BASE HEADER

No

ID sylw: 106093

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Mrs Joy Doyle

Safety Concerns – A Disaster Waiting to Happen
Station Lane is already overwhelmed. Parents like myself fear for my children’s safety as cars mount pavements to navigate the congested roads. This area cannot cope with more traffic – it is already jam-packed, and additional cars will only increase the risk of serious accidents. The lives of residents, especially young children, are being put in jeopardy by this proposals.

The railway station car park is nearly full every single day, leaving no available spaces for additional vehicles. The inevitable overspill onto nearby roads will cause chaos, creating further congestion and unsafe conditions for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

Failing Infrastructure – An Already Strained System
Our local infrastructure is not fit for purpose as it stands. Every time a storm hits, we brace ourselves for yet another power cut. This is not an occasional inconvenience—it is a frequent and frustrating occurrence. The current system is struggling, and adding further demand will only exacerbate the problem, making daily life more difficult for residents.

Lapworth and Kingswood also suffer from regular flooding, turning streets into rivers and sometime hazardous, foul-smelling areas when drains become overloaded. More development will mean more pollution, more flooding, and more raw sewage spilling into our streets. It’s also hazardous in the winter. Icy streets, regular accidents as nothing gets gritted. This is our safety that’s at risk.

Environmental Destruction – A Loss We Cannot Undo
The proposed development will devastate our local wildlife. The area around Baddesley Clinton is home to a rich ecosystem, including roaming deer, birds of prey, and countless other species. Building on the green belt here would be nothing short of an ecological disaster, wiping out biodiversity that has existed for generations.

Additionally, Kingswood Canal Basin, the Harborough Banks Iron Age Hill Fort, and the historic priest tunnel connecting Baddesley Clinton to the Manor House are all part of our region’s heritage. The canal is legally protected under the Warwick District Canal Conservation Area (Civic Amenities Act of 1967)—how can we justify putting this history at risk for the sake of development?

Inadequate Transport and Public Services
Lapworth and Kingswood already lack the transport links to support a growing population. There is no regular bus service, and the railway station is primarily freight-focused, offering infrequent passenger trains. The station itself has minimal parking and no step-free access for northbound passengers, making it inaccessible for many.

Our roads are another major concern. Narrow, winding, and poorly lit, they were never designed to handle high volumes of traffic. The low railway and canal bridges further complicate matters, creating bottlenecks that cannot accommodate additional vehicles.

Beyond transport, our local services are already stretched to their limits.

Lapworth Primary School is nearly at full capacity—where will the children from these new homes go to school? It is already a feeder school with children from many surrounding villages attending.
Lapworth Surgery is already struggling to meet demand—how can it possibly accommodate even more patients? Two weeks for an appointment is regular at least. It’s already stretched to its limit.
Limited local employment means more people will need to commute, adding even more strain to the roads and rail services.
The Reality – An Unsustainable Future
Lapworth does not have a mains gas supply, leaving households reliant on oil, electricity, or bottled gas. The proposed new development would be required to install air-source heat pumps, which will place even greater demand on an already overstretched electricity grid. With already regular and constant power cuts. We are constantly being told our water and electricity supply needs upgrading to meet existing needs—how can we realistically provide for additional homes without major, costly infrastructure overhauls.

This development is not just ill-conceived—it is completely unsustainable. It threatens our safety and our environment. We urge you to reconsider the irreversible damage these proposals would cause and reject it outright. Our community simply cannot afford to bear the cost.