Preferred Options

Warwickdc.gov.uk/newlocalplan
PO1 Preferred level of Growth Full version Whole District
SUPPORT
The Leamington Society considers the growth forecast to be realistic because of the excellent rail links, the good education and employment opportunities and the attractive environment of Warwick District.

The Leamington Society is particularly concerned about the threat of coalescence and in particular the narrowing of the gap between Kenilworth and Leamington and between Warwick Gates and Bishops Tachbrook.

Under PO 10, we make strong and specific criticism of the Garden Suburb proposals. Many of the claimed benefits are bogus, while the low density sprawl is extremely profligate with land and damaging to sustainability of transport and local services.
It would not be difficult to increase the planned average density and the proposed suburban additions around Warwick / Leamington - which cover broadly 3 areas - could be concentrated in only 2 of the three locations. There would still be choices to be made and not easy ones.

The Leamington Society supports the 40% requirement for affordable housing.

With reference to PO6 (Housing) WDC should also appreciate that HMOs now occupy many of the smaller and more affordable family houses, particularly in the south of Leamington (Old Town). The absence of any policy to restrict the many recent conversions to HMOs has aggravated the problem of affordable housing: they are so profitable for landlords that poorer families are priced out of the market.

Only Part D of PO6 is not fully supported by the Leamington Society:

A. The Leamington Society fully supports the principle of mixed housing and varied types but the means chosen in PO10 will not achieve this:
Garden suburbs prescribes row upon row of uniform suburban plots and is too homogenous. Only a small proportion of the population wants to grow their own food and cultivate a big garden. Many have neither the time, energy nor inclination for this and would be happy with communal parks and gardens and playing fields, which have scale and variety and someone else does the maintenance.
To meet varied need, a wider and more imaginative mix of terraced houses, flats and maisonettes around courtyards, with off-road parking facilities for cars and bicycles and rubbish bins, would take up less land and be more appropriate.
We consider it very important to avoid high concentrations of student accommodation and HMOs to maintain a balanced community. We recommend the introduction of maximum percentages of such properties or populations within specified areas. The number of houses in multiple occupancy, whether by students or others, has reached extremely high levels in much of south of the River Leam in Leamington (often referred to as Old Town). WDC has mapped the density of registered HMOs; see Item 6 and Appendices at
https://estates3.warwickdc.gov.uk/cmis/Meetingdates/tabid/73/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/410/Meeting/225/Committee/29/Default.aspx

This high density places an enormous strain on-street parking space. Therefore the new local plan needs to
* control both the density of HMOs
* require reasonable levels of off-street car-parking in all new HMOs
* ensure these requirements apply to HMOs, student accommodation and student hostels irrespective of their designation.
The Council should decide whether some areas of Leamington have already reached saturation point, and look at how well located student hostels could help manage the problem of over concentration.

The Leamington Society supports the proposal to provide a site or sites for gypsies and travellers in cooperation with neighbouring districts in order to meet the evident need and to avoid confrontation over illegal sites.

The Leamington Society supports the fourth bullet point of PO10
"Protect, enhance and link the natural environment through policies to encourage appropriate design of the built environment and set out a framework for subsequent more detailed design guidance to ensure physical access for all groups."

Specifically we would encourage WDC to put in place procedures to limit and reduce street clutter (A boards, unnecessary roadside signs etc.). Likewise, WDC should have the power to force the owners of homes or buildings to remove vegetation obstructing footpaths.

Local lists. The Leamington Society supports the recognition of local assets through Local Lists, and would like Local Lists to be introduced quickly to add protection to landmark buildings and assets which do not satisfy the more rigorous standards required for full listing.
11.7 This policy will help the Planning Authority "to justify the status given to the historic environment, ensure appropriate significance of an asset is understood, and rectify deliberate neglect and damage"

The Leamington Society supports the assertion (para. 12.26)

* The use of green space and vegetation, (such as street trees) to provide summer shading and allowing winter solar gain.
More street trees and vegetation will not only satisfy national and global Climate Change requirements but will also enhance the realm of Warwick District, making it a more pleasant area for everyone who lives or works here, or visits the district.

The Leamington Society believes that the stated aspiration - to minimise etc - is admirable but the proposals elsewhere in the document do not merely fail to advance that aspiration; in several particulars they are in direct contradiction to this stated objective:
"Ensuring that new housing neighbourhoods have close range of access to a range of key facilities either within the development or within a short walk (e.g. 15 minutes)"
Low density development is proposed by Garden Suburbs (GS) in PO 14.