Lapworth

I am chairman of the recently formed Steering Group tasked with development of the Lapworth Parish Plan, but am making this submission solely in my personal capacity.

In general I am supportive of the plan as it relates to Lapworth and am writing specifically with respect to the plans for 100 new houses in the village. Although this might stretch current facilities, the proposal offers a golden opportunity to improve the character and structure of the village.

I have also noted the Council's SHLAA notes relating to Site Reference R66 for land fronting the Old Warwick Road, and this relates to the comments I wish to make.

Lapworth is a pleasant place in which to live, benefitting from the juxtaposition of an attractive rural setting with national airport, rail and road infrastructure. However, the village has developed in long "ribbons" over the years and the current centre of gravity of the population is in the area known as Kingswood, far removed from the original settlement centred around St Mary's church, some 2 miles away. As a consequence, the village facilities are quite widely separated and the village lacks a "heart" where residents can meet whilst going about their day-to-day business.

A dominant feature of the current geography is the Willpower Garage, close to the population centre of the village in Kingswood on the Old Warwick Road. Without wishing to impugn a local business, I think that most would agree that this facility is something of an eyesore and, more importantly, a significant traffic hazard as the garage obstructs the main road by parking surplus cars on the highway all and every working day. It is this garage and adjacent shops that are the subject of Site Reference R66 as per above, where the notes say that the "owner has expressed an interest in releasing the site for development".

The notes also refer to the potential loss of said adjacent shops (a hairdresser and an off licence/post office) and, indeed, this would be a significant issue for the village, which would be left with only a small general store/newsagent and a flooring shop.

It seems to me that many objectives could be satisfied and the village markedly improved if a developer could be found who was prepared to work with the council to sympathetically redevelop the site, including:

* Removal of an unsightly business and traffic hazard from the centre of the village;
* Provision of new shops in purpose built accommodation with additional off-road parking; and
* A significant number of new residences without encroaching on green belt.

As a Parish Councillor in Lapworth I cannot accept the allocation of 100 new homes over the planned period. We have poor transport links in terms of buses and train frequency, we should be allocated the lower target classification for villages.
If one looked back over history to see how far back it would go to aggregate 100 past new homes it would be around 60 or 70 years I suspect.
Your target is too high and does not justify building on green belt land.
You should have done more to use brownfield sites such as the Ford Foundry in Leamington and not let it go to retail. That location had good services and links, our village should not suffer for your failure to act in time to use it for housing.
Our village school is full now, to increase the number of classes to meet new demands would require it to double in size.

The identification of Lapworth as a category 1 village to accomodate 100 dwellings over the plan period is supported.

Lapworth represents a sustainable location for new housing development to meet identified needs. Lapworth has a population of approximately 2,000 people, with a range of facilities including pre-school and primary school, GP surgery, village hall, shops, pubs and restaurants. The settlement benefits from a railway station on the Chiltern Line from London to Birmingham, offering regular services to Birmingham, Solihull, Warwick and Leamington Spa.

The attached report sets out the potetial for land to the east of Station Lane, Lapworth to accomodate new development. We consider that the land to the east of Station Lane is suitably and sustainably located to meet identified local housing needs by providing a mix of dwelling types, styles and tenures including family homes at a location that is well related to existing services, facilities and public transport. The benefits of the site can be summarised as follows:
- Single ownership site, available now
- Certainty of delivery
- A self contained, easily and quickly developed site
- Limited infrastructure requirements and short lead-in to development
- Local facilities within easy reach
- Well located in relation to Solihull and Leamington Spa, offering significant employment, retail, community facilities, services and public transport.
- Highly accessible to Birmingham and other main centres.
- Free from significant environmental constraints
- Development of the scale proposed will not compromise the role and function of the Green Belt

This site therefore represents a sustainable, well located and deliverable opportunity for high quality development to meet identified housing needs. The site should therefore be removed from the Green Belt and allocated for up to 100 houses phased to come forward at an early stage in the local plan timeframe.

Lapworth cannot support 100 new houses. The road networks into Birmingham or Warwick cannot cope with the extra traffic (I have noted on the local plan that the only improvements to the Birmingham road, Warwick, is traffic lights at the A46 Island)
In the schooling statement for the village you quoted that extra Rowington (28) & Shrewley(28) children will go to Hatton school. This is NOT the case as these children will attend Lapworth school along with the additional 35.
Lapworth Parish covers a large area. Why do the council presume that the houses should be built in the Kingswood area of the parish.

Suggesting the use of the Willpower Garage area of Lapworth is a ridiculous idea, as anyone who has lived in the village for any amount of time, would know that it is liable for servere flooding.

The Warwickshire plan for Lapworth proposes the development of 100 new houses in the village. This is fine, as there are ample facilities and land in the area to add to the village without over-taxing it. However, I hope that the new development will address and not increase the existing housing density on the "ribbon development" in Station Lane and part of the Old Warwick Road.

Development of the village needs to make it a more rounded environment. There is enough land in the parish of Lapworth where development could take place without significantly encroaching on the green belt. To do this would require some relaxation of the village curtilage, which currently follows the ribbon development as simply an accident of history. Restrictions on building in other areas of Lapworth need to be relaxed to enable more parts to become better connected to and a more integral part of the village. Frequent complaints are made that Lapworth seems to have no heart, or no centre where residents can meet whilst going about their daily business. This needs to be considered in planning any development.

In addition, if additional houses are to be built, then there also needs to be a modest increase in facilities for residents of the village. I have already submitted comments on this in relation to potential development of the Willpower garage site. It should also be said that there needs to be a mix of housing, not just the "affordable" (ie tiny) housing so frequently proposed. Large families need to be catered for, as well as those on the first rungs of the housing ladder.

In summary, the straggling village curtilage needs to be re-assessed as there is plenty of other land that could be developed that would enhance the community without destroying the environment of the village.

We act on behalf of The Trustees of the F S Johnson 78NEL Settlement in respect of land at Station Lane, Lapworth, and welcome the opportunity to make representations on the Warwick Local Plan Preferred Options Development Plan Document (DPD). The extent of the land ownership is shown on the attached plan, and I am pleased to set out our formal representations below.
General Comments.
1. We support the principle for delivering 'Our Vision for the District' which proposes to meet the housing needs of the existing and future population of the District, including the identification of land for around 550 new homes per annum on new allocated sites, and proposing to distribute development across the District.
Comments on Specific Policies.
PO3: Broad Location of Growth
2. We support the Council's Preferred Option to distribute growth across the District, including within and / or on the edge of some villages, and to allow for a hierarchy of growth in the rural area to include a higher level of growth in those villages with a broad range of services and public transport to the towns.
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PO4: Distribution of Sites for Housing
3. We welcome and support the identification of Lapworth as a Category 1 village in recognition of the range of services and public transport links available within the settlement. We also support the explicit recognition given in the policy to the need to define the boundaries of village envelopes, and then to exclude land within those village envelopes from the green belt to enable development to take place.
4. We support the proposal to allocate land for 100 dwellings within Lapworth to be built and phased across the three phases of the Plan up to 2029.
5. The supporting text, in paragraph 7.36, confirms that in the case of category 1 and 2 villages which are currently 'washed over' within the green belt, it will be necessary to identify areas with potential for limited development and include it within a village envelope along with the built up area of the village. The boundary of the green belt would be adjusted accordingly around the village envelope.
6. In the case of Lapworth, the current village envelope reflects the largely linear nature of the settlement, and includes the development along the length of Station Lane and two small consolidated areas of development along the Old Warwick Road to either side of the railway bridge.
7. In our view, the opportunities to identify land that would be seen as a 'natural extension' of the current village envelope are limited, being constrained by the clear physical boundary provided by the railway line, the location of the Grand Union and Stratford Canals, the land at risk of flooding, and by the presence of attractive natural features such as wooded areas or trees.
8. However, our clients' land provides one of those limited opportunities where development could take place to provide the additional new housing that is needed whilst being seen as a natural extension of the village envelope.
9. The land is located within Station Lane, with a frontage to the eastern side of the road between an existing ribbon of houses to the south, which are already included within the village envelope, and a further ribbon of houses that are not currently within the envelope boundary. On the opposite, western side of the road, there is an established line of relatively closely packed houses, and the frontage is therefore seen within an urban context such that its inclusion within the envelope would be seen to be entirely
appropriate.
10. The land is very close to the village railway station and therefore provides a highly sustainable location for new residents who need not be dependent on the use of a private car to access employment opportunities or the higher order level of services and facilities available in town and city centres.
11. The land is unconstrained, being open and available to accommodate a range of development options. Field boundary hedging could be retained as part of any scheme of evelopment if desired, and access could be provided along the Station Lane frontage whilst retaining the two existing mature trees. Only the strip of land along the canal lies ithin the flood area, but this part of the site would be excluded from consideration in any event.
3
12. The land is within the central part of the village, as defined by the current village envelope, rather than at the periphery and therefore the village school, post office and shops and services are all within easy walking distance.
13. The existing field boundaries would provide clear physical boundaries which could be utilised to define a robust and defensible boundary to the enlarged village envelope.
14. The land is one of only 3 gaps on the eastern side of Station Lane which lie outside the current village envelope, which otherwise embraces the development along both sides of the road. Whilst the land to the north of Meadow Lane is closest to the station, it is well treed and the removal of those trees as a consequence of development would result in the loss of an attractive feature in the Lane. Of the two remaining gaps, our clients' land is closer to the village centre than the land near Kingswood Close, enhancing its credentials for selection as a first-choice allocated housing site.
15. The extent of the land available lends itself to a variety of development options, including cul-de-sac development to mirror similar patterns of development elsewhere within the village, including Station Lane, without looking in any way out of place or out of character with the prevailing pattern and style of development within Station Lane, whilst providing for the housing needs of the village.
16. In short, our clients' land constitutes the best opportunity available within the village to achieve the housing requirement for Lapworth in a manner that meets the normal planning objectives for site selection whilst minimising the impact on the village environment. It is a 'natural' infill opportunity within a Lane that is largely characterised by linear development on both sides, and its development would be easily absorbed into the built fabric of the village without appearing, in any way, to look out of place or out of character. On that basis, and on behalf of our clients, we commend the merits of the site to the Council and request that it be favourably considered as a formal housing land allocation in the next stage of the plan preparation with the publication of the Draft Plan early in 2013.
17. We formally request that land forming part of our client's land holding at Station Lane be allocated for housing development and included within an expanded village envelope for Lapworth to accommodate the housing development proposed in this Preferred Options draft, as proposed in this submission.

We act on behalf of The Trustees of the F S Johnson 78NEL Settlement in respect of land at Station Lane, Lapworth, and welcome the opportunity to make representations on the Warwick Local Plan Preferred Options Development Plan Document (DPD). The extent of the land ownership is shown on the attached plan, and I am pleased to set out our formal representations below.
General Comments.
1. We support the principle for delivering 'Our Vision for the District' which proposes to meet the housing needs of the existing and future population of the District, including the identification of land for around 550 new homes per annum on new allocated sites, and proposing to distribute development across the District.
Comments on Specific Policies.
PO3: Broad Location of Growth
2. We support the Council's Preferred Option to distribute growth across the District, including within and / or on the edge of some villages, and to allow for a hierarchy of growth in the rural area to include a higher level of growth in those villages with a broad range of services and public transport to the towns.
2
PO4: Distribution of Sites for Housing
3. We welcome and support the identification of Lapworth as a Category 1 village in recognition of the range of services and public transport links available within the settlement. We also support the explicit recognition given in the policy to the need to define the boundaries of village envelopes, and then to exclude land within those village envelopes from the green belt to enable development to take place.
4. We support the proposal to allocate land for 100 dwellings within Lapworth to be built and phased across the three phases of the Plan up to 2029.
5. The supporting text, in paragraph 7.36, confirms that in the case of category 1 and 2 villages which are currently 'washed over' within the green belt, it will be necessary to identify areas with potential for limited development and include it within a village envelope along with the built up area of the village. The boundary of the green belt would be adjusted accordingly around the village envelope.
6. In the case of Lapworth, the current village envelope reflects the largely linear nature of the settlement, and includes the development along the length of Station Lane and two small consolidated areas of development along the Old Warwick Road to either side of the railway bridge.
7. In our view, the opportunities to identify land that would be seen as a 'natural extension' of the current village envelope are limited, being constrained by the clear physical boundary provided by the railway line, the location of the Grand Union and Stratford Canals, the land at risk of flooding, and by the presence of attractive natural features such as wooded areas or trees.
8. However, our clients' land provides one of those limited opportunities where development could take place to provide the additional new housing that is needed whilst being seen as a natural extension of the village envelope.
9. The land is located within Station Lane, with a frontage to the eastern side of the road between an existing ribbon of houses to the south, which are already included within the village envelope, and a further ribbon of houses that are not currently within the envelope boundary. On the opposite, western side of the road, there is an established line of relatively closely packed houses, and the frontage is therefore seen within an urban context such that its inclusion within the envelope would be seen to be entirely
appropriate.
10. The land is very close to the village railway station and therefore provides a highly sustainable location for new residents who need not be dependent on the use of a private car to access employment opportunities or the higher order level of services and facilities available in town and city centres.
11. The land is unconstrained, being open and available to accommodate a range of development options. Field boundary hedging could be retained as part of any scheme of evelopment if desired, and access could be provided along the Station Lane frontage whilst retaining the two existing mature trees. Only the strip of land along the canal lies ithin the flood area, but this part of the site would be excluded from consideration in any event.
3
12. The land is within the central part of the village, as defined by the current village envelope, rather than at the periphery and therefore the village school, post office and shops and services are all within easy walking distance.
13. The existing field boundaries would provide clear physical boundaries which could be utilised to define a robust and defensible boundary to the enlarged village envelope.
14. The land is one of only 3 gaps on the eastern side of Station Lane which lie outside the current village envelope, which otherwise embraces the development along both sides of the road. Whilst the land to the north of Meadow Lane is closest to the station, it is well treed and the removal of those trees as a consequence of development would result in the loss of an attractive feature in the Lane. Of the two remaining gaps, our clients' land is closer to the village centre than the land near Kingswood Close, enhancing its credentials for selection as a first-choice allocated housing site.
15. The extent of the land available lends itself to a variety of development options, including cul-de-sac development to mirror similar patterns of development elsewhere within the village, including Station Lane, without looking in any way out of place or out of character with the prevailing pattern and style of development within Station Lane, whilst providing for the housing needs of the village.
16. In short, our clients' land constitutes the best opportunity available within the village to achieve the housing requirement for Lapworth in a manner that meets the normal planning objectives for site selection whilst minimising the impact on the village environment. It is a 'natural' infill opportunity within a Lane that is largely characterised by linear development on both sides, and its development would be easily absorbed into the built fabric of the village without appearing, in any way, to look out of place or out of character. On that basis, and on behalf of our clients, we commend the merits of the site to the Council and request that it be favourably considered as a formal housing land allocation in the next stage of the plan preparation with the publication of the Draft Plan early in 2013.
17. We formally request that land forming part of our client's land holding at Station Lane be allocated for housing development and included within an expanded village envelope for Lapworth to accommodate the housing development proposed in this Preferred Options draft, as proposed in this submission.

Warwick Local Plan - Preferred Options:
Formal Representations - Land at Station Lane,
Lapworth.
We act on behalf of The Trustees of the F S Johnson 78NEL Settlement in respect of land at
Station Lane, Lapworth, and welcome the opportunity to make representations on the Warwick
Local Plan Preferred Options Development Plan Document (DPD). The extent of the land
ownership is shown on the attached plan, and I am pleased to set out our formal representations
below.
General Comments.
1. We support the principle for delivering 'Our Vision for the District' which proposes to meet
the housing needs of the existing and future population of the District, including the
identification of land for around 550 new homes per annum on new allocated sites, and
proposing to distribute development across the District.
Comments on Specific Policies.
PO3: Broad Location of Growth
2. We support the Council's Preferred Option to distribute growth across the District,
including within and / or on the edge of some villages, and to allow for a hierarchy of
growth in the rural area to include a higher level of growth in those villages with a broad
range of services and public transport to the towns.
2
PO4: Distribution of Sites for Housing
3. We welcome and support the identification of Lapworth as a Category 1 village in
recognition of the range of services and public transport links available within the
settlement. We also support the explicit recognition given in the policy to the need to
define the boundaries of village envelopes, and then to exclude land within those village
envelopes from the green belt to enable development to take place.
4. We support the proposal to allocate land for 100 dwellings within Lapworth to be built and
phased across the three phases of the Plan up to 2029.
5. The supporting text, in paragraph 7.36, confirms that in the case of category 1 and 2
villages which are currently 'washed over' within the green belt, it will be necessary to
identify areas with potential for limited development and include it within a village
envelope along with the built up area of the village. The boundary of the green belt would
be adjusted accordingly around the village envelope.
6. In the case of Lapworth, the current village envelope reflects the largely linear nature of
the settlement, and includes the development along the length of Station Lane and two
small consolidated areas of development along the Old Warwick Road to either side of
the railway bridge.
7. In our view, the opportunities to identify land that would be seen as a 'natural extension'
of the current village envelope are limited, being constrained by the clear physical
boundary provided by the railway line, the location of the Grand Union and Stratford
Canals, the land at risk of flooding, and by the presence of attractive natural features such
as wooded areas or trees.
8. However, our clients' land provides one of those limited opportunities where development
could take place to provide the additional new housing that is needed whilst being seen
as a natural extension of the village envelope.
9. The land is located within Station Lane, with a frontage to the eastern side of the road
between an existing ribbon of houses to the south, which are already included within the
village envelope, and a further ribbon of houses that are not currently within the envelope
boundary. On the opposite, western side of the road, there is an established line of
relatively closely packed houses, and the frontage is therefore seen within an urban
context such that its inclusion within the envelope would be seen to be entirely
appropriate.
10. The land is very close to the village railway station and therefore provides a highly
sustainable location for new residents who need not be dependent on the use of a private
car to access employment opportunities or the higher order level of services and facilities
available in town and city centres.
11. The land is unconstrained, being open and available to accommodate a range of
development options. Field boundary hedging could be retained as part of any scheme of
development if desired, and access could be provided along the Station Lane frontage
whilst retaining the two existing mature trees. Only the strip of land along the canal lies
within the flood area, but this part of the site would be excluded from consideration in any
event.
3
12. The land is within the central part of the village, as defined by the current village
envelope, rather than at the periphery and therefore the village school, post office and
shops and services are all within easy walking distance.
13. The existing field boundaries would provide clear physical boundaries which could be
utilised to define a robust and defensible boundary to the enlarged village envelope.
14. The land is one of only 3 gaps on the eastern side of Station Lane which lie outside the
current village envelope, which otherwise embraces the development along both sides of
the road. Whilst the land to the north of Meadow Lane is closest to the station, it is welltreed
and the removal of those trees as a consequence of development would result in
the loss of an attractive feature in the Lane. Of the two remaining gaps, our clients' land is
closer to the village centre than the land near Kingswood Close, enhancing its credentials
for selection as a first-choice allocated housing site.
15. The extent of the land available lends itself to a variety of development options, including
cul-de-sac development to mirror similar patterns of development elsewhere within the
village, including Station Lane, without looking in any way out of place or out of character
with the prevailing pattern and style of development within Station Lane, whilst providing
for the housing needs of the village.
16. In short, our clients' land constitutes the best opportunity available within the village to
achieve the housing requirement for Lapworth in a manner that meets the normal planning
objectives for site selection whilst minimising the impact on the village environment. It is a
'natural' infill opportunity within a Lane that is largely characterised by linear development
on both sides, and its development would be easily absorbed into the built fabric of the
village without appearing, in any way, to look out of place or out of character. On that basis,
and on behalf of our clients, we commend the merits of the site to the Council and request
that it be favourably considered as a formal housing land allocation in the next stage of the
plan preparation with the publication of the Draft Plan early in 2013.
17. We formally request that land forming part of our client's land holding at Station Lane be
allocated for housing development and included within an expanded village envelope for
Lapworth to accommodate the housing

Dear Sir/Madam

In accordance with your "Preferred Options Summary" booklet:

We believe that the site & grounds of Aylesbury House, Aylesbury Road, Lapworth B94 6PL would be a very appropriate site.

It conforms to and supports the following preferred options:
1. PO1 - helps to achieve the level of growth identified by you
2. PO3 - to plan growth across the whole of the district
1. While you current map on pages 5-6 is very biased towards the southeast of the district.
2. Aylesbury House gives you a small but appropriate development at the north west tip of the district.
3. It is on the edge of existing village development and yet has open farmland around it to prevent any merging of settlements.
3. PO4 - section 13 for Category 1 Villages.
1. Lapworth village is a category 1 village
4. PO6 - mixed community with wide choice of homes
1. This site lends itself to mixed use for young couples, families and elderly people alike.
2. The site has extensive buildings on site already to convert into flats, Mews housing and detached family homes
5. PO10 - The site would be ideal for a "garden town" environment
1. Provide links to green spaces including an extensive network of public footpaths on it's doorstep
6. PO16 - Fits with your preference to remove "green belt" from around category 1 villages
1. This site has already been declassified for development in the past, we are reliably informed.
7. PO18 - The site has extensive utilities including
1. mains water and drainage
2. mains electricity and gas supplies
3. Telecoms.
We would thus like to offer this land to the council to be included in your "Preferred Development Sites" map for the local plan.
We hope you will consider our offer in the positive light in which it is intended.
If you have any queries or advice on how we might get this site included please do contact me at your convenience.

As scanned.

I understand that, as part of your local plan revisions, you are proposing to amend the green belt
boundaries in order to allow more housing provision within the Lapworth/Kingswood area. As a
local resident I would like to confirm my support of this proposal.
As owner of the above name property in Old Warwick Road, Lapworth I am aware that my
neighbour, Graham Bull, has been suggesting that his own site is considered for housing
development. Mr Bull has consulted with me from an early stage; sharing his plans and I want to
also confirm my support for his proposals (subject to detailed designs) which I believe will not be
detrimental to the area and will sympathetically add to the limited housing stock in the village.
More importantly I believe the proposed development would meet demand given location, access
and ability to walk to amenities of shops, train station, doctors surgery, village hall and
restaurants/pubs. The nature of the proposed accommodation for retired/restricted age given use
of local amenities also appears to fit with the current planning localism theme guidelines.
Furthermore I would also like consideration be given to including my own site within any extended
development boundaries to the village as it is equally well placed in terms of location and access
to villages amenities etc. I would be prepared to work alongside Mr Bull as the two sites adjoin
one another albeit ours does also have its own access. Our site is shown edged red on the
attached plan and at present the majority of the land is used as a paddock with stable having a
separate road access.
If you do have any other queries please contact me.

See Scanned Copy

See attached

scanned form