Site H53 - Brownley Green Lane

Preparation - Site H53 was not previously included in the Local Plan by WDC and, therefore, we believe that there has not been proper consultation with the local community concerning this particular site.

Soundness - Site H53 lies within the green belt boundary. This should only be changed in "exceptional circumstances". We do not believe that this condition has been met for this site.

A Housing Needs Survey for the Parish of Hatton in which Hatton Park is located, was carried out in 2014. This was an extensive survey which highlighted the need for 12 dwellings. These findings, suggest that development of H53 for a proposed 55 homes is not needed, therefore not sustainable and certainly not demonstrating exceptional circumstances for removing the land from the Green Belt. The smaller number of houses identified as needed by the Parish survey could easily be developed within windfall and brownfield sites.

The Green Space team from Warwick District Council has very recently notified us that some of the grassland at Hatton Park has been designated a Local Wildlife Site. This follows surveying carried out by Warwickshire County Council in 2014 and 2015. After Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Local Wildlife Sites are the most important. The survey found 99 species of vascular plants, five of which are notable in Warwickshire. It also recorded ten species of butterfly, a high number for a relatively built up area. A Peregrine Falcon and Hobby were observed hunting overhead. The question has to be asked, what detrimental effect will there be on these wildlife sites, supposedly classed as important by WDC and WCC, from the proposed development in Hatton Park?

Hatton Park Residents' Association (HPRA)

For the record, Hatton Park is an estate of houses created on the brownfield site of the previous Hatton Psychiatric Hospital. The estate has a very small family run shop, a small police post and no other significant amenities except a village hall sited together with its car park, a child play area and a fenced netball/football court. The land, the village hall and its car park were gifted to the HPRA in 2003 under the S106 requirement by Bovis Homes and AC Lloyd. There is no school or doctors surgery nearby. Hatton Park is not a village in any sense of the word; it is a housing estate with only two points of vehicular access onto the A 4177.

The village hall and its dedicated car park are owned and operated by the HPRA which is a registered charity of which all committee members are the trustees. The charity has recently resurfaced the car park at a cost of £25,000 which included contributions from the National Lottery Fund and the Rural West Community Forum.

Hatton Park Village Hall is located at the edge of the Hatton Park estate directly adjacent to the proposed H53 site. It looks out over the site below and the
proposed access to H53 would run through the existing hall car park and its current access to Barcheston Drive. The proposed road entrance and exit to the
development is adjacent to the only play area on Hatton Park, which consists of a fenced netball/football court, and the young childrens' play area.

The proposed H53 amendment local plan is not sound because:

* The proposed access and egress from Barcheston Drive to the H53 site will be through land owned by the HPRA. The ownership of this land has not been mentioned in any documents or communications relating to H53 nor has there been any communication from WDC and we are not willing to sell.

* Developing this site in the manner proposed will cause a very significant loss of amenity to the Village Hall, child play area and fenced netball/football court.

* Moreover, these are the only such play areas on the entire Hatton Park estate and their access point will be the road carrying construction traffic to and from the H53 site. This poses significant traffic-related safety issues both during and after the construction phase.

* Demolition and relocation of the Village Hall car parking and access will have a significant and detrimental affect on the overall amenity of our Village Hall and significantly affect its use for family events such as wedding receptions, birthday parties and other community events. This will have a serious impact on the financial viability of the Hall.

* Furthermore, during the construction phase of H53 with construction traffic using the access within a few metres of the Village Hall building, it is highly unlikely the charity would be able to rent out the Village Hall to the community while this development work was going on. This will increase the likely financial loss to the charity and loss of amenity to the current community living at Hatton Park.