Publication Draft

Object

Representation ID: 6952

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Higher Housing Growth
The Parish Council Strongly objects to the levels of growth already being catered for in the Draft Core Strategy - Preferred Options Paper as there is not a demonstrable local demand for the housing numbers being proposed. We therefore also object to any increase in this number.
Because the estimated population of the District will only be proven in the course of time, and at 10year intervals by the census, no action should be taken or decisions made that compromise the matters of value such as agricultural land by including Greenfield sites in early phases of the programme when brown field sites should be used first.
The effect of adding 10800 homes to the stock of 55,033 households, in WDC as registered in the 2001 census - a 19.62% increase - is to require towns to expand beyond their design capacity for traffic, medical, social and educational facilities in the vain hope that by developer deals or planning requirements in giving permissions that these missing bits will magically appear. Some will happen, but development is a business and it must turn a profit to survive. That means that such costs would need to be passed on to the housing customer that buys the house. Add to the equation the affordable housing requirement of whatever percentage then it will be normal house purchasers that will get higher than necessary prices meaning that house prices become less affordable. As new house prices rise, prices for old houses rise with them and the market gets out of control. Properly, if the government has asked authorities to build additional houses it should make infrastructure monies available to the local authority. This then comes from tax revenues so everyone pays. Not everyone would like that!

Object

Representation ID: 6953

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Infrastructure
The Parish Council believes that significant elements of critical local infrastructure will fail operationally if the large elements of housing development proposed for the farmland to the south of Leamington are built. Notable examples are the bridges over the river and canal and under the railways in Warwick and Leamington. Increasing capacity at these pinch points is not a realistic option. The end result will be gridlock, pollution and an erosion of quality of life. The Parish Council believes that it would be inappropriate to progress the Core Strategy -Preferred Options consultation any further until the impact of infrastructure on those options has been assessed and documented.

Object

Representation ID: 6954

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

There is insufficient detail in this Preferred Options Paper for us to consider it as a „Preferred Option‟ so we object.

Object

Representation ID: 6955

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Open Space
The Parish Council does not support the Preferred Option. The Parish Council believes that in identifying potential development sites, as well as identifying the number of dwellings that will be accommodated, there should be a stipulation of the minimum Open Space allocation as a percentage of area.

Object

Representation ID: 6956

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Community Safety
The Parish Council does not agree that all reasonable options have been identified. How is Community Safety achieved in new development presently?

Object

Representation ID: 6957

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

The Parish Council objects to the Preferred Option. Some things can be done in design of the environment to reduce crime but whatever is done, crime will occur in a different way until all citizens learn to respect each other. This will never happen. Any policy is very difficult to state because of the range of variables involved many of which conflict. To reduce crime and antisocial behaviour by high quality design and by controlling the nature and location of development in problem areas is an impossible dream. Who judges what is high quality design in this context? Crime is a product of community greed.

Comment

Representation ID: 6958

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Inclusive Access
Regional planning guidance requires LAs to improve access and mobility. Future development will exacerbate these issues. The Preferred Options must link new development to improving access and mobility and these must then be detailed in the Draft Core Strategy. There needs to be clarity these infrastructure improvements can be funded by and in tandem with housing and employment land development. Much of this is covered by Part M of the building regulations within buildings, but similar requirements need to be applied to external spaces.

Support

Representation ID: 6959

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Gypsies & Travellers
The diversity introduced to a locality by a Gypsies and Traveller community will naturally have an impact on adjacent non- traveling communities. It should be recognized that towns, with their larger communities and more plentiful facilities would be better able to support this type of development. A new criteria should be adopted to support and reflect this. The Parish Council supports the criteria for selection in the Preferred Option.

Object

Representation ID: 6960

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Historic Environment
The Parish Council disagrees that the Council has identified all reasonable options. The existing conservation areas should be referenced in the Preferred Options Paper, as being a key control by which the local authority will continue to protect the historic environment.

Object

Representation ID: 6961

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

In addition to adding the requirement above the Preferred Options Paper should be more specific about how it was balance „carrot and stick‟. We do not support the Council‟s Preferred Option.