional circumstances do not exist to remove this land from the green belt to support Coventry's housing need. There are lower value green belt sites closer to Coventry which on the basis of planning precedent should be used in preference to the land in Old Milverton. The idea that Warwick District Council should promote commuting from Old Milverton to Coventry is ill conceived and bad planning. In practice people who want to live and work in Leamington will not buy houses in Old Milverton.
In general park and ride schemes don't work unless there is insufficient parking available in the town. There is plenty of parking available in Leamington. The scheme is predicated on a significant rise in parking charges to try and change behavior. The proposed park and ride scheme on the land north of Milverton is too close to Leamington town centre to reduce traffic flows on the A452 and too close to Leamington to make it attractive to users.
The idea that a railways station could be built in Old Milverton is impractical. The railway is in a deep cutting