Mod 25 - Para New 3.1

Warwickshire Police HQ DSNEW3.

A possible solution.
This would be conditional on a satisfactory master plan for site DSNEW3 and should not be allowed until completion of the HQ development.

Dwellings
At a recent meeting with Colin Smith from the PC, I showed him my thoughts on a compromise for some development possibilities on site DSNEW3: Between East lodge and Broome House, two detached bungalows, along Woodcote Drive from Broome House towards HQ, six detached bungalows and on the tennis court a further six bungalows or detached two story houses. These later two areas should try to replicate/compliment the layout of 11-14 Woodcote Drive. A total of 14 dwellings, similar to the quantity suggested in the last local plan.
Bungalows are suggested in the main to reduce the impact on the setting and important views of Woodcote House and the listed gardens. A small carpark could also be achieved for walkers of the golf course and the new path through the gardens of Woodcote to the Lunch Woods within the tennis court site.
It may also be possible to fit in two dwellings where numbers 1 and 2 Woodcote drive should be (between number 3 Woodcote Drive and the Tinker Tank path). I believe the police own this land and it is an obvious infill.
Site Access
It has been suggested that the main entrance to the development at HQ will be past North lodge with a new drive running parallel to the existing single drive and a new footpath. This additional drive will be unavoidable due to the originals width and the avenue of listed trees running both sides of it. From North Lodge a footpath could be built on the south west side of Woodcote Lane that would eventually, by crossing Woodcote Lane, (perhaps an opportunity for a zebra crossing) join the existing path by Waller Close.
This new North Lodge main entrance will create an opportunity to solve several issues with Woodcote Drive:
* Volume of traffic
* Speeding
* The width of the listed gates.
* the width of the drive which makes it difficult for cars to pass and impossible for commercial vehicles to pass.
* The lack of a footpath and difficulty in achieving one.

When the police put forward a plan for additional office space at Woodcote some years ago it was intended to split the site in two with a division between Woodcote House and the buildings to the north.
If this now happened Woodcote Drive would only service Woodcote Drive properties, the suggested apartments in Woodcote House itself and be blocked to any vehicles from the development north of Woodcote House. This would mean only residents and visitors vehicles would use Woodcote Drive, hopefully with more care than being shown by present users, and with enhanced speed bumps create a safer environment for pedestrians/cyclists. It may also satisfy heritage and conservation concerns by providing an opportunity to reinstate a more appropriate entrance and visual setting for the listed House and Gardens.
Pedestrians from the HQ development could walk/ride across the new purposed pathway in front of Woodcote house onto a safer Woodcote drive to continue into the village centre and school.
The proposed entrance into the paddock off Woodcote Lane, roughly opposite Waller Close, would not be required. No issues regarding vision splays, damage to the hedgerow or trees as a result.

Conclusion.
Now that the Police HQ brownfield site is included for development a sensible number of dwellings can be achieved without ingress into the Paddock area other than suggested along Woodcote Drive.
The PC Woodcote site preferred "sensitive" option achieved 53 dwellings so potentially with my suggestions somewhere around 70 dwellings could be achieved. This would be a far more appropriate increase for Leek Wootton and leave a large area of open space greenbelt mainly untouched.
The setting of the listed house would be dramatically improved and site access issues would be resolved.
Having discussed this suggestion with neighbours in Woodcote Drive the general consensus is that this is a sensible, achievable and most importantly satisfactory way forward.

see attached