Do you support or object to the development of Glebe Farm, Cubbington?

Questionnaire Response:
This is a huge site which will cause serious issues such as
* Drainage and run off cubbington has experienced flooding and would this huge change not influence further the water run in the valley by Glebe Farm
* The road infrastructure would be a nightmare as the roundabout at Cubbington is already a busy junction and would require major changes. The roads have heavy use already and the build would put added pressure
* The schools are already under pressure from a capacity perspective so a school would have to be built or all the schools in the locality would need extensions for increased capacity
* Major supermarkets are all across town e.g. in Warwick and the other side of Leamington Spa

Questionnaire Response:
No Comments

I object to the above mentioned site being used for future housing development for the following reasons:

* The protection given by the existing green belt should be retained and protected whilst there are other non protected green sites suitable for development in the district.
* The green space between Lillington and Cubbington must be protected in order to prevent the unrestricted sprawl of the large built up area of Leamington Spa, it safeguards the countryside from encroachment, protects wildlife, improves the environment and maintains the two distinct communities of Lillington and Cubbington.
* Access to the proposed development site would be via the existing estate roads infrastructure built during the 50's 60's and 70's, totally unsuitable to support the substantial traffic increase that would follow any large scale development of the site.
* The current main roads and associated junctions serving the areas of Lillington and Cubbington are already overloaded at peak times and are inadequate to support the additional traffic development of the site would bring. In addition, cross flow traffic and congestion through Leamington Spa would significantly increase as the majority of food retailers and employment opportunities are located south of the the River Leam accessed by only four river crossings.
* The impervious heavy clay subsoil causes the site to be prone to flooding particularly, along the north western boundary which currently causes surface water run off flooding to the rear of Cubbington Road, properties in Oakridge Road, Parklands Avenue and Cubbington Village.

I object to the above mentioned site being used for future housing development for the following reasons:

* The protection given by the existing green belt should be retained and protected whilst there are other non protected green sites suitable for development in the district.
* The green space between Lillington and Cubbington must be protected in order to prevent the unrestricted sprawl of the large built up area of Leamington Spa, it safeguards the countryside from encroachment, protects wildlife, improves the environment and maintains the two distinct communities of Lillington and Cubbington.
* Access to the proposed development site would be via the existing estate roads infrastructure built during the 50's 60's and 70's, totally unsuitable to support the substantial traffic increase that would follow any large scale development of the site.
* The current main roads and associated junctions serving the areas of Lillington and Cubbington are already overloaded at peak times and are inadequate to support the additional traffic development of the site would bring. In addition, cross flow traffic and congestion through Leamington Spa would significantly increase as the majority of food retailers and employment opportunities are located south of the the River Leam accessed by only four river crossings.
* The impervious heavy clay subsoil causes the site to be prone to flooding particularly, along the north western boundary which currently causes surface water run off flooding to the rear of Cubbington Road, properties in Oakridge Road, Parklands Avenue and Cubbington Village.

Questionnaire Response
Site 2: Support - This area is already being developed and the proposed idea of a new building for Campion School could mean a bigger school to take the extra numbers resulting from the extra development.
Site 3: Object - This is green belt land and splits Cubbington from Leamington Spa making Cubbington a village. This land is heavy clay subsoil and would worsen the existing village flooding problems.
Local schools can not cope with this scale of development and there are already problems with cars blocking roads and driveways at the start and end of school.
The roundabout at the top of Windmill Hill already has a high number of accidents and further traffic would make it even more dangerous for drivers and pedestrians and particularly children.
We bought our house in Cubbington because it was a village location with footpaths and lovely fields full of wildlife on the doorstep. More development would completely ruin village life.
I strongly object to this proposed development at Glebe Farm.

Questionnaire Response:
I object to the Glebe Farm, Cubbington development for the following reasons.

It will increase the levels of traffic on already busy roads.
It will reduce Cubbington's autonomy as a community.
It will reduce Cubbington's "desirability" by liking it with new developments.
It will reduce the identity of Cubbington and its good name as a family friendly community.
It will reduce attractive green belt areas used by families and dog walkers

I moved to Cubbington to avoid social problems associated with large housing developments.
I believe this development will reduce the quality of life for the existing residents of Cubbington

I have been a Cubbington resident for almost 30 years and I am extremely concerned by the Glebe Farm proposal. Although attached to Leamington (via Lillington), Cubbington is very much a village in its own right. It has a centre and a community spirit. Although urban, it also has very easy access to rural areas. I fear this will be lost should the additional housing be created along with the associated people. Furthermore, the current road infrastructure in the area can barely cope with the present population and will be grossly inadequate to serve the new development. Windmill Hill in particular already has lenghty queues at peak times.

The increased level of traffic on an already dangerous road traffic system.

The increased flooding risk to the whole area from the run off created by the new build.

With such a large area of land under consideration, would it be sensible to create an additional area of Leamington, separated by greenery rather than merging two communities? If this was completed successfully it would provide a new sought after location rather than the whole area reducing in value due to a mass of densely packed housing.

This proposed site for housing development is unsuitable for many reasons. The destruction of countryside would mean the end of Cubbington's identity as a village, existing since Domesday. This development would only be the beginning as further encroachment of the green belt would be inevitable, spreading like a stain on the countryside.
The logistical problems of siting such a development here are blatently obvious as anyone who has experienced the traffic on Offchurch Road, Windmill Hill and Rugby Road would tell you. The pressure on local facilities would be detrimental to all residents and the worsening of existing flood problems would be intolerable. At a time when destruction of the environment is a major worry, how can you justify destroying such a large area of natural wildlife habitat and footpaths ?

I raise objection to the inclusion of alternative site 3 -- Glebe Farm Cubbington, in the core strategy. My reasons, based on planning principles, are as follows:

1. Flooding risk. In 2007 Cubbington experienced a catastrophic pluvial flooding event. Having attended the environment agency follow-up to these flood events, it is clear that the typography and run-off from fields and most notably the built environment, caused the capacity of the water courses to be exceeded. The development proposed would increase the probability and severity of flooding in Cubbington due to these factors. It is essential that appropriately managed farmland is retained in the vicinity of Cubbington and the Pitt Report has comments to the effect of agricultural land management to ameliorate the effects of water run-off. Creating a built environment in this area is wholly unacceptable.

2. Protected species. The site is reported to be a significant habitat for the great crested newt and badgers. It is difficult to see how practical measures could be taken to mitigate the loss of habitat. The council should ensure that Warwickshire County Council ecology service are aware of these proposals and specifically seek their representation on the question of habitats and protected species.

3. Green belt and buffer between settlements. The proposal compromises the spirit, if not the letter, of the greenbelt protection to separate Cubbington from the continuous conurbation of Lillington and the Leamington. The proposal fails any sequential tests necessary before greenbelt encroachment. The proposal would irreparably harm the character of Cubbington which currently retains a distinctive village environment.

4. Traffic. The Liberal Democrats have recently carried out informal doorstep surveys of residents in Cubbington (predating the publication of the scheme) and the issue of traffic at school times was the principal concern. This proposal has severe limitations of access both from east and west. Employment Centres are located to the south of Leamington and traffic would route through the town or by 'rat runs' using the Welsh Road, Fosse Way, and Radford Seleme. Highway re-mediation measures would be unacceptable as these would have to be a significant and would create an urbanising effect in this rural locality.

I have attended two public meetings that I estimate involved 500-600 residents, by any measure a significant level of concern in the community. The public made many other points in addition to those above from their local knowledge, which I am sure the planning authority will consider. Commentators at those meetings indicated a realisation that there is a need for a number of local homes, but of a scale and character appropriate to the locality, infrastructure and economic centres. This proposal does not meet these criteria.

Perhaps you could be kind enough to indicate that my comments have been received.

I would like to thank planning policy officers that have attended both meetings for their helpful explanation, sometimes under difficult and hostile questioning.

I feel that I must state my objection to this proposal.
I was born in Cubbington and grew up there. I've always loved the village and am still active in the Methodist Church which is one of the centres of social life in the community. My childhood home was one of the first pre-war semi's built in the area, pioneering the process of growth from a tiny collection of rural homes. Cubbington has never lost that feeling of being a close-knit semi-rural community and this is one of its main charms. The proposed development at Glebe Farm would dwarf the existing village and appears to be a cynical move by speculative developers to make a lot of money from high density housing on Green Belt land, without any care for the impact this enormous development would have on the life and identity of the existing community.

The events of 2007 are still very fresh in the minds of all Cubbington's people. The already overloaded drainage system couldn't cope with a sudden downpour and the Pingle burst its banks, flooding many properties and causing damage that took many months to rectify. Now along comes a developer and suggests building hundreds of homes on a hillside above the village. Where will all the waste water, sewage and run-off from paving and other hard surfaces go? Logically it will flow downhill - straight to the scene of the previous disaster. The inhabitants of New Street, Offchurch Road and Ladycroft are already facing less advantageous terms for home insurance. How will they get cover at all, if they have to disclose a planning blunder of such enormity? Warwick District Council sidestepped the blame last time - I doubt they'd be able to do so again if this development were to be allowed!

Another serious difficulty is the question of road access to the proposed site. Access to a more limited development was envisioned years ago by opening up cul de sacs on the East side of Parklands Avenue. It's doubtful that these narrow residential back-streets could handle such an enormous volume of traffic, and in any case where would it go then? Into Leamington via Valley Road? Onto the Cubbington Road towards Cubbington or back towards Leamington? These (already busy) roads couldn't cope with such a potentially large volume of additional traffic. Perhaps there'll be an attempt to funnel traffic onto the Offchurch Road. Cubbington is already a rat run for cars and lorries coming from the Fosse, through little twisty Offchurch, over the single track hump-backed bridge. It then divides at Thwaites factory, some of it speeding along Cross Lane, along narrow New Street past the school and up Church Hill, over the cross roads and ultimately to Coventry. The rest of it winds up the Windmill Hill past the other school and over the accident prone painted mini-roundabout at Compton's Garage, before continuing to Kenilworth. No, the existing road system couldn't cope and I don't expect the hopeful investors will want to spend their profits on a proper new system of wide roads extending several kilometres away from their money making scheme.

Although Cubbington has two thriving schools and a successful youth club at the Methodist Church, the average age of its inhabitants is rather higher than other neighbouring communities and it is seen as a good place to retire. Two things are missing. One is an alternative to the excellent but expensive care home at Cubbington Mill. The other is an adequate supply of affordable sheltered housing which would enable residents to continue to live independently (and locally) into their old age. A much smaller development, designed to meet these specific needs, would be much more welcome.

The road infrastructure for Cubbington and Cubbington to Leamington, does not support a large scale development of this kind. There does not appear to be any consideration for increased traffic volumes and its effect on the existing road network, particularly access roads to Leamington town centre.

The basis for my objection is that this development would be on the opposite side of Leamington Spa to the main industrial estates, leading to an increase in levels of commuter traffic across or around town. This is in contradiction to the governments stated intentions of promoting cycling and walking to work.

This increase in traffic would actually make cycling more dangerous and therefore oblige the council to build dedicated cycle/pedestrian paths along many of the town's roads and also the outlying rural roads, in particular Welsh Road.

There is also clear evidence that additional homes have already been built in the Warwick district, (Waterfront development) and the uptake has been minimal, the majority of homes remaining unsold and the second phase has been postponed/delayed and underfunded due to a lack of sales.

These unfinished properties and part built car park on what was greenfields and a former factory site are unlikely to encourage buyers to take up homes in the area.

While these remain unsold further development in the area should not be contemplated.

These objections are in addition to the problems associated with water management in the Cubbington area, loss of amenity and creating a conurbation of a former village.

I am registered blind and am currently able to negotiate the Parklands estate in reasonable safety as traffic levels are generally fairly low. The volume increase of traffic associated with the large number of homes planned would make my daily routine extremely dangerous.

My property currently benefits by being on the edge of the Leamington development and its value would be considerably decreased if this was to be joined to Cubbington by continuous housing.

Although central government have agreed that consideration can be given to development of greenbelt land, how can we criticise countries such as Brazil for loss of rainforest while we continue to destroy our own natural environment.

I also feel that as well as Cubbington being swallowed up by Leamington, the village of Offchurch would completely lose its identity and suffer further increases in traffic avoiding the town centre and most likely become a rat run.

I strongly object to the land around cubbington being used to meet central Government Targets on housing...rather than letting local needs decide the amount of houses that should be built.

Filling in the land between Cubbington and Lillington will just increase the amount of traffic in and around Leamington Spa town Centre. Daily rush hour is a nightmare at present, this will only compound the issue. Also where are the jobs for the additional people? Not at the top end of Leamington. If the Jobs are in Coventry then build the houses there instead.

The entire site is not appropriate for full development. The eastern part adjacent to Lillington is on a ridge. This forms the natural boundary to any extension of Lillington. However, a western extension to Cubbington is possible and will present minimal visual impact owing to the topography. I consider the north-eastern area suitable. Of course, any development would be expect to provide flood alleviation measures as part of its S106 agreement.

Cubbington village already has sewage and flooding problems it will make it even worse,
Cubbington would no longer be a village just a part of Leamington,
Traffic would be increased, there's already a lot of cars and lorrys going thougth the village,
wildlife and green areas destroyed

Questionnaire Response:
We object to this proposal on several grounds

*We already have severe traffic problems in Windmill hill and the roundabout at Rugby road, currently we expect an accident here at least once per week of some nature. It is only a matter of time before somebody will be killed. The road system is not suitable for any additional increase in volume.
*We frequently have to wait between 5 and 10 minutes to wait for a break in the traffic to leave our drive.
*We have a Comptons garage opposite us which takes regular tanker deliveries, this causes hold up in the traffic flow, also people wishing to turn into the garage cause traffic delays and this would only get worse.
*The traffic along Rugby Road in Cubbington is already at maximum at certain times of the day any more would be intolerable.
*We have no wish to lose our Village status and be joined to Leamington Spa via Lillington, this is a development to far, we do not need this development when we have lost so much industry and there are brown sites to be developed, not continually the green belt.
*Most of the residents in Cubbington are OAP's and they have moved here for a quieter life in their autumn years, this development will be a danger to them and could reduce life expectancy due to increased activity.
*Cubbington already suffers from a flood problem in heavy rain this development will only make this matter worse.
*We would experience increased noise from the traffic which would make our lives less enjoyable.
*It is also very difficult to make Doctors appointments this development will only exacerbate this.
*This is an ill conceived plan which does not have any thoughts for the current residents Leamington and its villages will soon become to look like Coventry.

Questionnaire Response:
I definitely object to your plans to build here. What has your Council or the other authorities done to alleviate the flooding in Cubbington? Building on this site would increase the flooding risk to Cubbington village that is so obvious. The water would drain down the hill to the Pingle brook which is at the bottom of the hill and those of us who live around it would be flooded, any one with half a brain could see that. No thought has been given to this at all. The only ones to benefit from this are the landowners and property developers who your Council seem to have great store in.
If houses are needed in Cubbington then perhaps you should take back some of the land from Thwaites (how they got permission to expand the way they have into Green Belt beggars belief, perhaps he had some Councilor friends). You could pull down some of the unused factory buildings re-open the Pingle so flood water can get away instead of backing up into Cubbington Village. Then perhaps you could build some houses for first time buyers.

Questionnaire Response:
I object to this development as I feel it would cause a number of issues for Cubbington residents. The increased volume of traffic from new homes travelling to and from the village in rush hour (morning and evening) along with the small island at the top of Windmill Hill, will cause great disruption to everyone and an increased risk of accidents. There will be a need for more schools and doctor's surgeries to ease the pressure of the existing ones.

The environmental impact on wildlife alongside the loss of well used footpaths would be detrimental to the village.

Cubbington village suffers with flooding due to heavy clay subsoil and common sense tells you that building on that land would worsen the existing flooding problem.

I wish to object to the development of Glebe farm for housing
Several years ago a very large pipe (which I assumed to be for water ) was laid in the field from Black Lane to Cubbington Road. This ran along the bottom of my garden. Sometime later I realised the soil from the side garden of our house was slipping into the field. I had to have a retaining wall built to stop any further loss of garden. Several neighbours in our road had to do the same. This brings further worries. If this land is developed, will it lead to further landslip and possible subsidence of our house. Is it that as the rain runs off the fields into Cubbington and causes flooding it takes some of the soil with it. To develop this land will cause major upheaval to the lay of the land. what assurance can you give that this will not affect the houses in Langdale Close or even Eden Court.
My other objections are
1 Loss of green belt and farming land and the creatures who have lived there for more years than we have. The first we knew about the badgers living there was when two appeared on our patio. They have given us so much pleasure over the years, I feel someone should speak up for them. What about the Badger act of 1992, should there not be a Badger survey carried out by the Warwickshire Badger Society, before any decision is taken. It will be too late afterwards.

2 Not enough schools to cope with the extra children an estate of this nature would bring, likewise doctors surgeries

3 Inadequate roads, not equipped to carry heavy traffic ie lorries carrying building materials and later, much larger volumes of traffic than the roads were built to take.

The green belt between Lillington and Cubbington must be protected to prevent the unrestricted sprawl of the large built up area of Leamington Spa, it safeguards the countryside from encroachment and maintains the two distinct communities of Lillington and Cubbington village. If not protected, village life as we know will be gone for ever.

In 2007 I was one of many Cubbington residents that had to leave their home when our properties flooded. There are several reasons as to why the flood occurred with one of the main ones being that the drainage system could not cope with the amount of water and waste flowing through them. The development of new houses in the area will put a massive strain on the existing drainage system and puts the area of the village at the bottom of the hill at a greater risk of flooding again. The current drainage system could not cope with the waste and water of up to 2,000 new homes and developing it to do so would be a large expense and cause a great deal of disruption to existing residents.

I object to development on the green belt between Lillington and Cubbington as it will merge two distinct communities. By encouraging the sprawl of Leamington it may also promote further expansion into the area around the Thwaites factory. Much of the land under consideration is subject to flooding, which is already a problem in Cubbington village. Were such a development to go ahead it would put a great deal of pressure on already crowded roads and infrastructure and would require new schools, doctors and so on to service the expanded population. The land under consideration is a valuable amenity to the extant local population and is a large part of what makes Cubbington so attractive a place to live. If these developments go ahead all that would be lost and this would cause a severe fall in local house prices.

* There is a need for communities, with commonality. Merging Lillington and Cubbington will result in the loss of the established communities and the loss of belonging.
* Green belt must be protected at all times. The loss of our beautiful countryside for now and our children's future would be a mistake.
* The green belt as agreed only in 2007, in Cubbington would be lost
* As always little thought on the current infrastructure and how the generally narrow roads of the 50's, 60's and 70's will NOT be able to support the amount of traffic for the anticipated growth in the traffic if this site is chosen
* Road traffic incidents at the junction of Parklands and Cubbington Road, cross roads at the junction Windmill Hill are well documented, both of these junctions will see a tremendous increase in traffic if this site is chosen.
* As we are all aware that families today are likely to average 2 cars per household, van our roads take this increase
* There are issues this year for primary school places at Cubbington C of E school and Telford School, has this been thought through.
* Will there be general practice capacity to cope with the needs of this new site
* I live in Oakridge Road and can assure you that the extensive work on the flodding from the fields STILL REMAINS. An increase in housing will increase the problem both for the proposed site and the current properties in Oakridge road, Parklands Avenue.
* Cubbington village is in a dip, and has SUFFERED from flooding extensively in the past. This has cause both physical and mental scars to those villagers who live within the flood area
* Cubbington School has seen many closures and damages to the property due to flooding, resulting in disruption fro the pupils and their families.
* Large scale development would be required for this proposed site, resulting in a a significant number of the new residents having many cross town journeys to access employment and food/retail shopping, Leamington is only just coping with the current numbers of residents having to cross town, any increase would bring major difficulties and congestion to the town roads.

I object to the development at Glebe Farm for the following reasons:

* The proposed site is an alternative to the Brown Field sites already submitted and if there are objections to those sites, there are other alternative sites which would be more suited to the application for development eg land at Baginton Airfield.

* The road infrastructure in the area already suffers from congestion at peak periods and I feed would not be able to cope with additional vehicles from 2-3000 houses. The roundabout at the top of Windmill Hill causes confusion as drivers from Leamington still act as though they have right of way (despite the signings) so everyone is hesitant and there are still frequent accidents there. Also, there has already been one death on the Rugby Road and the increase in traffic, I feel would mean that there would be another.

* The site is away from the main areas of work in South Leamington and Warwick meaning that there would be an increase in traffic thorough central Leamington which already cannot cope at peak times.

* The land is currently agricultural and is composed of heavy clay. There is a severe issue with run-off which in July 2007 resulted in nearly 50 houses being flooded as the sewerage system could not cope with the amount. At the moment no-one is willing to take responsibility to fund the improvement to reduce the impact. The effect of building 2-3000 houses on this site would be to make this problem much worse.

* The land is a Green Field site which is enjoyed by wildlife (including badgers) and walkers. There are several rights of way which run across this land which I have used which will need to be maintained if the site were to be developed.

* The village of Cubbington is a close knit rural community, highlighted by the fact that the parliamentary constituency boundaries have been moved so that it is no longer in Warwick and Leamington and is in the rural constituency of Kenilworth and Southam. This large development will have a huge impact on the village resources (there is always a queue in the post office) and take away some of the reasons why people moved here.

* This development was also mean that there would need to be an increase in facilities eg shops, schools and surgeries to cope with the increase in population or else the existing local facilities would need to expand in order to cope with the pressure.

* If this application is approved, then there will be pressure to extend the development to the boundary of Welsh Road and onto the area around Thwaites factory and eventually development could extend into Offchurch.

I support this site at Baginton as it would be a more suitable site as opposed to Glebe Farm (or any of the other 4 sites) as it is already set up with suitable road access and is of a size that suitable shops, schools, surgeries and employment sites could be set up at the same time.

Cubbington is a village and current residents have paid house prices that reflect the village status and the surrounding countryside - if this is not protected, village life will be gone forever. The environmental impact would be huge and totally unacceptable.
Such a small space cannot cope with the increases in traffic that this development will inevitably cause - there is already an accident black spot at the Windmill Hill roundabout with the current level of traffic.
Where are all the children going to go to school? Which doctors surgeries are the new residents going to attend? These services are already at full capacity; we cannot have these services stretched.
This building development will worsen the existing flooding problem.

Cubbington would be ruined as a village, it would become part of an urban sprawl.

We are already told the new high speed rail will go through our village area.

Flooding is a continued problem in the area, acres of concrete would be disastrous.

Listen to the local villagers, we own the pleasant village.

Traffic on Windmill Hill is like an A road at busy times, cars queue up at the roundabout.

1. Risk of flooding in Cubbington
2. Increase in traffic with current roads unsuitable to handle this increase
3. Land currently used for agricultural use - this should not change.