Object
Proposed Modifications January 2016
Representation ID: 68397
Received: 20/04/2016
Respondent: Ms Kathie Johnson
Legally compliant? Yes
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? Yes
The proposed modifications in the local plan to meet the needs of Coventry is not within the area where the need arises
It does not identify and use land of lower grade green belt land which should be used in preference to high grade agricultural land
It takes no account of the role of the area in providing a recreational and educational space at a time when the increase in disease and illness clearly shows that facilities for exercise and relaxation are important for all ages
No exception circumstances have been demonstrated that warrant the removal of high grade land from green belt
The National Planning Policy framework requires the citing of exceptional circumstances to remove land from the Green Belt - no such circumstances have been identified.
The land that has been proposed in North Leamington is highly productive farming land. It has been designated as having high grade value.
There are no other replacement sites where such high yield could be generated, there are plenty of other sites where houses can be built.
As a country we need to be able to grow food.
This modification proposes removing well used recreational land as a time when:
the 2014/15 HSE report recorded 9.9 millions days were lost through stress related illness (1); the British Heart Foundation reports the economic burden of cardiovascular disease to be £15 billion per year, with one person dying every 3 minutes (2); Diabetes UK records a cost of £10 billion per year with 100 amputation per week (3); Public Health England report obesity direct costs as £4.2 billion with an estimated indirect cost of £15.8 billion.
It has been demonstrated that quality space is needed for people to exercise, relax and enjoy the countryside as part of their health regime
Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council have assessed sites on the edge of Coventry and deemed them to be of lower Green Belt value than this land to the north of Milverton. Precedence for releasing Green Belt land requires that the sites with least value should be removed first.
There has been no thorough study which demonstrates a sequential approach to the surrounding land to identify land which fits with the spatial strategy (5)
Brandon Lewis, minister for Housing and Planning stated in Parliament on 15 March 2016 'National policy sets out that planning must take account of the different roles and characters of different areas, recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and take into account all the benefits that an area has.' (6)
For the above reasons I consider that the plan does not meet the national policy as so recently reinforced by the housing minister's statement.
(1)www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress
(2) www.bhf.org.uk/research/heart-statistics
(3) www.diabetes.org.uk
(4) www.noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/economics
(5) Joint Core Strategy Inspector's Preliminary Findings on green belt release, paragraph 33
(6) hansard.digiminster.com/Commons/2016-03-15/debates/16031557000003