Woodside Farm (South of Whitnash)

Accessing dangerously fast and busy HarburyLane/TachbrookRoad is a risk to the safety of residents and motorists;
plans come in addtion to 2000 homes at Warwick Gates - a symptom of over development when infrastructure (schooling in particular) is not provided;
Traffic is already an issue in Whitnash with cars coming into Whitnash from M40, Fosse Way via Harbury Land, Tachbrook Rd, and Warwick Gates. Narrow streets become congested especially during school hours and office hours of departing and returning.
Contrary to the Neighbourhood plans for Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council and Whitnash Town council. Housing Needs Surveys indicate lower housing numbers required.

Woodside Farm South of whitnash
The surrounding area already has too much traffic and conjestion occurs daily and this will be further exacibated buy developing around Harbury lane and Tachbrook Road.
Access to the proposed site would undoubtedly cause further problems as did Warwick Gates access.
Access to all services,hospitals, fire ,police etc are all north of the river via bottleneck bridges.
Whitnash has no spare land and it states 100 houses in Tachbrook but Woodside farm is Tachbrook!
Clearly public views and history of Woodside farm examined by a government inspector supporting this as an area of restraint has been completely ignored.

As an resident of Warwick Gates since it was built, I echo the sentiments relating to traffic congestion & concerns about safety.

Additionally the construction of further homes in this location will only add to the pressures on existing infrastructure, the result of very poor planning for Warwick Gates. Disjointed schooling, poor recreation facilities, a stretched medical centre and basic amenities - have you tried parking by Whitnash or Warwick Gates shops & community centre? - are already unacceptable.

Most importantly this has led to a lack of a fundamental community focus & poor cohesion between residents, reflected e.g. in anonymity & anti-social behaviour from those 'no-one recognises,' that will be simply exacerbated by the construction of additional homes.

This is not just a numbers game, it's about creating healthy communities, and existing residents are being failed, let alone new ones.

Lack of easy access to Warwick or Leamington via existing bridges and consequent traffic chaos such as we already have on this route.

Woodside Farm
Due to the elevation of the land any development will be a "blot on the landscape" visible to all entering Whitnash.
Access to the site could mean destruction of woodland and road widening on an already treacherous/busy road network.
The steep incline of land,if developed, would mean flooding of Tachbrook Road and Harbury Lane, which is an area that already floods now.
This proposed development would also mean green spaces around Whitnash disappear forever.
The above coupled with underground power cables should make the site unsuitable for housing or commercial devlopment but lend itself to remaining a "green space".

Woodside Farm
During the Regional Spacial Strategy consultation a government inspector found in favour of no development on this land. The arguments against development are the same now as they were then so what has changed?
Given the history of disputes over this land with pylons, development etc I am surprised the proposed development has arise again but even more surprised it is in phase one. Is this a ploy against residents to railroad this particular development through as their sensible arguments cannot be answered?

Woodside farm
Access to hospitals, fire, police etc are all north of the river and are only accessible via 5 busy bridges. When Warwick town centre and Ford factory were being developed for a time the traffic was chaos highlighting the already conjested bottlenecks.
When Warwick Gates was built promises re scools, fire police etc were made but little came to fruition as planned.
The police we had in Whitnash have now been relocated to Newbold Terrace to save money due to cuts yet another hit to those living south of the river.
How can we trust future promises?

If this build goes ahead it will bring with it a massive increase in yet more traffic on an already dangerous crossroads, which has traffic travelling in four different directions. It will also heap more pressure on already struggling facilities such as schools, police, doctors, dentists etc. Whitnash, Harbury and Bishops Tachbrook are lovely places to live in because of these green spaces, but these will disappear, making it a congested urban sprawl. Surely there is also a need to preserve the local wildlife and recreational family pleasures.

Housing allocation here would be appropriate given the better transport links on this side of the urban area. The identification of sites to the south of Leamington as being appropriate is supported by their previous inclusion in the Core Strategy Preferred Options.

Traffic in the Whitnash area is already conjested , vehicles travel at dangerous speeds especially at peak times , i.e school times and early morning/evening.
Lack of infrastructure will be made more acute with additional housing , eg schools, children not getting in to their local school as there are alrerady a lack of places. Lack of local police, access for fire and green spaces around Whitnash.
There are already major accidents at the junction of Tachbrook Rd and Harbury Lane this will be become worse by increasing traffic on an already busy junction.
Why is this being considered again when a governemnt inspector has already ruled in favour of NO DEVELOPMENT, what has changed, why are we wasting tax payers money AGAIN?
We have already had Warwick Gates built there is no possible valid argument for having yet more housing at this end of Whitnash considering all the facts , NOTHING has changed. so much for the government policy on no Urban sprawl
Increased workloads for the NHS and health professionals working in the community when there are major cuts in spending and service delivery

250 houses at Woodside Farm would exacerbate traffic and water supply/pressure issues already experienced in Whitnash, Warwick Gates and Bishops Tachbrook. Flooding at the Harbury Lane traffic lights will get worse, and the access to the new housing would either cause more congestion at this junction. The high ground at Woodside Farm would also mean that the housing development would be an unattractive initial view of Whitnash.

Traffic is already a nightmare for everyone and more housing in this area will simply make matters worse. Congestion already at peak times.
Increased risk of accidents especially at the Harbury Lane and Tachbroook Rd junction
Destruction of habitats and green space in area already hit by over development.
Lack of school places for local children.
Greater pressures on local police force when they are already stretched.
Nothing has changed since the last government inspectors ruling so why is this being considered again?
Massive housing development already (Warwick Gates), area should not be subjected to more!

Underground power cables make site unsuitable and elevation would make a blot on landscape.

A Government Inspector found in favour of NO development of Woodside Farm in the Regional Special Strategy Programme. The arguments are the same against development so what has changed and above all WHY Phase 1 ?

The Government recommends no urban sprawl well that is exactly what will happen at Woodside Farm so what has changed ?

The elevation of the land, if developed, at the highest part of Woodside farm will cause a "blot on the landscape" visible to all entering Whitnash.

Access to Woodside Farm site would mean the removal of valuable woodland, hedgerows and farm fields that is the habitat of such a diversity of wildlife and the widening on an already busy and dangerous road network at Tachbrook Rd / Harbury Lane junction.

The steep incline of the land at Woodside Farm, if developed, would mean flooding of Tachbrook Rd / Harbury Lane, areas that already flood despite being a modern junction.

The land at Woodside Farm has underground power cables making this unsuitable for development.

Traffic in the Whitnash area is already conjested blocked and becoming dangerouse especially at peak times.

Existing schools have already become over extended and cannot safety extend any further. When Warwick Gates was built it was supposed to include a school this didn't happen.

Access to hospitals, police, fire service are limited due to all being situated north of the river and only accessible by 5 extremely busy bridges

There are virtually no green spaces left around Whitnash. The playing field in Harbury Lane is a white elephant provided to placate residents of Warwick Gates when the estate was built. It is little used for either sport or recreation, boarded up due to vandalism and a hazard with dog waste.

We are in a double recession now so how can you justify the building of all these houses as the development and increase in business is not there so who is going to buy these houses.

Building on this prominent ridge will have a high visual impact.

For this reason it is the worst of the proposed sites to the south of the river. These are generally problematic because of the transport issues that crossing the river causes.

Why choose land between Tachbrook Road and Harbury Lane? It is on the edge of Warwick Gates which does not have a school and so the local primaries will become even more competitive in their intake.

Woodside Farm is a prominent ridge in the local landscape. Building here will have a big impact on the rural character and high visual impact on the southerly approach to Leamington and Whitnash.

Access to the site could mean road widening on an already very busy road network in Whitnash area.
Potential flooding of Tachbrook Road/Harbury Lane which already floods.
Lack of green spaces and growth of 'urban sprawl'.
Underground power cables surely makes site unsuitable for housing/commercial development.
Local schools already over-extended.

firstly this site acts as a flood plain to prevent flooding, in a known suseptable area, it is green belt land, the government inspector found in favour of no development on this site, there are underground power cables which make it unsuitable for development.
local children do not have priority to attend the local school, priority is given to Warwick Gates, the vast majority of children are ferried to school by car, and local children also have to go to alternative schools by car. The roads and parking are overloaded now, and what provision will be made for children from the proposed site.
Harbury lane / Fosseway werenot built for the volume of traffic now using them, and are designated accident black spots.
The total infrastructure of the Whitnash is overloaded by past development and therefore should only be used as a last resort.
There are many brown field sites in the local area that can support additional housing and school places, why is the Whitnash area in phase 1.
The plan needs to be revisited with attention paid to available services to support development before final decisions are taken.

With the land elevation, if developed it will cause a blot on thelandscape to all entering Whitnash.

Ashford & Tachbrook Roads are both VERY busy and noisy. If further housing is developed the roads will become even more of a rat run making it more dangerous.

A Government inspector found No to the development in the Regional Spacial Strategy. What has changed, why has it been included?

Local police & fire have been moved north across to the river, how much longer will we have to wait for them to get to us in an emergency with more congestion.

There are very few small green spaces left around Whitnash, why destroy what is left?

There are power cables which run under this location making it unsuitable for development

I believe there are underground cables on this land making it unsuitable for development and it is yet more farmland that will be lost. Any development on this land would also lead to congestion on Harbury Lane and the crossroads.

There is already enough houses in Whitnash and Warwick Gates, and we do not need more houses in this area.
This will cause too much traffic congestion and the local schools will not be able to cope with the amount of school places that they will be expected to provide.
Also, the green belt and fields will be build on and not protected

Difficulty of access
Proximity to existing housing
Use of greenfield land

250 houses = an extra 300/400 cars and 750/1000 more people in an already congested area. Where are the children going to go to school? Whitnash schools already serve the Warwick Gates development, and can't safely be extended any further.

A Government Inspector found in favour of NO development on this site, the arguments against development are the same so what has changed?

Green space should be preserved as much as possible. Not so long ago this site was classed as an Area of Restraint to prevent Urban Sprawl, and to protect the identity between Whitnash and Bishops Tachbrook. What's changed?

This site is currently part of the rural area in the district and WDC has strongly resisted development of it in the past. I see no reason why that should change.
It forms a unique quality road environment around the crossroads of Harbury Road and Oakley Wood Road. As the Harbury Road climbs from the junction towards Harbury it passes through a wooded area with quality mature trees either side. Although it may be short, it forms a definite punctuation mark in the landscape of the road and the junction.
The site has some quite steep inclines within it, some being as steep as a rise of 5 metres in 40 - 1 in 8, varying from that to 1 in 16. So it is not a good place as far as elderly and disabled persons are concerned to locate residential accommodation in the long term.
The result of building houses on the top of the highest point in the area, 83 m above sea level compared with 65 to 68m generally around, will be that the houses will be visible from a long distance shielded only in parts by the well-established trees along the Harbury Road. This is not acceptable and is the reason why the Councils former councillors have not permitted development here, supported by an Inspector on appeal.

As already stated in objection to PO4 [The possible negative impact your proposals will have on the Warwick Gates community.]

There is not sufficient evidence to show that this rural site is needed for new housing. My representations in 7.1 and 7.2 cast significant doubt on the rural land needed for new housing. Also, this sloping site is not suitable for housing. In this elevated position housing would have an overbearing impact on the surrounding rural area. In addition, there is a overhead line and pylon in the mibble of the site and building here will provide a very low quality living environment.

Electronic attachment

Please refer to the following as my OBJECTIONS to the Specific Section of the Preferred Options Booklet
Part of the document which I am responding to: - PO4 Location 11
Heading: - Woodside Farm, Tachbrook Road.
I OBJECT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:-
Judging from the number of objections on the web site, it is clear that the greater public are not aware of the impact the overall plan will have, and accordingly this applies to each individual section of the overall plan.
The web site is very confusing and complicated with too much 'council planning speak' and not enough plain language that people can understand.
It is difficult to get down to the point of detail that affects each individual who may have an objection.
The result is that most people who should be lodging objections simply do not bother. This is not a democratic process if most people do not even know about it.
Every house should have received full details of the effect on the area that they are within. Do not assume that everyone has a computer or reads the free papers.
It is the responsibility of the WDC to ensure everyone is informed. It is too serious an issue to be dealt with in the manner that this information has been made available. WDC have failed miserably in this respect.
Changes to Plan:
Put the plan on hold until everyone has had a fair chance through full consultation.
There is ample evidence even without this full consultation to block it.
WDC planners must start to listen and take positive action to valid objections and not simply pay lip service.
The public will not be fobbed off with threats that the government will over-ride the WDC if they do not come up with a viable plan. Governments can and will change within the time scale of the plan, particularly if they make more bad decisions.

Please refer to the following as my OBJECTIONS to the Specific Section of the Preferred Options Booklet
Part of the document which I am responding to: - PO4 Location 11
Heading: - Woodside Farm, Tachbrook Road.
I OBJECT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:-
1. Whitnash has already been the target of massive development in the form of Warwick Gates - even though this was presented in the guise of the Warwick Boundary. This should weigh heavily against further development
2. A boundary should be maintained between the Warwick Gates development and Whitnash. This development will destroy that.
3. The expansion of Whitnash schools to accommodate the growth from Warwick Gates has made a serious impact on facilities in the Whitnash community. The answer to this will be to expand present schools even further to the detriment of residents with respect to parking.
4. The impact of building housing on this sloping site would destroy the urban appearance of the present site from the Tachbrook Road.
5. This application is almost a carbon copy of the previous plan. This plan was severely criticised by local residents and was supported by the government inspector. The government recommended no urban sprawl. Are the planners not aware of this?
6. The undergrounded cables make a large margin unsuitable for such development.
7. The Harbury Lane is a dangerous road with many serious accidents reported. Adding 200 houses in a tightly packed development will result in an increase of vehicles spilling out onto the adjoining roads.
8. There is no proof of the need for the proposed number of houses.
9. It is ridiculous to make such long term plans when any number of events could make radical changes to the need for more houses. For example we have just been informed that we have 270,000 illegal immigrants and criminals awaiting this government to deport them. That would free up a very considerable number of houses. Planners please take this and other factors into account and not just pick figures from the air.
10. Whitnash has for some time been treated as a dumping ground by planners when housing developments are being considered. I would like to see equal distribution of plans for areas north of Leamington.
11. The elevation of Woodside farm hides Whitnash from the Tachbrook Road. This proposal will be an ugly scar of tightly packed 'LEGO' houses.
12. Access to the site would no doubt be gained by building an island at the traffic lights (we can assume this has always been the plan due to the vast area covered by the junction - WDC please admit this?). This will lead to dangerous backing up of traffic in Harbury Lane at the summit of the hill adjacent to the hotel.
13. There is ample proof that further housing on the scale within the whole plan is greatly exaggerated. There are simply not enough jobs to support such numbers. The only reason therefore is that it is for the benefit of developers to build houses for commuters from London and other 'rich' areas. We do not want that. It destroys communities.
14. This and many other parts of the overall plan amount to unsympathetic planning that will go on destroying the urban nature of this area.
15. Residents choose to live in Whitnash because they wish to go on living in the pleasant semi-rural area. They do not wish to wake up one morning and find themselves joined to every adjoining town and village. That is very bad planning. WDC have a long reputation of this.
16. Warwick Gates is known to be a large mistake by WDC. They should learn from it and not make it worse than it is.
17. Practically all the green space between Whitnash and the Harbury Lane will disappear.
18. In my previous objection I made the point that if the number of houses proposed really is necessary then it warrants a new town or towns well away from present communities. Of course this will not go down well with developers who would have to face the cost of providing the infrastructure. Which of course comes back to the question. "What is the real reason for these plans". I believe the public are being kept in the dark over the truth behind the plans. Have planners been in contact with WDC over these plans - answers please? No response from WDC will be taken as a YES!
19. The reality behind building mass housing anywhere is that someone will move in and buy them and commute. That is why I question the viability of the whole plan in terms of need of such numbers of houses, or pressure from developers who have no interest in the interests of local residents.
20. To summarise. Any future housing 'needs' should be strictly on the basis of requirements within the community and not speculative based on the interests of developers.
21. Future development should not favour large developers. It should provide jobs for local established small builders and keep it 'in house'. That is how Whitnash and many other towns and villages have developed sympathetically.
Changes to Plan:
Throw out the plan for the reasons given by every objector in the previous plan. This includes those given by the government inspector.
Provide real proof of the projected requirements taking into account every factor available.
Stop trying to make silly plans so far ahead of time and spend the effort (and our money) on dealing with present day issues - of which there are many.
If we cannot trust our planners to make sensible and acceptable plans then we should entrust the job to those with an interest in the areas proposed.