Object

Proposed Modifications January 2016

Representation ID: 68593

Received: 22/04/2016

Respondent: Mrs Joanna Bignall

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Yes

Representation Summary:

There are less value Green Belt Sites to consider.
To provide the necessary infrastructure and roads to sustain the proper number of houses will cause major redevelopment of Green Belt Land setting a precedent.
Park and ride is too near to Leamington to make a difference to Coventry. Construction of park and ride car parks are a potential flood risk in an already vulnerable area.
Highly productive and historic farming land and a long established wild life habitat will be destroyed.

Full text:

I believe that Modifications 16 and 14 are unsound because:
The EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have not been demonstrated by Warwick District Council.
There are sustainable sites closer to Coventry that should be used in preference to the land North of Milverton to reduce unnecessary commuting, inevitable congestion and further road construction. Which at peak times the A452 is already congested to its capacity, and will cause lengthy delays and cut off Leamington from Kenilworth. Sending traffic through the hamlets of Blackdown and Hill Wootton which already experience a 'rat run' effect with unacceptable levels of passing traffic in Hill Wootton road dangerous to local residents - a country lane with a historic mill bridge, two blind bends and skew bridge. As a resident of Hill Wootton we need access to our dwellings and Hill Wootton Road is already a notorious black spots for collisions.
Precedence for releasing land from the Green Belt requires the "value" of potential sites to the Green Belt to be taken into account and those with the least value to be removed from the Green Belt first. Even if development at Old Milverton was acceptable as a sustainable location for development, there are sites with a lower Green Belt value that should be used in preference to the land north of Milverton.
The "green lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1 1⁄2 miles.
The picturesque northern gateway to the historic regency town of Royal Leamington Spa will be destroyed.
Highly productive farming land will be lost together with long established wild life habitat.
As a local dog walker I will be deprived of an area which is highly valued and sustainable for walking, running, cycling, riding, and is used by local schools.
The proposed park-and-ride scheme is unsustainable because:
 There will be no dedicated buses, so users will have to time visits to coincide with the bus timetable
 The site is too close to Leamington.
 Shoppers are unlikely to use the park and ride when there is plenty of parking in Leamington And has nothing to do with solving the housing deficit and associated infrastructure required for Coventry.
 There are already a lot of car parks in this area of Green Belt with impervious surfaces all of which
reduce the areas ability to absorb rainfall and contribute to flooding, there is already significant flooding in the area from the river Avon to the south which affects Hill Wootton significantly.
A railway station is unviable because the railway line is in a deep cutting in Old Milverton making construction impractical and again would destroy historic farming land and local wildlife habitats and increase noise pollution.