Revised Development Strategy

As a resident and business owner in Warwickshire I have been forced to put pen to paper to object strongly to the proposed plan.

Having attended a recent meeting held for residents and also being present at a Chamber of Commerce Briefing I am very concerned that the local council is not listening to the views and needs of its residents and business owners.


I write to raise my strongest objection to the 2013 Local Plan, and the many planning applications that are associated with it - those that are currently under consideration, and those that are undoubtedly yet to come.

This revised local plan unfairly places the bulk of the proposed housing in one concentration to the south of Warwick and Leamington.

Scale and proportion
The size and scale of the proposed developments will result in there being a substantial loss of open spaces, which is currently characteristic of this beautiful area. There is a huge threat to the existing residents day to day living given that current homeowners have specifically bought property in this area due to the magnificence of our countryside and its agricultural land.

Whilst new employment is greatly needed in this county the identification of potential employers and their necessary workforce needs to be determined BEFORE the significant urban sprawl is planned and subsequently built. The existing infrastructure is already under great stress and so acceptable plans have yet to be determined as to how the proposed expansion of residential and indeed employment build will be supported.

The south of the county is not the only area urgently requiring new injections of employment and talent and so a fairer spread of new builds across the whole of Warwickshire would be preferable. To ignore this would be blatantly biased to specific geographical areas instead of others. To over development certain areas seems absolute folly and very short sighted given that we have a moral duty to protect the county for future generations.

The effect of these potential developments on the existing local communities and infrastructure will be devastating, and I believe have been grossly underestimated by both Warwick DC and the developers.

Effect on local road traffic/infrastructure
The road infrastructure south of Warwick/Leamington and around Whitnash is already stretched. This is due to the fact that there are currently already 2 or more cars per household. The roads could not cope with 9000 extra vehicles using the local road network. This completely highlights that the local road infrastructure is inadequate. (E.g. congestion on various local roads). With the newly built super stores traffic heading towards the town centers is already a major problem. No plans have been detailed as to how the gridlock and increased pollution will be dealt with. To avoid the town gridlock congestion on rural roads outside the town at peak times is also already a problem. How do the council propose to deal with increased traffic noise pollution and potential increased danger to pedestrians and children.

The National Planning Policy Framework, Policy DC7 states:
"Policy DC7 goes onto highlight that development will not be permitted where it generates significant road traffic movements, unless mitigation measures are used to avoid adverse impacts."

These developments will generate significant road traffic movements, and I do not believe that mitigation measures will alleviate the problem, certainly on a local level. If all the developments in the area are given the go ahead as part of the Local Plan, the situation will become untenable.

Effect of local services/amenities
The National Planning Policy Framework, Policy DP2 states:
"that development will not be permitted where it has an unacceptable adverse impact on the amenity of nearby uses and residents and/or does not provide acceptable standards of amenity for future users / occupiers of the development."
* pressure will be further placed on local schools
* primary schools already oversubscribed year on year
* increased pressure on the local secondary schools
* effect on catchment areas
* effect on applications from siblings of children already in one school
* new schools not "guaranteed" to be built as part of the developments
* limited access to doctors and dentists surgeries in the Whitnash and Warwick Gates and Myton areas already
* effect on increased numbers on the local hospitals

Flood Risk
* already flood issues in Whitnash and Warwick Gates
* scale and density of proposed housing,
* large areas of paved/concreted or tarmac surface etc.,

Alternatives to the Local Plan
There are many reasons why the Local Plan represents a disaster for the whole of the South Warwick/Leamington/Whitnash areas, predominantly because of the sheer concentration of most of the districts proposed new housing in one relatively small area.

Alternatives that should be considered include:
* Identifying existing housing that is derelict or currently unoccupied,
* Identifying empty industrial units with a view to use the land for brownfield site housing.
* Identifying an area in the surrounding countryside to use to build an entirely "new town".
* Spreading the numbers of new homes evenly around the district, with lots more much smaller developments.
* Smaller developments given to local builders rather than large national firms, thus helping the local economy.

Applications have already been submitted for land that is earmarked to be part of the Local Plan, before the Local Plan has been fully agreed and approved is unacceptable. Such applications should not even be considered until such time as the Local Plan has been clarified and the public consultation completed.

Therefore, I hope you listen to the concerns and suggestions of the residents of your district, and act accordingly. This Local Plan cannot be allowed to come to fruition, and I hope Warwick DC come realize that, withdraw it, and refuse all the various planning applications relating to it.