Revised Development Strategy

Object

Representation ID: 55445

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Bubbenhall Parish Council

The policy on employment land is in direct opposition to stated local plan aims:
* to protect Green Belt from development where alternative non-Green Belt sites are available. (Section 4.3)

* to avoid development in locations that could 'potentially lead to the coalescence of settlements'.

The policy outlined in Section 4. 3. 9, of releasing existing employment land for housing development is unjustified.

The proposal to remove 'poorer quality areas' of employment land for other uses (4. 5. 19) leads to the need for 22.5 hectares of new employment land as set out in RDS6.

A surplus of 12ha, demonstrated in Table 4, is translated into a deficit of 22. 5 hectares, by removing existing employment land from the portfolio and adding an excessive margin to provide 'flexibility'.

The solution, outlined in 4. 6. 5, is a sub-regional employment site in the Green Belt adjacent to Coventry airport, the details of which are closely aligned with a planning application which was due to be considered by the WDC Planning Committee on 12 June 2013, after the document was published.

The proposed employment site is 'primarily to meet the needs of the sub-region'.

The RSS, which proposed such a site for the Coventry and Nuneaton Regeneration Zone, has been abolished.

The long established economic partnership in the region is CSW, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire.

Instead WDC has chosen to align itself exclusively with the interests of the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP and the Coventry and Warwickshire City Deal.

Section 5. 5 sets out the criteria for the new employment site, viz:

(b) to minimize environmental impact; and

c) the 'very special circumstances' which supposedly justify this major development in Green Belt.

The latter include 'a lack of alternative sites available and suitable' and 'delivery of other community and environmental benefits'.

Challenges those 'very special circumstances'.

Reiterate that there ARE alternative sites available for both the proposed technology park and the logistics zone, that the projected job numbers cannot be substantiated, and that the environmental impact will be SEVERE.

The sub-regional employment site will result in the coalescence of Coventry and the village of Baginton-contrary to local plan policy.

The measures outlined in 5. 5. 10 'to minimize the impact of the new buildings in the openness of the Green Belt' will be ineffective against the scale of building proposed in the planning application.

The largest areas of unemployment in the region are in Coventry, Rugby and the area to the north. This proposed employment site is situated in an area without adequate public transport.

There will be comparatively little benefit for Warwick District in terms of employment, a supposed 1230 jobs, should the site be developed to full capacity by 2028.

Moreover there will be a massive detrimental impact in terms of traffic and environmental damage, and a knock on impact in situating massive house building on brownfield sites south of Warwick and Leamington, which will bring with it additional problems.

Urges the Council to rethink its policy on employment land, to redevelop and reinvigorate existing brownfield sites in areas most likely to benefit Warwick District and to encourage the utilization of existing employment sites such as Ansty, Birch Coppice, Ryton and others in the wider region that have had public investment and have spare capacity.