Revised Development Strategy

Support

Representation ID: 55330

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Support all the other strategic principles outlined in the section apart from garden towns and development proposals being based on supposed need for economic growth.

Object

Representation ID: 63487

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Concerned that development proposal in the District are based on a supposed need for economic growth. Growth per se is unnecessary and unsustainable for a stable economy.

-Object to the proposals for 'garden towns' because of densities of development proposed.

Object

Representation ID: 63488

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Development and investment should be concentrated on the regeneration of the major urban centres of the region such as Coventry, Birmingham and Stoke on Trent. Development in Warwick District should be minimised to allow this to happen. Continued population growth and expansion of the smaller urban areas is not sustainable in the long term and expansion should be minimised to retain the countryside for future generations and maintain the country's future food security.

-The Council should be aware that by continuing to promote development on greenfield land, it risks destroying the quality of the environment that presently makes the District such an attractive place to live.

Object

Representation ID: 63489

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Upon completing the Joint Housing Market Assessment, the number of homes required in the District should be stated more clearly. The figures in the consultation document are confusing.

-Housing numbers are very dependent on employment forecasts which are at best very variable. Section 4.1.9 specifically highlights the sensitivity of employment-led population projections. Understand the logic explained in paragraph 4.1.10 but development and investment should be concentrate in the major urban centres of the region and therefore local growth rate for the District should be much lower, not higher than that of the forecast growth rate for the region.

Object

Representation ID: 63490

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-In the specific site allocations, the Revised Development Strategy include the requirement for 'Homes for Older People: Adequate provision, close to local facilities should be made for Extra Care Homes'. It should be noted that the majority of older people do not in fact require care provision. The most popular form of housing is usually 'Category 2' sheltered apartments. The most successful retirement schemes are the ones closest to town centres and it is generally accepted that suburban and edge-of-town sites are not usually appropriate locations for retirement housing.

Support

Representation ID: 63492

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

Generally support RDS3 and the strategy for locating sites for development:
-The choice of sites for housing should be determined by the quality of the proposed land in both Landscape Value and Agricultural Quality terms and this is the thinking of the NPPF.
-Pleased to note that the current proposals have removed previous plans for using Green Belt land north of Leamington and Warwick. Generally support the current site allocations subject to the mitigation measures outlines in the consultation document as they appear to follow recommendations in a number of landscape character studies. Also note that most of the allocations are close to employment areas therefore potentially minimising travel to work distances.

Object

Representation ID: 63494

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Oppose the proposals for this site as it is within the Green Belt and is on top of a hill and it will harm the views of the wider landscape.

Support

Representation ID: 63495

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Support the proposed development at Thickthorn as long as a significant proportion of the site is allocated for employment uses. By providing more employment this will reduce the significant out-commuting which the town experiences at the moment, with minimal impact on the character of the town and its surrounding landscape. The subsequent reduction in associated CO2 emissions will go some way in mitigating the loss of a greenfield site.

-It is important to retain the existing woodland, trees and hedgerows within this site in their entirety including all of the Glasshouse Spinney, where extensive conservation work has been carried out in recent years by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Land north and east of Glasshouse Spinney may only be able to be accessed from the existing access points off Birches Lane.

-Map 6 needs to clearly show that Thickthorn Wood and Glasshouse Spinney and hedgerows would be retained in their entirety. Paragraph 5.1.12 mentions the footpaths which cross the potential development site, Rocky Lane and the footpath leading to Stoneleigh Abbey. Both of these routes should be upgraded to dual use cycleways and footpaths. The northern path would form a very useful cycle and pedestrian commuter route to the existing and new employment sites at Stoneleigh Park and should be funded by the developers of that site.

-If the sports club presently in the Thickthorn area relocates from the proposed development site, any new sports facilities should be carefully located and designed to minimise their impact on the landscape. Hey should not include floodlighting as it can significantly detract from the character of a landscape and have an impact on wildlife both during the daytime and at night/evening.

Object

Representation ID: 63496

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Studies of the demand for employment land have shown that changes in types of work from industrial to more office-based professions have meant that less land is needed to provide similar numbers of jobs that before. The studies have suggested that there is little need to allocate more land for employment purposes.

-The current consultation proposals have in part been superseded by the recent decision to grant planning consent for the Coventry Gateway site. Due to the allocation of land in this location, as well as the proposed allocation at Thickthorn Kenilworth, only a very small land allocation will be needed elsewhere in the District.

Object

Representation ID: 63497

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Table 5: There seems to be no allowance for the fact that B1 (generally office use) will often be provided by buildings of two or three stories in heights, whereas B8 warehouse use is generally single storey. The table shows B1 se provided at a rate of 3250 metres square per hectare but B8 use provided at a rate of 5000 metres square per hectare which does not appear to be correct. Clarification is needed.