Publication Draft Local Plan: Focused Consultation

Object

Representation ID: 67226

Received: 10/12/2014

Respondent: Warwick Town Council

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

However, the Town Council would not support the football ground being relocated to a site on farm land off Gallows Hill.

The sports stadium will impact directly on the residential development of the area and Leamington Football Club does have expectations of moving up in the football leagues and will want to build a stadium with parking etc. commensurate to those hopes and expectations.

In the interests of present residents and future residents the Town Council considers that the proposal should be resisted and removed from the Plan for the following good planning reasons:

i) A football stadium will have a damaging impact on the residential amenities of the residential area.

The loss of amenity will derive from on street parking, traffic movement, possible high levels of spectators through the residential areas, particularly on Saturdays and evenings and which will not be acceptable to residents.

ii) Attendees at the games and those going to and from the games will create noise nuisance.

iii) The grandstand stadium and associated works including the pylons for flood lighting, will be visually intrusive.

iv) The flood lighting will without doubt be a source of light pollution to residents whenever lights are required for games or training.

v) The intrusion of the stadium buildings and pylons will be exacerbated by their location on a prominent hill top and this will intrude upon views from Warwick Castle and the Collegiate Church of St Marys. A consideration supported by the Planning Inspectorate, as demonstrated by the recent appeal decision.

A stadium development would be most obtrusive, not only effecting the landscape from the Castle and Church, but also impacting on the Grade I listed Castle Park and the landscaped approach area to Warwick, which the Planning Authority have in the past been protected, but now appear ready to abandon.

To prevent an excessive visual or other dominance of an area by a sports stadium the Government's advice is that any sports stadium should be judged on high standards not only of design and landscaping but also on siting. It is also expected that a sports stadium would have high levels of community support for its development. To locate a stadium at the proposed location would not meet the criteria regarding siting or community support.

The open space area will be lost to the community forever and the area is an open space warranting protection in its own right. However, a sports stadium will not only will it impact on the immediate and local residential area, but also a stadium will impact on the historic landscape of Warwick.

Furthermore, the impact of a football ground in a residential area is fully known to the District Council for there is the comparatively recent example of the Brakes Ground being relocated.

The Government's Planning Policy statements do not contemplate a football stadium as part of a provision of a new area of open space, in connection with the provision, and in association with residential development and the use of land for public sport and outdoor recreation. No value is being placed on those green areas of Warwick, but only the possible financial interest of the club and the need for a Gypsy and Traveller Site, rather than the views of the whole community and the impact of a football stadium on the community.