Revised Development Strategy

Object

Representation ID: 63498

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Calculations in Table 4: These include an extra 21.5 hectares simply to provide 'flexibility of supply'. This is significant because without the 'flexibility', it would change the employment land requirement from 22.5 hectares to just one hectare. At the very least, there needs to be more justification for this very generous 'flexibility' allowance.

Object

Representation ID: 63499

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Concerned about the low densities of development, particularly in the development areas closest to the existing town centres. If higher densities are encouraged the land supply will last longer and there will be less need for proposals for other greenfield development sites at a later date.

Support

Representation ID: 63500

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Generally support the principles for the current site allocations, subject to the mitigation measures outlined in the consultation document.

Object

Representation ID: 63501

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Paragraph 5.1.7 includes the sentence, '...If this area was accessed separately from Gallows Hill, the ability to market the area as part of the Technology Park would be diminished...'. Object to this proposal. Marketing of any site should not be allowed to influence strategic planning policy.

Support

Representation ID: 63502

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Welcome the proposals for Green Infrastructure in all new development and in particular a country park along the Tach Brook and nature reserve at Whitnash Brook.

-Strongly support proposals to retain/replace hedgerows which are essential for every new development.
-There needs to also be a strategic landscape corridor along the route of Europa Way and other main distributor roads as this will; to some extent mitigate the loss of greenfields in this area, secure a wildlife corridor linking the Tach Brook with the River Leam and Grand Union Canal and provide an attractive route into Leamington from the south.

-Any planning consent should ensure the provision for infrastructure requirements (i.e. shops, local centres and community facilities) are constructed and open at an early stage of any development.

Support

Representation ID: 63504

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-As outlined in the National Planning Policy Framework, policies should concentrate on reducing the need to travel, reducing use of the private car and maximising the opportunities for use of public transport. Generally the current proposals do follow these principles and clearly significant thought has been put into this section of the consultation document. Pleased that previous proposals for a 'northern relief road' have been dropped at this stage of the consultation.

-Strongly support the improvements to the cycle network which are proposed. Generous provision for walking, cycling and public transport access from all new development sites to their local town centres will be essential. A network of generously sized off-road cycle paths throughout new developments will be desirable.

Object

Representation ID: 63505

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-Concerned about the very low densities of housing being proposed. The District is still using a figure of 30 dwellings per hectare to estimate land needs for housing, and it is assuming predominately houses will be needed when studies have shown that the majority of new households over the plan period are likely to be single-person households. There are many residential schemes for one and two-person households where over 100 dwellings per hectare are quite common.
-It is possible to achieve such densities with the benefit of good design without compromising the character of our towns and the quality of public open spaces. As household size is getting smaller, this in turn allows higher densities and means there is considerably less need for greenfield sites to be used. The NPPF says that local planning authorities should set out their own approach to housing density to reflect local circumstances and therefore the density should be much higher.

Object

Representation ID: 63506

Received: 29/07/2013

Respondent: Friends of the Earth

-'Garden Suburbs' would in fact increase sprawl around the towns and destroy the rural character of the District rather than preserve it. Low density suburbia, no matter how well designed, can never be a good replacement for real countryside.
-The Garden Suburb principle is in contrast to the type of housing which is most likely to be in demand over the next few decades.