BASE HEADER

The proposals for this development are unrealistic on a number of fronts.

The development's access plans are inadequate. 1,000 houses would generate significant traffic on their own, and the relocation of Campion School would shift its existing traffic onto routes unsuited to the volumes generated. There is essentially one motor vehicle access to this site, which currently only serves the existing Campion School site. The other, limited capacity vehicle access would also feed onto the same roundabout via Chesterton Drive. That roundabout in question would be at or above its capacity during the rush hour with the potential for serious delays. The junction between Sydenham Drive and Radford Road would also see a significant increase in traffic with an attendant increase in the hazards to pupils at St. Anthony's Primary School. The recently-installed speed bumps on Sydenham Drive would exacerbate the congestion and the long-standing speed bumps on Prospect Road would rule out its use as significant exit route from the development.

The effect on Whitnash's road infrastructure would, if anything, be even worse. There is already significant traffic of parents dropping children off for Campion School near to St Margaret's Church. That would likely stay the same or increase. The effects on Fieldgate Lane and Golf Lane would be catastrophic. The junction of Golf Lane with Whitnash Road is already at capacity and there is already significant congestion caused by parents dropping children off at Briar Hill and St Margaret's Schools. Add in traffic of parents dropping children off at the proposed cycle/pedestrian access to the moved Campion School at Fieldgate Lane and gridlock could result. There would also be an increase in the already-significant hazard to children from east of Golf Lane when crossing that road to access the two primary schools.

The fundamental problem with road access to this development is that the railway line acts as a very effective barrier to communication. Between the bridge over the Bath Street-Clemens Street-High Street junction and the Fosse Way bridge there are a total of nine crossings of the railway. Of those three are in central Leamington near to that junction and are for dead-end side roads. One is a bridge over the Grand Union Canal where pedestrians can cross the railway thanks to the canal towpath. One is for a path between the Sydenham industrial estate and the residences to the west of the line. One is a purely agricultural crossing well down the Golf Lane bridle way with no public right of way. Two are farm tracks. The only substantial crossing of the railway on that length of track is the Prospect Road bridge and that crossing's usefulness is limited by the speed bumps on the road. Consequently the traffic from the development would be very effectively funneled down routes which already have significant capacity problems.

There are no proposals for primary school provision included in the plan. Whitnash's schools are already significantly overcrowded due to this same error being made during the Warwick Gates development. Children from 1,000 houses mainly funneled either into Briar Hill and St Margarets or Sydenham Primary School would cause intolerable overcrowding.

There would also be a significant increase in surface run-off due to the greater area of ground covered in an impermeable layer due to the development. That would greatly increase the flooding risk for the stream to the east of the development, imperiling both the new development and existing areas of Sydenham.

Much of the area of the stream is a nature reserve and it is likely that the development would have a significant detrimental effect on this reserve.

The sewerage coverage for the estate could also be problematical. The estate would be in a low-lying area and thus would need substantial pumping capacity to deal with the resulting foul water. The Whitnash sewerage system already has capacity problems in the area around Fieldgate Lane and any connection of the development's sewers to this existing system would require enormous upgrades to be functional. Extension of the Sydenham sewer system would thus be required.

Finally let me emphasise the massively flawed nature of the whole process this consultation is part of. These "targets" for house building have been imposed by a quango which has no legitimacy. It is a disgrace that such processes are allowed to operate in the United Kingdom and all possible steps should be taken to resist this fiat-based government.