Preferred Option(s)

The purposed site is totally unsuitable the current infrastructure ie roads can not cope with current traffic levels using the Birmingham Road .

Adding another 200 cars will cause grind lock, not to mention the fact the local schools are already full and the services on the estate are none existent.

I am opposed to further development at Hatton Park. The ONLY exits from the estate are onto the Birmingham Road, there is no alternative route out of the estate to avoid congestion. The Birmingham road is already congested during morning rush hour, and becomes gridlock during severe weather events, or in the event of accidents on the M40. It also has a tendency to some flooding during heavy rainfall.

If there was building on the field adjacent to Hatton Park this may add to the flooding problem.

If there is further development at Hampton Magna this too will add traffic to the Birmingham Road so it would surely be a mistake to expand both Hampton Magna and Hatton Park.

Hatton Park already has negligible facilities for a settlement of its size, it is a housing estate not a village. It seems entirely inappropriate to expand it further without adding village facilities such as a primary school, doctors, post office, pub. The nearest primary school (Ferncumbe) is a bus ride away and is full. Hampton Magna is also full although I have heard there is scope for it to be expanded. However the fact that the secondary school children on the estate have to be split between several different schools already damages community cohesion without also forcing our primary school children to be further split among different schools. Are we going to see a house price differential from one side of the estate to the other dependent on which school catchment area it is in?
There are some wildlife considerations, we have a lot of bats in the area, and I also see muntjac deer crossing the field.

Capacity of site is estimated as 156 dwellings at at density of 30 dwellings per hectare - the maximum allowed. Ultimately the development will realise more houses than required. First submission from Taylor Wimpey clearly indicates their intention to build to the maximum capacity of the site

Significant traffic congestion, particularly during rush hours, on A4177 through village will be exacerbated by this development. Proposed exit onto A4177, is already an accident blackspot and will encourage use of Shell garage as alocal shop increasing the accident risk. A4177 is main diversionary route for M42/M40 already resulting in gridlock

The site forms the ecological access to Smith's Covert which will be destroyed by development. The ecological diversity of Smith's Covert will thus be irreversibly diminished. Currently supports amongst others bats, rooks, deer and birds of prey

Water run off from the site and the former hospital entrance is already an issue on the A4177. Development of the site will exacerbate this and will potentially affect existing properties.

Light pollution on the eastern boundary of Hatton Park will increase as a result of the development leading to a coallescence with that from Warwick and Hampton Magna. It will also become a precedent for further devlopment along the A4177 towards Warwick. The quality of the rural environment between the settlements will be severely diminished

School buses pick up from Charingworth Drive which will become one of the exit routes to the A4177 from the development. With no local school, 70 dwellings will provide a requirment for an additional school bus. This together with the additional commuter traffic arising from the development will make the exit from Charingworth Drive an accident blackspot.

Hatton Park in my view is not suitable for development of 70-90 homes.
My concerns fall into two categories: highways and ecology.
Highways: As a key consultation theme, the council should be aware that current congestion on Birmingham Road is a very real problem. During 8-9am an extremely long, slow moving queue backs up, some days up as far as the Hatton Arms and beyond. Adding 90 or more extra vehicles will only exacerbate this problem.
Ecology: Development of the preferred site will directly impact Local Wildlife in Smith's Covert, by taking away extended habitat and feeding grounds.

Objection on the following grounds:
1) This is green belt land and should not be built on as this will set a precedent for further development and destruction of the environment. The 2006 Planning Inquiry concluded that the boundaries of Hatton Park should be retained in the face of petitions to remove parts of the boundary from the Green Belt, citing that "Hatton Park has reached its natural boundaries" and "the development is balanced". The current principle that development in the Green Belt is possible only in exceptional circumstances (NPPF). That the current Local Plan only allows development in rural areas that has a clear and direct local need, and only exceptionally in the Green Belt. The land is adjacent to an Ancient Woodland and the fields are home to number of wildlife as stated in other objections & comments. The environmental impact will be considerable. The land is also subject to flooding
2) There are 780 properties/2020 people already located here. The landowners, Burnam Brothers are planning to sell 3 fields. Their representatives, CP Bigwoods, have stated that the area will be suitable for at least 175 houses, an Extra Care Facility and further community facilities. As the plan is over 15 years, this area is likely to be further developed above and beyond the 70-90 houses presently proposed if the current plans are implemented.
3) The infrastructure will not sustain such a development impacting on health services, education, the transport system, emergency services and amenities. The schools are already at capacity and the figures for the increase in 0-15 years have already increased from 399 to 666. A further 90 houses will have at least 2.3 people on average per house. The number of cars on the estate will also double.
4) The traffic congestion from the estate to the A4177 is considerable with up to 15-20 minutes exit time from the estate in peak times
5) The scoring of the current community facilities , such as the village shop being classed as a supermarket, is incorrect. Decisions are being based on incorrect information.
6) Options for two Gypsy and Traveller sites in the vicinity as set out in Warwick District Council's document Sites for Gypsies and Travellers (June 2013) will also add to pressure on local infrastructure, services and roads.
7) The access road proposed will be opposite the Shell Garage and increases the hazards already existing

Please refer to my other detailed representations that Hatton Park is NOT suitable for further development and that I do not support any development sites.

However in the expectation of 70-90 homes being imposed as per the proposals, the following must be considered for any development on the Preferred Option site and delivered as part of a Section 106 agreement or allocation of CIL funds as a priority:

- Bespoke vehicular access direct from the A4177 that does not require construction or scheme traffic to go through existing roads on Hatton Park;
- Improvements to the A4177 at the Ugly Bridge Road junction, either a roundabout or extra lane, to prevent congestion caused by vehicles turning right;
- Use of the existing Ugly Bridge Road as a site access and not as proposed in the Preferred Option;
- Traffic calming to allow safe pedestrian access to the nearby bus stop and petrol station;
- Development of the southern part of the site only (south of the dotted line) and drawing of the Settlement Boundary accordingly to provide a significant ecological buffer to Smith's Covert [proposals from Taylor Wimpey to develop the western two thirds are disastrous and will lead to the eastern third being delivered too in due course to make c.150 units];

I am extremely concerned about how the current preferred option will impact local wildlife that live in Smith Covert and access this area via the existing fields and paths. I am also concerned regarding the flooding on the Birmingham road which is already a problem and causes dangerous conditions in a particular accident black spot (at least 2 deaths over the last 4 years!!) Also the congestion in the morning is already terrible and will only get worse with the proposed development.