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ID sylw: 108891

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to the exclusion of the land south of the railway line and subject to:
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Site Waste Management Plan (a plan for reusing/recycling waste on site and avoiding off-site disposal to landfill),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)

Active Travel

The primary active travel route will be to Warwick. There is an existing shared use footway/cycleway that runs adjacent to the A425 Birmingham Road between Hatton Park and Wedgnock Lane on the northern edge of Warwick. This route is narrow and does not meet current design standards. The route currently has uncontrolled crossings over the A46 slip roads which can be difficult to cross, however a scheme to implement toucan crossings on the slip roads is expected to be delivered and will improve the attractiveness of this route. The Grand Union Canal provides a link between the development site and the northern edge of Warwick including Warwick Parkway and has an unbound towpath of varying widths and condition. The Hatton Park to Wedgnock Lane cycle route and canal towpath stop on the northern side of Warwick and cyclists currently need to return to the carriageway to reach destinations to the south of this such as the town centre and other major commercial and employment centres. A network of bridleways provides connections between Hatton Park and Kenilworth, however these routes are of varying condition and do not support year round utility or commuting cycling trips.

The canal towpath would need to be upgraded (widened, surface improvements and lighting) to make it suitable for all year round cycling trips. Consideration would also need to be given to how safety concerns associated with a lack of natural surveillance could be overcome. A connection would also need to be provided to the south to connect to Warwick town centre and provide onward routing to key destinations within the town, however it is unclear how this can be delivered within existing highway constraints.

The existing Birmingham Road cycle route would need to be upgraded to LTN1/20 standards to increase capacity and encourage usage. Ideally this should be a segregated facility with appropriate buffer from the carriageway, however a shared use cycleway/footway may be appropriate given the relatively low numbers of pedestrians anticipated to use it. The route would need to be extended to the north from the Charringworth Drive roundabout junction to the development site. A key challenge here is the extent of the gradient between Hatton Park and Hatton with the road climbing approximately 25m over a distance of 540m which will be challenging for many and likely be a barrier to cycling. Consideration would also need to be given safety aspects associated with the speed cyclists descending this hill would accumulate. A connection would also need to be provided to the south between Wedgnock Lane and Warwick town centre to provide onward routing to key destinations within the town, however it is unclear how this can be delivered within existing highway constraints. The bridleways to Kenilworth would need to be upgraded to support year round cycling trips.

Potentially, however further work would be required to confirm this. It is unclear whether the canal towpath could be upgraded to be suitable for all year round cycling since this is likely to require third party land, impact on ecology and require the support of the Canals and Rivers Trust. It seems unlikely that this would be fully lit or be subject to a winter maintenance regime which would limit its attractiveness for year round trips. Upgrading and extending the Birmingham Road cycle route is also likely to require third party land and the removal of vegetation to create the space required for a LTN1/20 compliant facility. There is not currently a feasible design to provide a direct cycling connection to Warwick town centre from the northern side of the town and this is essential to enable a full range of trips to be completed by active modes. Finally, at 5km Warwick town centre is at the upper end of distance that many would consider reasonable to cycle for regular trips. Key employment destinations at Warwick Technology Park and Heathcote to the south of the town centre are farther away although Department for Transport guidance suggests cycling has the capability to replace car trips of up to 10km in length.

Rail

The site is located near two stations on the Leamington Spa to Birmingham (Chiltern) line, these being Hatton and Warwick Parkway. Train services are principally provided by Chiltern Railways. Warwick Parkway has a half-hourly frequency in each direction between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill, with some services extended to/from Stourbridge Junction in the peaks. The Birmingham to London services calls at Hatton every two hours. There is also a two-hourly stopping service from Leamington Spa to Birmingham which calls at Hatton and Warwick Parkway. A two-hourly service between Stratford and Leamington Spa calls at Hatton but not Warwick Parkway. The travel time to Birmingham is around 25-30 minutes and to Stratford is around 20 minutes.

The main issue on the rail network in this area is the lack of any substantial capacity to increase service frequencies much beyond their current level, due to a combination of passenger and freight services on the Chiltern Line. As well as those services outlined above there is a Cross Country service each hour which uses the line, but which does not call at any stations between Birmingham and Leamington Spa. The corridor is also heavily used for freight, most notably intermodal services to/from the deep sea ports at Southampton. A potential reconfiguration of some local services is currently being explored by WMRE, looking at how an hourly Birmingham to Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon to Leamington Spa service could be delivered – both of which would serve Hatton and Warwick Parkway. There is likely to be a need however to provide certain track and signaling improvements at Leamington Spa to allow these services to operate.

Warwick Parkway is very well served in terms of parking, transport interchange and passenger facilities, with scope to develop these further, although the land on the western side of the site which could be used for additional car parking falls within the Green Belt. Further decking could be an option if this were to be an obstacle. Additional active travel provision and bus links from the new settlement site to Warwick Parkway would be an essential requirement if a significant upgrade of Hatton station (in terms of both facilities and service frequency) cannot be delivered.

Hatton station would require substantial upgrading if it were to be the focus of rail provision to support a new settlement option in this area. The station has limited parking and would require expansion. The roads leading to it are country lanes with limited scope for improvement. A residents parking scheme would be needed to manage parking in Hatton village around the station to deter on-street parking by rail users. Active travel improvements to allow people to walk and cycle to the station would be required, along with cycle parking and an ‘Access for All’ footbridge with lifts. Opportunities to bring buses into the station forecourt would be limited due to the nature of the roads in the area and the available space, so a wider consideration of public transport interchange options would need to be undertaken.

Rail services at Warwick Parkway would not require much amendment, other than to ensure local services to/from Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon call there. Rail services at Hatton would require a substantial upgrade to at least an hourly (ideally half-hourly) service between Leamington Spa and Birmingham and between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa. This will require proactive engagement and negotiation with the West Midlands Rail Executive and train operators.

The scale of the infrastructure requirements at Hatton and Warwick Parkway are considered affordable but with some significant challenges in relation to deliverability, most notably around car parking provision and the necessary track and signal enhancements at Leamington Spa station to accommodate increased train service levels. Further work will be needed to understand how new or enhanced rail services, particularly to serve Hatton, will be delivered contractually including any necessary subsidy payments by a developer. As noted above, most of the land around Warwick Parkway is designated as Green Belt, so it may be prudent for WDC/SDC to consider removing some land there at the same time as the new settlement allocation (should it go ahead) to facilitate the delivery of additional station parking.

Bus

There are no inter-urban bus routes which pass near or through the site. Local bus services are also limited in this area. Rail services on the Chiltern Line provide the main public transport links for local residents.

A new service between the new settlement and Warwick Town Centre, possibly as an extension of Service X17 (Kenilworth-Leamington-Warwick) should be considered.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the new inter-urban service or existing X17 route (if extended) and within the new settlement should be provided.

The extension of the existing X17 service or proposed new inter-urban bus service and associated infrastructure improvements should be deliverable, affordable and viable in the long term if planned and promoted properly.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is well-located in terms of access to the SRN, with the A4177 feeding directly to the A46 at Stanks west of Warwick, which in turn provides access to the M6/M69/M1 (north), M40 (south) and M40/M42/M5 (west/south west). The A4177 also links to the A452 MRN/KRN at Balsall Common (and onwards to M6 Junction 4) and the A4141 at Knowle towards M42 Junction 5 and Solihull.

The A46/A425/A4177 Stanks junction has recently been upgraded to provide additional capacity along with much improved active travel provision. This junction has an important interface with the Old Budbrooke Road, which provides access to Warwick Parkway station. Even with the recent improvements in this area, these junctions remain extremely busy particularly at peak times.

M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) is a strategically significant junction where the motorway network interfaces with the SRN (A46) and the A429 towards Warwick and Cirencester. Despite major improvements having been implemented, the junction continues to operate at or near capacity, and a combination of wider committed/planned growth in South Coventry, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Wellesbourne and Stratford and a potential new settlement option in this area will have a cumulative impact which is likely to result in significant congestion and traffic re-routing on to less appropriate routes such as through Warwick and Leamington Spa town centre and into surrounding rural communities (e.g. Hampton Magna/Hampton-on-the-Hill). The A46/B4463 junction at Sherbourne immediately south of M40 Junction 15 is also unlikely to be able to cope with these cumulative demands, which in turn is likely to result in traffic rerouting through Warwick town centre.

The interdependencies between the SRN and LRN detailed above will require mitigation from a new settlement option in this area as well as other major growth proposals across the SWLP area to ensure that strategic and local traffic uses the most appropriate routes. As such, further improvements to the A46 Stanks junction and M40 Junction 15 are likely to be needed, albeit with the costs apportioned according to impact (as has been implemented by WCC and CCC in relation to M6 Junction 3 improvements). Previous Local Plan Strategic Transport Assessment work in this area has highlighted link capacity issues on the A46 between the M40 and Gaveston (Leek Wootton) which will also need investigating. This will require detailed modelling as part of the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy as it emerges and engagement with National Highways. Consideration to the interface with M40 Junctions 13 and 14 will be required, including the opportunity to rationalise them into a single junction accessed from Grey’s Mallory as part of the emerging Red House Farm proposals. An assessment with the existing two junction arrangement would also be required given the timescales involved in delivering a single motorway junction (10+ years).

Timely, proactive engagement with National Highways regarding the assessment of potential issues at A46 Stanks and M40 Junctions 13-15 and possible improvement measures should ensure they will be acceptable. Discussions will be required regarding cost apportionment and trigger points for payments. Deliverability issues may be problematic if third-party (non-highway) land is required for any improvements at these junctions. A more regionally significant improvement at M40 Junction 15 which will be required to go through the Government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS) process could result in uncertainty over both funding and timing. Once again, early engagement with National Highways should help the relevant parties understand these issues.

Until modelling work is conducted in relation to a new settlement option in this area as well as cumulatively with the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy, it is not possible to say whether the necessary strategic highway improvements are either deliverable or affordable. It is hoped that with a strategy based on apportionment, the costs specific to this site would become much clearer. The proximity of this option to the SRN is however likely to mean that it will need to shoulder a significant proportion of the mitigation costs.

Highway (Local)

The site is reasonably well-related to the LRN in terms of the A4177 which provides access towards the A46 and Warwick (east), Knowle/Solihull (west) and Balsall Common (north), and the B4439 which links Warwick with Hockley Heath. The A4189 Warwick to Henley-in-Arden/Redditch road is located to the south of the site.

Traffic levels on the A4177 towards Warwick in the AM peak are heavy, with a reciprocal movement towards Knowle/Solihull/Balsall Common in the PM peak. This has an impact on traffic wishing to access Warwick Parkway via Old Budbrooke Road. There is limited scope for providing significant additional capacity in this corridor and its side roads.

There is little residual capacity within and around Warwick town centre, so any substantial additional demand is unlikely to be accommodated on the network. This will inevitably result in rat-running on peripheral routes, many of which are not designed to cope with high levels of traffic such as through Hampton Magna and Hampton-on-the-Hill and routes towards Leek Wootton and Beausale/Kenilworth. Other minor roads in the area such as Ugly Bridge Road, Dark Lane, Station Road, Pinley Road and Norton Curlieu Lane are country lanes and therefore unsuitable to carry significant traffic. The lack of right-turning facilities along the A4177 also causes traffic to build up quickly, which would be exacerbated by growth in this area. Apart from the B4439 which diverges from the A4177 near Hatton Locks, the roads around Hatton village, Little Shrewley, Shrewley, Pinley Green and Beausale are country lanes with numerous junctions that are not designed to carry large volumes of traffic.

The Leamington Spa to Birmingham rail line and Grand Union Canal provide a significant form of severance between the various parcels of land which constitute the new settlement option, with any existing crossings likely to be inadequate for the scale of growth envisaged across the area. This will be a costly issue to properly address, involving negotiation with Network Rail and the Canals & Rivers Trust.

As noted above, a careful strategy will need to be adopted to ensure strategic and local traffic continues to use the most appropriate routes in the area. This will require modelling to fully understand the impacts of the proposed new settlement and the wider growth impacts on this area. Likely mitigation will be needed on the A4177 corridor, within Warwick (e.g. Wedgnock Lane/Greville Road), as well as a comprehensive package of local junction improvements including A4177/B4439, A4177/A4141 Five Ways, B4439/The Green/Dark Lane, B4439/Mill Lane/Station Road, A4189/Norton Curlieu Lane and A4189/Dark Lane.

Impacts on Warwick and Leamington Spa town centres will need to be assessed, including consideration of the emerging ‘Mini-Holland’ and other roadspace reallocation/active travel schemes within both town centres.

As noted above, there are likely to be cost and deliverability issues to address the severance caused by the railway line and canal. Other mitigation/improvement should be broadly deliverable and affordable, subject to agreeing the scope of assessment and identification of any third-party (non-highway) land which is required.


Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for 1 new secondary school for 6,000 new dwellings and 2 new secondary schools for 10,000 new homes. It is likely that we would also look for 2 new secondary schools for 8,000 dwellings but we could also consider just one large school.

At primary we would suggest the need for 3 or 4 new primary schools for 6,000 new dwellings, between 4 and 6 new primary schools for 8,000 new dwellings and between 5 and 7 new primary schools for 10,000 new dwellings.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.

There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

There could be some capacity available at Budbrooke Primary School to take initial growth.

There is also some capacity at Aylesford for the initial growth.

Need to consider the home to school transport implications prior to delivery of on site provision.