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No

ID sylw: 107348

Derbyniwyd: 05/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Alcester Town Council and Arrow with Weethley Parish Council

Alcester needs affordable housing but the proposed sites in the SWLP are unsuitable.

There is no nearby train service. The most accessible is Stratford Parkway, which takes 42 minutes via bus. Busses run approximately hourly. It takes approximately half-an-hour to get to Stratford-upon-Avon or Redditch. Getting to Warwick Hospital takes 90 minutes and 3 bus journeys.

Local primary and secondary schools in Alcester are at capacity. Alcester Academy and St Benedict’s are Academies so cannot be forced to expand by the Local Education Authority. According to available information on school places, local schools can manage demand from already-permitted sites but not the level envisaged under SG21.

The IDP indicates doctors' surgeries have 2349 patients per GP, exceeding national averages. Anecdotal evidence suggests difficulty in getting routine appointments in 3 weeks. Thousands more dwellings would increase demand. Warwick Hospital recently declared a critical emergency. Increasing population in Alcester would put further pressure on local hospitals. No dentists in Alcester are taking NHS patients.

The Alne and Arrow join on Alcester's outskirts and when they flood they engulf part of the town. Alcester has flooded 22 times since 1864. The flooding in 2007 was the worst flood event for 250+ years and 200 homes were left uninhabitable. There are regular flood alerts/warnings. The storage tank as part of the Alcester flood scheme only gives 12 minutes warning when full. The SFRA highlights considerable issues from pluvial and fluvial flooding. Alcester Town Council understands the Environment Agency's flood defence assets need considerable work due to little investment since installation.

Except for Site 411 and Site 512, sites proposed for development absorb surface water and act as flood plains. Development could increase the risk of flooding in areas already at high risk in Alcester and further downstream. The built-up boundary provides limited housing development opportunity due to the flood plain. Most proposed sites outside SG21 scored poorly due to flooding constraints.