North of Milverton, Leamington Spa

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Scanned Response Form

I object to the proposed development in Old Milverton and Blackdown contained in Warwick District Councils's Preferred Options for the Local plan.

Simply put, I do not understand the need to develop on green belt land when there is plenty of brown belt or non-green belt land that can be developed.

We can see this land from our bedroom windows, so there is the obvious selfish view that we do not want that view to be impared by buildings.

In addition, this land has great recreational value to the local community. It is enjoyed by many runners, riders, walkers and cyclists.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the Government attaches great importance to Greenbelts and that the fundamental aim of Greenbelt is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.

The Greenbelt in Old Milverton and Blackdown fulfils the 5 purposes of Greenbelt set out in the NPPF and therefore should remain as open Greenbelt land for ever. It
- Prevents the unrestricted sprawl of Leamington to the north
- Prevents the merging of Leamington and Kenilworth
- Helps safeguard the countryside from encroachment
- Helps preserve the setting and special character of Leamington (a historic town)
- Helps urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land

There are other sites which can be developed that are not in the Greenbelt. These sites, which are mainly to the south of Leamington, were included in Warwick District Council's previous plan (the 2009 Core Strategy). Employment opportunities and infrastructure already exists here, and this land should be used in preference to the Greenbelt.

The NPPF states that Greenbelt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. As there are alternative sites, there are no exceptional circumstances which outweigh the harm caused by altering the Greenbelt boundaries in Old Milverton and Blackdown and allowing development on this land.

Please reconsider your Preferred Options.

I read with dismay that yet again there are plans to build on the Greenbelt north of Leamington Spa/Milverton. This plan has been muted many times over the last few years. My fear is that the council will keep pushing this option until they get what they want.

I strongly object to the proposed development in Warwick District Council's preferred option.

As many others will no doubt articulate better than me, this land is extremely important to many local people for their recreational activity and defines a break between the built up areas north of the town.

This objection is not based on a nimby point of view. The Milverton area has recently had a large development of housing, including town houses and flats on the old Potterton factory site. This development was completed (although not fully completed) over two years ago. I regularly walk past these properties on my way to work and notice that many are unsold and unoccupied. I would argue that it is not new development the town needs, it's affordable property.

The proposed development will just build more of the same and not help those looking to make a start on the property ladder.

The NPPF states that "Greenbelt should only be altered in exceptional circumstances" I do not believe there are any exceptional circumstances that would support the Council's preferred option.

I hope my views will be considered and this proposal will be withdrawn. This time for good.

I would like to register my objection to your Preferred Options document, with the removal of land at North Leamington from the Green Belt.

This open land is an important recreational resource for families in this area.

I do not consider that you have demonstrated the 'very special circumstances' necessary to remove this land from the Green Belt when there are other non-Green Belt sites that were deemed suitable for development when the Core Strategy was being prepared in 2009.

Furthermore, I think it appropriate to allocate land to the south of Coventry to reflect the location of a Regional Investment Site in this area.

I am very concerned that the SHLAA used as the foundation for this Local plan does not fully identify the value of the North Leamington Greenbelt, particularly that land between Northumberland Road and Old Milverton. Indeed I believe the SHLAA does not equally consider all sites and considerably more effort has gone into identifying benefits of some sites in comparison to others. The whole document should be reviewed and as a consequence of this the proposed development on the Green Belt North of Leamington should be removed from the Local Plan.
I am further concerned that the Local plan places far greater importance (and indeed too greater an importance) on the policies of the Regional Spatial Strategy Policy in comparison to the National Planning Policy Framework. If appropriate importance was placed in the NPPF which is a more recent NATIONAL document, that is not due to become obsolete like the RSS, then the greenbelt sites to the North of Leamington would not be considered as suitable for development.

I am writing to oppose the District Council's plans to develop on Green Belt Land as shown in their 2012 Preferred Options booklet. Nothing has changed since the 2009 Core Strategy, so there cannot be any justification for these fundamental changes now.

This area of countryside has provided the residents of Leamington Spa and Warwick much needed rest and relaxation. Any plan to develop this area only represents a further onsluaght on natural spaces for people to enjoy and spend time with families and friends taking exercise.

As a resident in Leamington Spa for 43 years, I was born no more than three miles from Old Milverton. As a young person, walking in fresh air around Old Milverton provided inspiration on the doorstep to get through O'Levels and A'Levels and the challenges of teenage life. It was the positive association with Leamington Spa which brought me back to Leamington Spa after completing my Post Gruduate degree and we have successfully brought up four children here; they have of course enjoyed the frequent Sunday walks around Old Milverton. The constant development of our towns pushes areas of countryside further from town residents denying access to younger people who can't drive and forcing older people into cars to get to good walking areas.

Please, I urge you, make a stance on this area of Leamington and protect it from future development. It is beautiful and full of history - I excavated an area of the old village in the late 1980s. If this development goes ahead, I will probably leave the area for good, as it will be last straw for me as Leamington becomes a faceless town, just like so many in the UK, ringed by 'cookie cutter' houses and drab warehouse units, designed with little of no imagination.

This is my letter of objection to building on Green Belt Land in Blackdown and Old Milverton as shown in the 2012 Preferred options Plan. This area is an asset to Leamington Spa. It is enjoyed by many walkers, runners, riders and cyclists and should be preserved at all costs. I personally moved to this part of Leamington as I was attracted to the beautiful landscape. It would be shameful to build here until you have exhausted all alternatives and checked that the number of houses you require is needed!

Having heard about the proposals for massive development of the Greenbelt land in Old Milverton and Blackdown,I should like to state for the record that
I am utterly opposed ,and dare I say it, sickened by the idea.
Our beautiful Greenbelt land north of Leamington acts as a hugely important 'green lung' for the residents of Leamington but also, equally importantly for all the many many species of wildlife that depend upon these spaces for their wellbeing and lives.
The Greenbelt land is an important resource for the local community. It is used on a daily basis by many walkers, and cyclists. Leamington is a beautiful town made more so by our easy access to open countryside. The council say the new plans will incorporate green spaces. Why destroy what is already there just to replace it with a "Synthetic" version of the countryside? Rather, the council should be trying to do everything in its power to permanently protect the greenbelt, not committing atrocious acts of environmental vandalism.
Whilst it is fully understood that we need more housing for the future this should not be allowed to damage and destroy this important buffer zone between Leamington and Kenilworth. More houses ,superstores, roads and amenities will all add drastically to the levels of climate changing greenhouse gas emissions with all the increased traffic and congestion that is the inevitable result of this scheme if it were allowed to go ahead. The tranquillity of the area will be lost forever and not only us but also our children, grandchildren and generations to come will suffer as a result. It will be a gradual encroachment of land whilst more and more of the countryside falls foul of the bulldozers until eventually Leamington and Kenilworth will be joined in the urban sprawl of houses and development.
And does a town the size of Leamington really warrant a park and ride scheme?
The Governments NPPF document states that in order to allow building on greenbelt land to go ahead, councils must demonstrate "exceptional circumstances". They have not done this. There are plenty of Brownfield sites available in Leamington fit for development which would be much more appropriate. For ages the Ford factory site stood empty -why not have built more housing here rather than an unnecessary supermarket? There is derelict land between Queensway and the Shires and many more such sites besides. And what of the old Potterton site? Many of those apartments are still sitting empty due to lack of takers.


The impact on the local wildlife will be devastating. At the moment this land supports hundreds of species including badgers, foxes, pheasants, herons, buzzards and sparrowhawks.There are also water voles living along the banks of the River Avon, these beautiful animals are an endangered species whose numbers have declined by 90% over the last 30 years. If the building of the new relief road goes ahead this inevitably will have a detrimental effect upon the population from which it may never recover.
The fields also support Skylarks. There is nothing more lovely than a summers walk listening to the sounds of larks singing as they rise into the air, the quintessential sound of a British summer. These wonderful birds are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981, after a 50% decline in numbers of breeding birds over the last 25 years, yet the council seem happy to ignore this fact and decimate the lot.
What also of the many allotments in this area? People have worked hard on these plots to get them fully established. If they are taken away you are stripping people of another much needed green space .We are always talking these days about sustainable living and the importance of people getting more exercise, if you remove the allotments you remove another valuable resource which allows people a chance to really make a difference to their lives and improve their health.
I strongly urge the council to reject this highly inappropriate development and to make a stand to save the Greenbelt not to sacrifice our countryside to the developers.

I am writing to oppose The District Council's plans to develop on Green Belt Land as shown in their Prefered Options booklet. Nothing has changed since the 2009 Core Strategy, so there cannot be any justification for these fundimental changes now. I have asked a friend to e-mail this to you as I do not own a commputer.

I object to the proposed development in Old Milverton and Blackdown contained in Warwick District Councils's Preferred Options for the Local plan.

This land has great recreational value to the local community. It is enjoyed by many runners, riders, walkers and cyclists.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the Government attaches great importance to Greenbelts and that the fundamental aim of Greenbelt is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.

The Greenbelt in Old Milverton and Blackdown fulfils the 5 purposes of Greenbelt set out in the NPPF and therefore should remain as open Greenbelt land for ever. It
* Prevents the unrestricted sprawl of Leamington to the north
* Prevents the merging of Leamington and Kenilworth
* Helps safeguard the countryside from encroachment
* Helps preserve the setting and special character of Leamington (a historic town)
* Helps urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land
There are other sites which can be developed that are not in the Greenbelt. These sites, which are mainly to the south of Leamington, were included in Warwick District Council's previous plan (the 2009 Core Strategy). Employment opportunities and infrastructure already exists here, and this land should be used in preference to the Greenbelt.

The NPPF states that Greenbelt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. As there are alternative sites, there are no exceptional circumstances which outweigh the harm caused by altering the Greenbelt boundaries in Old Milverton and Blackdown and allowing development on this land.

Please reconsider your Preferred Options.

I am vehemently opposed to the proposed development of the Greenbelt land North of Leamington and Warwick. I would like to comment particularly on the land north of Milverton, as this is the area of land that I know and use.

I believe that the council has seriously underestimated the value of this particular area land as a recreation site. The land is almost constantly used and enjoyed by very many walkers, runners and dog owners, and development of this site would be of huge detriment to the area. As is stated in the Government's National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 'our natural environment is essential to our wellbeing'. Development of this site would seriously diminish the opportunities for people living in the area to access open, green spaces in their locality.

Permanence is an essential characteristic of the Green Belt. To say that the remaining areas of Greenbelt will be closely protected is not convincing. The proposed developments will create a jagged Greenbelt boundary. It is hard to believe that the land between and surrounding the Milverton and Blackdown sites would not be subject to 'infill' planning requests - and that future Councils would never approve this. The gradual 'chipping away' of the Greenbelt will lead to its eventual obliteration and coalescence of the neighbouring towns.

Another strong argument for protecting this area of land is its immense agricultural value. Far from taking away from the Greenbelt arguments (as I interpreted Bill Hunt's comments at the Old Milverton meeting to mean), this is an additional and extremely valid reason for not building on this site. The NPPF states that 'Sustainable means ensuring that better lives for ourselves don't mean worse lives for future generations'. This definition surely has to include an ability to provide food for ourselves.

In these times of prolonged economic recession, the region faces an uncertain future. I believe planners should exercise extreme caution in these times. We must not destroy the greenbelt based on housing demand projections that may prove to be inaccurate. Let us build on brown field and white field sites first, then consider Greenbelt land ONLY when all other possibilities have been completely exhausted.

The NFFP states that planning should be a collective enterprise that includes people and communities. You have a responsibility to listen to the concerns of the public and to ensure that there is genuine consultation in this process. Attendance at meetings at Trinity School and Old Milverton Church have demonstrated the strength of opposition to this development. To ignore these views would be to neglect your duties

Scanned Response Form

Unfortunately today, I have only just become aware of the plans that are proposed for a large area of Leamington and surrounding areas in which I live. This concerns me gravely, it is my belief that the Council have not adequately informed other residents within the areas of Leamington that will be affected, about these proposals, therefore many will remain in ignorance of this proposed plan for such a vast development within the area in which we live .
I am very concerned that the required and desired CONSULTATION of ALL the residents in Leamington has not been correctly or at least fairly adhered to?. Many I believe will still be unware of this extensive land development and the consequences this will have on the intrastructures, highways and byways, life and health of residents; residents like myself who already live here, have in good faith, duely paid taxes in the expectation that the Councils and Planning authorities wil work on our behalf with our best interests; as individuals and a community to which they have a duty of care. It is also my concern rightly or wrongly; that this proposal for some reason, is not only being pushed through very quickly but without the proper notifcation of ALL residents.
I object to the proposed development in Old Milverton and Blackdown contained in Warwick District Councils's Preferred Options for the Local plan. There are several reasons for my objections in no particular order:
This land has great recreational value to the local community. It is enjoyed by many runners, riders, walkers and cyclists.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the Government attaches great importance to Greenbelts and that the fundamental aim of Greenbelt is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.
The Greenbelt in Old Milverton and Blackdown fulfils the 5 purposes of Greenbelt set out in the NPPF and therefore should remain as open Greenbelt land for ever. It prevents the unrestricted sprawl of Leamington to the north; prevents the merging of Leamington and Kenilworth; helps safeguard the countryside from encroachment; helps preserve the setting and special character of Leamington (a historic town); helps urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.
There are other sites which can be developed that are not in the Greenbelt. These sites, which are mainly to the south of Leamington, were included in Warwick District Council's previous plan (the 2009 Core Strategy). Employment opportunities and infrastructure already exists here, and this land should be used in preference to the Greenbelt.
The NPPF states that Greenbelt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. As there are alternative sites, there are no exceptional circumstances which outweigh the harm caused by altering the Greenbelt boundaries in Old Milverton and Blackdown and allowing development on this land.
Health: Leamington I understand rightly or wrongly is one of the highest areas of air pollution in the country, therefore it would seem advisable to endeavour to prevent illnesses, and maintain the health of a population and not to introduce vast building developments, highways and vehicles, buildings. etc., that such a proposed development would bring.
There are of course other more subtle problems that over development and not keeping green belt land causes; societies loose identity, crime may well worsen, also please be aware that the population does not only grow by the number of houses, but by the number of people in the houses. This is therefore a VASTER development than it would first seem.
Consequently, with Greenbelt development now and in the future; there is nowhere left for anyone to exercise, enjoy open spaces, no where to live!
Please reconsider your Preferred Options.

I wish to voice and qualify my objections to the proposed housing development planned north of Milverton. I understand that new housing is required and that development must therefore happen somewhere, however there are clear factors which indicate that this is not appropriate land.

In the first case, this is Green Belt land. Obviously this does not entirely prevent development should (as the council has stated and acknowledged) there be 'insufficient suitable and available sites outside the greenbelt'. This prerequisite is however not met. Land east of the A452 and south of Heathcote is entirely suited to housing development and since this is the case, I would suggest that the council should stand by its own guideline.

Secondly there is the purpose of Green Belt land. The proposed area and the surrounding area are a local amenity. There is little space publicly accessible and removing this land would be highly detrimental. People run, walk dogs, children play etc. in this area.

Thirdly I am highly concerned about the council's prediction for housing requirements. I work as an applied statistical problem solving expert and mentor and I have used my experience to briefly look at what meaning can be extracted from the population-by-year raw data for Leamington I located on the council website. Since there is (visually) a population rate change in 2000, I have taken the data from 2001 to 2010 to see whether it forms a regression model from which a meaningful population (and therefore, housing) prediction can be drawn. Initially I applied a linear fit as shown below and this gave a p-value of zero for a 95% confidence, unsurprisingly showing strong statistical confidence that population increases with year. However, I then applied a quadratic (curved) fit and this also gave a p-value of zero for a 95% confidence for curvature, showing equally strong statistical confidence that the degree of population increase decays with year. Please see the graphs below.

Given that curvature has the high degree of significance above, it is incorrect to perform a linear extrapolation for future values. Doing so will be inaccurate and error will increase with time. I am highly concerned that in your leaflet, you state the need for a fixed number of extra houses per year for the next several years. This is a linear extrapolation which as I have explained above, is a statistically incorrect use of the data. The consequence of using the wrong model in this case will be the provision of houses for a population far greater than that which will actually occur. It is incidentally, entirely erroneous to use a linear relationship as a 'worst-case' scenario. If necessary a probabilistic (curved) worst-case can easily be calculated.

Finally, whilst I am not personally affected, I also note that the proposed development would be extremely detrimental to Old Milverton, something which I am sure the council will agree, should be avoided if at all possible.

I would like to reiterate that I am not opposed to necessary house building, but I do expect that Green Belt is avoided if at all possible (which it is in this case) and that housing needs are predicted accurately using the best statistical methods.

I would appreciate your views on the above points.

Scanned Response Form.

I object to the proposed development in Old Milverton and Blackdown contained in Warwick District Councils's Preferred Options for the Local plan.

This land has great recreational value to the local community. It is enjoyed by many runners, riders, walkers and cyclists including myself and grandchildren.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the Government attaches great importance to Greenbelts and that the fundamental aim of Greenbelt is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.

The Greenbelt in Old Milverton and Blackdown fulfils the 5 purposes of Greenbelt set out in the NPPF and therefore should remain as open Greenbelt land for ever. It
* Prevents the unrestricted sprawl of Leamington to the north
* Prevents the merging of Leamington and Kenilworth
* Helps safeguard the countryside from encroachment
* Helps preserve the setting and special character of Leamington (a historic town)
* Helps urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land
There are other sites which can be developed that are not in the Greenbelt. These sites, which are mainly to the south of Leamington, were included in Warwick District Council's previous plan (the 2009 Core Strategy). Employment opportunities and infrastructure already exists here, and this land should be used in preference to the Greenbelt.

The NPPF states that Greenbelt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. As there are alternative sites, there are no exceptional circumstances which outweigh the harm caused by altering the Greenbelt boundaries in Old Milverton and Blackdown and allowing development on this land.

Please reconsider your Preferred Options.

I object to the proposed development in Old Milverton and Blackdown contained in Warwick District Council's Preferred Options for the Local plan.

This land has great recreational value to the local community. It is enjoyed by many runners, riders, walkers and cyclists and we regularly see various species of wildlife and birdlife across this important habitat.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the Government attaches great importance to Greenbelts and that the fundamental aim of Greenbelt is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.

The Greenbelt in Old Milverton and Blackdown fulfils the 5 purposes of Greenbelt set out in the NPPF and therefore should remain as open Greenbelt land for ever. It:
* Prevents the unrestricted sprawl of Leamington to the north
* Prevents the merging of Leamington and Kenilworth
* Helps safeguard the countryside from encroachment
* Helps preserve the setting and special character of Leamington (a historic town)
* Helps urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land
There are other sites which can be developed that are not in the Greenbelt. These sites, which are mainly to the south of Leamington, were included in Warwick District Council's previous plan (the 2009 Core Strategy). Employment opportunities and infrastructure already exists here, and this land should be used in preference to the Greenbelt.

The NPPF states that Greenbelt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances. As there are alternative sites, there are no exceptional circumstances which outweigh the harm caused by altering the Greenbelt boundaries in Old Milverton and Blackdown and allowing development on this land.

Please reconsider your Preferred Options.

Objects to building on Green Belt Land in Blackdown and Old Milverton. This area is an asset to Leamington Spa.It is enjoyed by many walkers, runners,riders and cyclists and should be preserved at all cost.It should be shameful to build here until you have exhausted all alternatives and checked that the number of houses is needed.
The Greenbelt in Old Milverton and Blackdown fulfils the 5 purposes of Greenbelt set out in the NPPF and therefore should remain as open Greenbelt land forever.
please reconcider your preferred options.

Objects to the use of greenbelt land in North Leamington to build over 2000 houses:-

The fundamental aim of Greenbelt policy as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.

It requires there to be "very special circumstances" for development in the Green Belt. It also requires the harm caused to the Green Belt by the development to be outweighed by the benefit of the development. I believe that there are many other areas in South Leamington i.e Europa way that could sustain such building work, in the "2009 Core Strategy" (the previous plan adopted by Warwick District Council) land south of Leamington (not in Green Belt), was identified and is still available, for development. The assessment performed by Warwick District Council shows that this land is easier to develop and already has a substantial amount of infrastructure (roads etc) to support the development, and the new residents who will live there. It is close to the M40 and there are existing employment opportunities South of Leamington as well as existing out of town shopping facilities and good access to the town centres. Therefore, the previous plan is direct evidence that there are alternative areas for development other than the Green Belt and that the "special circumstances" put forward by Warwick District Council are wrong.
Warwick District Council argues that the land in the South of Leamington is not as attractive to developers because concentration of development in that area may result in the developers making less profit. Consideration of the developers' financial gain is not a "very special circumstance" to permit unnecessary development in the Green Belt.

The proposals ignore Warwick District Council's study of the Green Belt land at Old Milverton and Blackdown, which concluded that these areas had high Green Belt value
The Greenbelt land identified for development in the Preferred Option carries out the five purposes of green belt land set out in the NPPF and its development would therefore be contrary to the NPPF.

The proposals will reduce the" Green Lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth to less than 1 1/2 miles encouraging the merger of these two towns and their loss of independent identities.

The land at Old Milverton and Blackdown is enjoyed by many walkers, runners, riders, and cyclists. It provides a countryside environment close to the centres of Leamington and Warwick. Both the proposed building development and the "Northern Relief Road" would substantially reduce the amount of land that is available to be enjoyed and have a detrimental impact on the ambience and hence the amenity value of the land. Turning some of it into a maintained park land would detract from, rather than enhance its value.
Old Milverton is one of the last surviving villages close to Leamington that has not been absorbed into the greater conurbation. If the proposals go ahead it is only a matter of time before it is also absorbed byLeamington.
Turning the A452 between Leamington and Kenilworth into dual carriage way will not help traffic flows. At peak times the delays on the A452 result from commuters wanting access to the Town centres.
Building nearly 3000 houses north of Leamington will simply increase the congestion.
The dual carriage way will have a detrimental effect on the picturesque northern gateway to Leamington and southern gateway to Kenilworth.
A "Northern Relief Road" (budgeted cost £28m) is not required. Traffic flows tend to be north to south rather than east to west. The road will serve no purpose other than to take new home owners quickly on to the A46 and to jobs and shopping opportunities away from our Towns. If the development does not go ahead the road will not be required.
A "Northern Relief Road" will form a natural barrier and encourage further development in the green belt up to this new road. It will need to be built across the flood plain (at considerable cost) and will violate an important nature corridor along the River Avon.
If the proposed development is concentrated in the South of Leamington there is an existing road network that could be upgraded at considerably lower cost than the £28m allocated to construct a "Northern Relief Road".
* New Out of Town Stores
The proposed "out of town" retail operations will be another blow to independent retailers in Leamington, Kenilworth andWarwick who make the area an attractive place to live. Further "out of town" shopping will take trade away from the Towns.

Loss of Agricultural Land
There will be a loss of a significant amount of high quality agricultural land in Blackdown and Old Milverton

Warwick District Council has added nearly 1400 homes to the number that it anticipates will be required so as to include a "buffer" in the forecasts. If this "buffer" is removed from the forecast there is no need to include the land at Old Milverton and Blackdown in the proposals.

Objects to building on Green Belt Land in Blackdown and Old Milverton, as shown in the 2012 Preferred Options Plan. This area is an asset to Leamington Spa. The fields here are enjoyed by many walkers, runners, riders and cyclists and should be preserved at all costs. It would be absolutely shameful to build here until you have exhausted all alternatives and checked that the number of houses you require is needed

I strongly oppose the house building project in Blackdown Milverton areas.

The green belt land there has provided a green walking, running, and cycling area for the past 40 years I have lived here.

The green belt should not be decreased between Leamington and Kenilworth to a unnoticeable field.

There are many other areas within the town boundary that could be developed that already have sufficient road access to and from the major link roads.

I have been following the proposed plans for building on the GREEN BELT area of Blackdown & Old Milverton as shown in the 2012 Preferred Options Plan. I spent my childhood in the area & although I no longer live there I am familiar with the area under threat of development. I, like many others understand the importance of preserving such an area of rural beauty which is enjoyed not only by residents but also by those who live in the adjacent towns & cities.

Although there are public reports of a shortage of houses, often originating from "interested parties", I am also familiar with another argument which demonstrates the existence of a large number of vacant properties & unused buildings. It would be a tragedy to start new building projects on GREEN BELT areas if there in fact is not the need for them or alternatives can be found.

Please can you register my objection to the proposed building on GREEN BELT land in Blackdown & Old Milverton as shown in the 2012 Preferred Options Plan

We wish to register our objections to the proposed local plan.

Green belt is sacrosanct. It was set up years ago and the reasons for its creation have not altered in the intervening years. Despite listening carefully to Mr Hunt's presentation in Milverton last evening, we still do not know what exceptional reasons exist to justify encroachment.

We are also unpersuaded that the model used to calculate the housing requirement over the next fifteen years stands up to close scrutiny in some of its assumptions.

Finally - and despite persistent questioning - Mr Hunt failed to clarify the reasons why the housing requirement and certain designated areas, originally identified for development, have changed since the 2010 plan, into which (one assumes) an equal amount of careful consideration was invested

Please find below objection to proposed planning on green belt land in North Leamington:

Local amenity - the land proposed for development to the north of Leamington is an important amenity for exercise and recreation as there is very little publicly accessible space in this area

Green belt - Green belt land should not be developed when other suitable land is available in Leamington for development

Overall level of housing provision - There appears to be over provision of housing resulting from the Council relying on projections from a past period of exceptional growth

Coalescence of urban areas - The development will lead to Leamington, Old Milverton and Kenilworth merging into each other in future

Infrastructure - The current infrastructure cannot support the new development, it would take considerable investment and additional land to provide this infrastructure

We wish to object to the new local plan for the development of green belt land to the north of Leamington. This is not because we contest the need for further housing development, rather that the plan has not been properly thought through, inasmuch as other, non-green belt land has already been identified by your team as "suitable for development". We also feel that projections for future housing needs have been based on exceptional population growth during the boom years. This projection is highly suspect in the light of the current (and projected) economic situation. The recession is still with us, and is likely to be with us for years to come, so the opportunities for growth are going to be exceedingly limited.

Additionally, there is not the infrastructure in north Leamington to support such a development, and providing such would add significantly to the cost (apparently £28m just for a new road!) and further upheaval to a town which has seen more than its share of disruption over recent times. We believe there is sufficient land relevant to a sensible assessment of future needs to the south of Leamington where the infrastructure and employment already exists.

In conclusion, we feel that WDC has not demonstrated the "exceptional circumstances" necessary to build on Green Belt under the National Planning Policy Framework.

We wish to object to the proposed plan to develop farmland at Old Milverton.

This development, including the road will take 40% of our farm and therefore a good percentage of our livlihood with negligable compensation since we aren't the land owners. There is little chance we can rent more land locally to replace the loss and we will have dependent children for some time to come. We have put our lives into this farm and we can show you figures to prove that the fields in question are the most productive on the farm! There is only a narrow green belt of land between Kenilworth and Leamington as it is. This development will alter the dynamic between the two towns.

Surely it would be more sensible to spread the development around the district rather than build these massive developments either side of Leamington. I don't see that this enhances our local community, rather it increases an unwelcome urban sprawl.

Why are you planning to build in the greenbelt. It will spoil the English countryside. People from the nearby towns like to walk up through Old Milverton and down to Guyscliffe using the public footpaths. All this will be taken away. I was born in Old Milverton and lived there for 30 years. We love to come back and visit and all my family loves it too. Why build to accommodate foreign nationals. I think it would be criminal to build in this area and destroy the natural beauty.

If someone wants a concrete jungle let them go to the big cities. Why make all of England a concrete jungle and take away all the unique quaint towns. Thats what makes England interesting and drawers visitors.

Don't make it like parts of the USA where you cannot tell where one City ends and another begins.

Please seriously consider this before you destroy what you already have.

My wife and I were very disappointed to learn that the Green Belt area of North Leamington is being considered for Housing Development. When we bought our house in Fryer Avenue, in 1993, we were assured by estate agents, lawyers, Councillors and Planning officials that the land at the rear of the house (No. 2) was Green Belt and would never be allocated for housing. These assurances are apparently worthless and we can only assume that the Council is powerless to resist developers, land owners and agents such as Heber Percy. It is all the more galling when there is available land in South Leamington, far more suitable for development, with better facilities, including businesses, transport links etc.

We sincerely hope that will be the preferred option, but if in spite of this, North Leamington is to be developed, then can we assume that the development will take account of existing dwellings. For instance, the rear gardens on one side of Fryer Avenue are very short in length to accommodate the allotment tracks. This is noisy, dangerous, with blind bends, and, as you know, its use cannot be restricted to allotment traffic. If this was upgraded, life would be intolerable for Fryer Avenue residents, as we would be marooned on a traffic island. The obvious solution would be to move the track away from the houses and thus create a green area between the Fryer Avenue gardens and the new development. We wonder whether you are open to such suggestions, or whether the need for Heber Percy etc. to maximise their profit will be too strong to resist.

Old Milverton, Blackdown.....

I object to the proposals for this area because :-
1. Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth will soon be one town!
2. Traffic volumes will escalate beyond a sensible level at both quiet and peak times.
3. It will destroy what little countryside exists between Leamington and Kenilworth.

Why squeeze all these buildings into this area when there are wide open spaces East of Leamington with no risk of joining up with Southam. The propsers and their supporters must think again before it is too late.