Revised Development Strategy

Object

Representation ID: 55276

Received: 24/07/2013

Respondent: Lapworth Parish Plan Steering Group

From views expressed at various public meetings, residents do not feel that there was adequate, sufficiently well publicised consultation on the Local Plan in the early stages. WDC should not, therefore, assume that the relatively low level of response to previous consultations implied tacit acceptance of their proposals.

Object

Representation ID: 59432

Received: 24/07/2013

Respondent: Lapworth Parish Plan Steering Group

The majority of Lapworth residents oppose the proposals affecting the village as set out in the RDS:

Settlement category:
Residents surprised that the status of Lapworth had changed from that of a Category 1 village suitable for the construction of 100 new homes to that of a "Primary Service Village" capable of supporting 100-150 new homes.

Justification given for this change in a Draft Settlement Hierarchy Report published in June, but it is not possible to understand how Kingswood scores the 53 points that are claimed in this report.

Scale of New Housing:
86% of respondents to the Parish Plan survey supported the need for some new housing development in Lapworth, but almost 70% opposed building any more than 50 homes between now and 2029:

10% of respondents opposed any construction whatsoever, 26% supported no more than 20 new homes and a further 33% no more than 50.

Construction of 130 new homes (ie 150 less the Aylesbury House site) in or adjacent to the current village envelope would result in an increase of 35-40% in the number of homes in this already congested area.

This would fundamentally alter the rural nature of the village, as well as exacerbating traffic, parking and road safety problems that are already apparent.

Size of developments
Only 12% of survey respondents supported large-scale developments of more than 10 homes. The remainder expressed various preferences, from single homes to developments of up to 10 new homes.

Residents strongly oppose mass building of new homes in the early years of the Plan and clarification on timing is sought from the District Council.

Housing Type and Mix:
59% of responses supported giving priority to private homes that can be sold on the open market. However, there is recognition that relatively high prices in Lapworth are a problem for young and less advantaged local people, and so there was also significant support for prioritising starter homes (49%) and homes for people with local roots (33%).

Sheltered housing, especially for Lapworth's older residents, enjoyed support from 30% of respondents.

Affordable Housing:
Whilst almost one quarter of returned surveys (Parish Plan) supported giving priority to some construction of affordable housing residents who attended public meetings strongly opposed potential imposition in Lapworth of WDC's benchmark proportion of 40% affordable homes.

The village is in inappropriate location for large-scale development of affordable housing, as the paucity of local jobs and poor public transport links mean that a car is an essential pre-requisite for living in the village.

Overwhelming support (82%) for construction of the detached and semi-detached properties that currently account for the majority of housing in the village.

Also support for construction of more modestly priced housing, with 43% of respondents supporting some terraced or mews-style housing and 17% flats or maisonettes.

Location of Housing:

Any developments that fundamentally alter the essentially rural nature of Lapworth are opposed by a large majority of residents;

Focusing new housing on infill locations was supported by 59% of survey respondents;

Large housing developments are opposed by a large majority of residents;

54% of respondents favoured new houses being spread throughout the Parish;

There is more scope than suggested in the RDS for accommodating new housing either by changing use of or replacing existing buildings (supported by 46% of survey respondents) or building on land/gardens adjacent to existing properties (24%); and

Only 19% of respondents supported building on green belt, most residents believing that green belt should be strongly protected and only sacrificed for housing development in exceptional cases.

Infrastructure and Services:
Overall community is not in any position to manage a large influx of new residents in a short period of time. Major concerns relate inter alia to the primary school, lack of recreational infrastructure for young people, poor and deteriorating public transport links, traffic and parking issues, healthcare, flooding and utility services.