BASE HEADER

No

ID sylw: 106853

Derbyniwyd: 06/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Janet Harrison

I object to proposed new settlement B1 and strategic growth location SG07.

Adding development to the north-west of Warwick is not a new settlement. It is an expansion of the existing town which has already joined onto Leamington Spa. These towns have enveloped surrounding villages and it will not be long until these join onto Kenilworth, which will join onto Coventry and create an area almost of conurbation size through central Warwickshire. This is not well-designed and beautiful. Green Belts were conceived to stop pushing people further from the countryside and new settlements should be sited outside Green Belt as self-sufficient communities.

Looking at each of the Strategic Objectives in turn:

1. This is not a sustainable location. A new settlement should be sited away from existing towns and there are enough options listed to avoid significant inroads into Green Belt.

2. The Housing Needs Survey indicated a need for around half-a-dozen properties. Notwithstanding that provision has to be made help meet needs with not room left for expansion, jumping to 8,000+ swamps existing small individual communities.

3. The A4177 has regular queues. The B4439 is twisty with two crossroads with past fatalities. It is difficult to get out of side roads due to bends. Improvements of the level required aren't possible without demolishing existing properties. Other roads are narrow country lanes which keep the character of the Arden landscape. They would need improvement as well as their access points onto the A4177 and B4439. The impact of this scale of development will impact infrastructure of a much wider area including Warwick.

Railways: There is a limited service at Hatton. Have you checked with railway authorities that this could be expanded? Most who wish to use the train will drive to Warwick Parkway, adding to traffic on the A4177. The stations at Warwick, Leamington, and Solihull are outside the centres and travel to Coventry needs a change of trainat Leamington.

Cycle and walking routes: the Hatton Parish Plan indicates less than 10% of respondents walked or cycled to work/school. Just over 30% walked to the village shop for day-to-day requirements - this doesn't cover the weekly shop. Cycling and walking were primarily for leisure, but even then only 35% cycled and 50% walked. 80% used their car for leisure and shopping and 95% for work. Despite buses to some secondary schools and the Primary school at Hatton, over 60% still used a car for school journeys. There has been some limited change in habits but persuading large numbers to walk or cycle is unlikely.

It is unlikely infrastructure would happen until substantial housing has been built. The local school, doctors and hospital in Warwick are full to bursting point now.

4. There are limited job opportunities locally at present. SG07 is 3 miles from the residential areas and this would push cars onto the A4177. Some will work from home but most will commute in and out of Warwick.

5. Most of the land is under agricultural use and would be lost for food production at a time when the UK needs to grow more of its own food to protect against possible food supply disruption.

6. With such a spread-out length of development rather than a compact site this is likely to be a very carbon-producing site.

7. Hatton is attractive place with its Arden landscape of small fields, hedges, trees, small woods and the historic Grand Union Canal. 8,000+ houses, commercial uses and associated infrastructure will ruin this.

8 & 9. The Grand Union Canal and the surrounding historic Arden landscape are great heritage assets. The New Settlement would surround one-and-a-half miles of canal with housing and infrastructure and make it less attractive, which applies also to tourists seeking the countryside. The cafe, and pub/restaurant will be impacted and the Canal & River Trust would lose income from visitors parking.

10. The community is used to green fields and footpaths, and countryside walks which help health and general well-being. The New Settlement will worsen health and wellbeing.

11. There is no obvious centre in the plan so it is difficult to see how people will feel connected to place. It is likely to remain a series of separate communities. Create a new settlement away from existing towns, focused on an existing small village with an obvious centre.

12. Our environmental assets are the fields, hedges, trees, small woods and the canal. This huge proposal in the Green Belt will NOT enhance our environment. How does this fit with WDC's Biodiversity Action Plan, the Warwickshire Landscape Guidelines, and the Habitat Biodiversity Audit? Has a landscape assessment been requested from the County Council.

The call for sites encourages taking the easy option of including whatever land is offered by developers - this does not produce cohesive communities and it is not sound, constructive spatial planning.