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ID sylw: 108065

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Seven Homes

Asiant : Pegasus Group

Seven Homes support a Green Belt review. The Green Belt in South Warwickshire Topic Paper shows several of the best-connected settlements are within or surrounded by Green Belt. So are most train stations. Half the SGLs are within Green Belt. The Topic Paper is correct that Green Belt options should be considered to ensure development is suitably distributed and directed to the most sustainable locations and that a full Green Belt review is essential.

Exceptional circumstances as required by NPPF Paragraph 145 exist because of the significant number of homes required and limited capacity in existing settlements as evidenced by the Urban Capacity Study. Paragraph 146 states that exceptional circumstances include when authorities cannot meet identified housing needs through other means. The December 2024 NPPF introduced ‘grey belt’. Paragraph 148 states that where Green Belt land needs to be released, plans should give priority to previously developed land, then grey belt, then other Green Belt locations. The Council will need to follow this sequential approach when considering sites release.

The Green Belt Review Stage 1 doesn't consider grey belt but concludes only 9 out of 113 parcels made a strong contribution to the Green Belt purposes. With over 100 parcels not strongly contributing, Seven Homes would expect a significant number of grey belt sites can suitably accommodate development. The next stage of the Review should draw clear conclusions. The Green Belt policy should make reference to Grey Belt and acknowledge that development in Green Belt can be appropriate if the Paragraph 155 criteria are satisfied. The ‘Golden Rules’ for residential development may also be referenced.

The draft Policy Direction suggests areas of land may be safeguarded to meet longer-term needs. This is supported, and would align with NPPF Paragraph 149(c). This could be for future needs of the South Warwickshire authorities, or those in the two Housing Market Areas they fall within. Further discussions and evidence-gathering is required to ascertain the level of unmet need in the HMAs. ‘Safeguarded land’ would be in addition to ‘reserve sites’ referenced in Policy Direction 4. These would meet the shorter-term needs of neighbouring authorities over the plan period, not beyond it.

Land at Russells Garden Centre, Mill Lane, Baginton is within parcel BAG2 assessed in the South Warwickshire Green Belt Review Stage 1. The Site is in the far north western corner of the parcel. The wider parcel is quite large and generally rural and open. Overall, the parcel is considered to play no contribution to checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up urban areas (purpose a), a weak contribution to prevent towns from merging (purpose b), and no contribution to preserving the setting and special character of historic town (purpose d).

Development of the site would include a large area of previously developed land and whilst the remainder of the site is not PDL it is horticultural in character with numerous structures, including greenhouses and polytunnels. The floodplain to the south of the site limits the extent of development across the wider site. Whilst the Site is a short distance from the edges of Coventry the existing Kenilworth Bypass creates a physical barrier between the two settlements. Whilst not discussed within the latest Green Belt Review, the Joint West Midlands Green Belt Study 2015 did discuss long-range intervisibility with the historic core of Coventry from areas of high ground to the south. Given the site’s location in the far northwest corner of the Green Belt parcel and its PDL character, development is not considered to undermine purpose (d). In addition, the Site is beyond the boundaries of the Baginton Conservation Area.