Publication Draft

Comment

Representation ID: 6939

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Land at Former Ford Foundry & Land at Station Approach
The Parish Council‟s independent analysis shows that this site L08 should be linked with L28 & L35 to give a comprehensive development site. By amending the ratio of housing to other uses from 20%:80% to a mixed use of 65% residential, 20% office based employment & 15% recreational, with an average dph of 50, the number of homes could increase from 225 to 350.

Comment

Representation ID: 6940

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Land South of Sydenham
The western part of the land is Grade 2 Agricultural and an Area of Restraint. The eastern boundary is within flood risk zones. It should not be lost to development but a small part of it may be acceptable to extend the existing housing to provide homes for local needs as established by a formal housing survey.

Object

Representation ID: 6941

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Land at Woodside Farm
The land is Grade 2 Agricultural and an Area of Restraint .It is a prominent site at the NE corner of the junction of Harbury Lane with B4087. There is a significant fall across the site east to west from 68m at the junction up to 83m at the top of the hill on Harbury lane to the east over a distance of 300m with gradients up to 1:12. It is complemented by the Grove Plantation on the south side of Harbury Lane, the composition being of high landscape quality. The site is in a rural area and is not part of Leamington but within the
Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council
Response to WDC Core Strategy Preferred Option.
Bishops Tachbrook Parish boundary. Analysis of the 151 sites shows that the numbers of houses required can be provided by other suitable sites without requiring Woodside Farm so it‟s loss is unnecessary.
This Area of Restraint status should be respected. It should not be lost to development.

Object

Representation ID: 6945

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Land at Lower Heathcote Farm
The Parish Council objects to this location in the Preferred Option for the following reasons.
1. To achieve the target housing requirement of the RSS, it is unnecessary to develop this Grade 2 agricultural land because there are sufficient sites available on brownfield, lower grade green land and sites at the edge of the city of Coventry that are more appropriate and from which a choice can be made.
2. The District would lose a significant piece of high landscape quality Warwickshire countryside that is effectively much larger than the plan would suggest being one side of a valley that falls between 45 and 60ft (from 55m AOD to 75m) down to the historic Tach Brook that was part of the boundary that separated the Saxon Hwicce tribe from the Mercian tribe in north Warwickshire.
3. To build on one side of the valley would ruin the aspect from the other side. The plan drawing is deceptive as it does not show the nature of the land affected, which is part of the valley of the Tach Brook, an historic watercourse that feeds New Waters and thence the Avon in the woodland south of Warwick Castle. Consequently, the land south of Harbury Lane falls from about 70 to 75m above ordinance datum down to less than 55m at the brook level. This is a fall of between 15 and 20m (45 to 60ft) with, in places, a gradient of 1 in 12. The land then slopes back up to Bishop‟s Tachbrook to around 75m forming the 2 sides of a valley that compliment each other and form a unified landscape, with the brook itself meandering through it. Normally, the brook is about 3m wide with freshly flowing water arising from aquifers to the east.
4. For most of its length it is surrounded by mature trees, hedgerows and a variety of plants down to the waters edge, shaded by the tree canopy providing ideal habitats for many birds and mammals that are so important to the countryside. This includes some protected species including bats and probably water voles. Surprisingly, WDC say that ecological surveys have yet to be done. If housing is constructed so close to the brook, contamination of the watercourse is bound to occur, both during construction and from ongoing human habitation and the environment will undoubtedly be affected.
5. The WDC evidence includes a landscape report that describes the landscape quality of the proposed site as medium to high, but taking the valley as a whole, it is clearly the higher side of medium. The valley is a classic piece of gently
Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council
Response to WDC Core Strategy Preferred Option
undulating rich farmland that Warwickshire is famous for and one of the reasons for the tourist trade that forms part of the core strategy of the district. Seen from the surrounding roads and footpaths, the views across the valley are such that it would be Municipal Vandalism to destroy it by covering the northern slope with housing, however high it‟s quality.
6. WDC does not appear to have had any regard for the evidence submitted to them by commissioned reports when considering this part of the preferred option but rather, appear to have selectively ignored evidence that they have acknowledged for adjacent sites around Bishops Tachbrook should not only prevent development there but also make it an area of restraint. This is a severe case of double standards.
7. It will destroy the Tach Brook Valley buffer between the town and village to dimensions that are too small to be effective. It would be particularly disastrous if the land is covered with factories and other employment land detritus as well as housing.
8. Until now, WDC has retained the land south of Harbury Lane as an essential buffer between Leamington / Whitnash and Bishop‟s Tachbrook by the use of Rural Area Policies in the Local Plan. For the same purpose, Woodside Farm was made an Area of Restraint in the local Plan to resist development pressures to the south of Whitnash. The distance between the village and town is only 1100m on the B4087 and 1500m between the Bishop‟s Tachbrook northern village boundary and the NW corner of Grove Farm on Harbury Lane. The published preferred option would reduce this distance to 800 & 650m respectively. This distance is too small to remain an effective buffer.
For these reasons, no part of site W07 should be lost to development as it is a prominent site and naturally beautiful. Any development of this site will lead to a loss of the identity of Bishop‟s Tachbrook as a rural community and destroy views and aspects visible from the few footpaths on the south side of the valley that form one of the limited number of recreational facilities of this village community.

Comment

Representation ID: 6946

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Land West of Europa Way
If after the rigorous analysis of all existing development sites, and the provision of accommodation at Warwick University, the housing allocation cannot be met, then the Parish Council acknowledges that this site has least amenity value of those under consideration in South Leamington, since it is between development to the east of Europa Way and to the west of the Myton Road. However, in order tp maximize the use of the site if it has to be used, the proposed development density should be significantly increased raising the number of homes from 1250 to 2400.

Support

Representation ID: 6947

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Land at Thickthorn
The Parish Council firmly believes that the housing allocations should be distributed across the district and supports the inclusion of this site in the Core Strategy.

Comment

Representation ID: 6948

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Land at King's Hill
This finger of land is almost surrounded by development. It could, as a last resort, be used for development but if selected must be used either to meet Warwick District‟s allocation rather than Coventry‟s or be sufficient for both .
This land is in Warwick district and therefore the Parish Council believes that this land should only contribute towards Warwick District‟s allocation of employment land. The 269 ha allocated could not only provide land for 3500 homes for Coventry, but also provide a further 2700 homes for WDC. If the 3500 houses are for Coventry to support Coventry Employment requirements within the city boundary, then the mix suggested of 37.5% residential is low and could easily be 50%. Being part of the city, 60 dph would not be unreasonable for 33% of the residential with 40dph for the remainder.

Comment

Representation ID: 6949

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Housing Mix
Clearly a mix of housing types is essential if people are to be housed efficiently, effectively and affordably. The Core Strategy preferred option document does not however show that much of a mix will occur because it advocates more of the same as at Warwick Gates and other recent developments.
It is not realistic to expect older people to downsize from their family home by just moving a smaller house. Some may, but most would wish to retain their independence and community links to friends and neighbours. However, if retirement villages for the active elderly with a range of social and leisure facilities, canalside, with restaurant facilities and independent living apartments and appropriate shopping provision either within the village or in the immediate vicinity, then people will choose to spend their autumn years in the company of others as at a permanent leisure centre, when their own family and friends ties are diminishing. The BTPC report identifies 2 potential sites, one at the Wise Street side of the Court Street comprehensive development site in Leamington and the other on K17 at Southcrest Farm in Kenilworth.
It is not for the WDC to dictate housing mixes on particular sites because this is more a function of the marketplace supply and demand. Guidance can be given and results monitored and compared with data being received from bodies with housing interests to ensure that at the end of the exercise the mix is near right as possible but this is a moving target and there will always be imperfections.

Object

Representation ID: 6950

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Affordable Housing
The proportion of affordable housing should not be increased. The ratio is already high. Within the current ratios, housing for key workers should be specifically allocated.

Comment

Representation ID: 6951

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Housing Density
The Parish Council‟s independent appraisal indicates that the densities under consideration are fairly low. By increasing the density of new housing within normal limits, the allocation of housing will be more easily achieved.