Revised Development Strategy

Stagecoach Midlands has concerns that the strategic development proposals set out in the Strategy are coming forward through the development control system in an uncoordinated manner, in advance of the strategic Policy framework to guide this development being in place. These proposals now account for the majority of the strategic quantum. Having reviewed all of them, we find that in most cases, little consideration has been given to providing a sustainable high quality bus service within convenient walking distances of homes. We will make our separate representations on individual proposals in due course.
In general, Stagecoach Midlands believes that the density proposals do not support high-quality public transport provision. Within an average density of 30-35 dwg/Ha Master Plans should make provision for higher density along proposed bus corridors, even if this is offset by lower densities in the more remote areas.

We are aware that a formal application has been submitted by the promoters ref W13/1016/OUT, for the bulk of the proposed allocation west of Europa Way, and was registered less than a week before this consultation closes.
This proposed allocation offers by far the most compact urban form of the sites identified in the Revised Development Strategy. In the view of Stagecoach Midlands, this site is the most critical to the success of the proposed Strategy. This is because it sits between the existing urban area, including Leamington Town Centre, and most of the proposed new strategic development. The main new strategic bus corridor is proposed to run either alongside or within the site. En-route, this corridor serves key destinations such as the Station, Morrisons, Leamington Shopping Park, existing employment at Europa Way, and the existing and expanded Technology Park, before continuing to serve the greater portion of residential development proposed in the Strategy.
Creative and imaginative urban design and master planning could deliver bus priority through or alongside the development, thus unlocking the viability of:
* The proposed virtual Park and Ride
* The new bus route
and by extension all the other public transport initiatives supporting the strategy
By linking together the Technology Park, its extension, the Park and Ride, and the residential area using a dedicated bus-only link through or alongside the development to create a bus priority route to Europa Way; the opportunity will have been taken to protect and exploit sustainable transport modes in line with NPPF paragraph 35.
A number of alternative approaches within the control of the promoters of Myton Garden Village could secure this outcome, including:
* peak bus priority along the dualled Europa Way, with the nearside carriageway being a bus lane at peak times.
* An additional bus lane or dedicated bus road provided over and above the dualling of Europa Way for general traffic
* A purpose designed bus corridor within the Garden Suburb, which may be used by vehicular traffic for portions of its length, but with a bus gate or gates to prevent rat-running.
Without such measures, we believe that the Strategy as a whole will only perpetuate and exacerbate the existing car-dependence in this area, in direct contravention of NPPF. Such an approach would be unsound, as it would be inconsistent with national policy.

Stagecoach Midlands supports this allocation in principle. The initial proposals made in a formal outline application by the developers for the eastern portion of this area did not anticipate bus services entering the site. The road layout would involve excessive circuity and only allow buses to serve the far edge of the development, which would mitigate strongly against effective and attractive bus service provision.
Those proposals have recently been withdrawn. We submit that any future master planning approach for this site and the land to the west, should be comprehensive, and assume the retention and enhancement of the existing bus routing, with good, well-surveilled pedestrian links to quality bus stops provided on Harbury Lane, spaced between 280-330m apart. This justifies higher densities on the northern edge of future proposals.
Proposals here should help support high-quality links from the area towards Warwick and thus can be considered to support the consolidation of demand on an existing public transport corridor.
We agree this area is less suitable for employment-led development, from a public transport perspective, not least because we believe it is more operationally expedient to provide the P&R and the Technology Park extension to the north of Harbury Lane, immediately adjoining the Technology Park and its extension.

Stagecoach supports this allocation in principle. Stagecoach Midlands reiterates that this site needs to make provision for high-quality roadside infrastructure and associated pedestrian links to them if the site is to be sustainable, and the overall Transport Strategy is not to be undermined.

We note a formal planning application was made for the northern portion of this site. Stagecoach Midlands notes that the promoter has made no provision for a bus service to penetrate the site directly or indirectly in those proposals. These have now been withdrawn. We found this omission most concerning. We submit that any future proposals for this land should assume the retention and enhancement of the existing service along the existing route/s, with attractive pedestrian links to quality bus stops provided on Harbury Lane. This approach justifies higher densities on the northern edge of future proposals that come forward. As a corollary it may be appropriate to reduce densities at the southern edge especially if these plots end up being outside a reasonable 400m walking distance of stops on Harbury Lane.
This would also support wider urban design and planning objectives.
We object to the development footprint extending further south onto land beyond the initial application site, as this land is well over 400m away from Harbury Lane and will not be within reasonable walking distance of a good bus service.

Stagecoach Midlands objects to the proposed allocation. The Company does not see that a viable bus service could be provided, as this area could foreseeably be within 400m of a quality public transport corridor. Planning applications made on adjoining land to the east (Grove Farm) and west (Lower Heathcote Farm) make no apparent provision for an efficient bus route linking through this land. In any case, as discussed above, even if a comprehensive approach is taken to deliver a bus corridor south of Harbury Lane, this would draw any service away from the existing development north of Harbury Lane, or lead to the splitting of the provision such that the frequency of service offered would not be sufficiently high to be attractive. We therefore submit that, with the possible exception of some limited development on the northern edges of the site, this option is not sustainable.

This site is not currently within easy reach of existing bus routes operating at regular high frequency. It is possible that a new service might be provided along Harbury Lane to the north of the site. Alternatively the existing hourly X18 running to the east of the site offers a much more direct route to the town centre, and might be augmented. We note an application for an initial 220 dwellings, all within 400m of Harbury Lane, is already submitted (W/13/0036/OUT). We can see that the layout affords a potential link to land to the south. The full quantum proposed, alongside proposals to the NE at Woodside Farm, might support the provision of a new local bus service, or a wider network recast to improve local bus frequencies serving the site.
However while in landscape terms this site functions as a unity with proposals to the west in particular, and equally adjoins the urban area, it will be much harder in this area to take advantage of the bus service improvements serving the wider area proposed by WCC. We consider this site less sustainable in terms of making best use of existing bus services, or logical improvements to the local network. We believe developer contributions from this site, and Woodside Farm, would be justified to kick-start a much better frequency of service on the Tachbrook Road corridor serving both this site and Woodside Farm, over and above those already being sought by WCC.

We note the site is the subject of an undetermined application W/13/0776/OUT. This site is relatively hard to serve directly by public transport. Providing a bus turning circle within the site, in line with the current proposals submitted earlier this year, or a bus-only gate giving through access to Harbury Lane, might achieve a 30-minute commercial service at final build-out when combined with the full quantum at Grove Farm, and a suitable means of running buses within the wider Grove Farm development. We recognise an existing PRoW offers direct access to our existing G1 Goldline service, but its width and quality is very poor, and many dwellings will be beyond the limits of a 400m walk to the stops on Coppice Road.
In our view, as stated for Grove Farm, additional proportionate developer contributions might be secured towards kick starting a new or augmented bus service via Tachbrook Road running at least every 30 minutes, and preferably every 20 minutes, serving these sites, and the poorly-served eastern end of Warwick Gates.

As noted below we do not support this option south of Gallows Hill, which will be much harder to integrate as part of a comprehensive sustainable travel and bus priority package, including "virtual Park and Ride".

As noted above we support this option over a site south of Gallows Hill, subject to effective linkage both between the existing Technology Park and the site; and also the proposed residential development further north at Myton Garden Suburb. As discussed above we see a number of means whereby a creative and effective solution might be achievable.