BASE HEADER

We would like to lodge our objections to the proposed development on greenbelt land to the North of Leamington. Namely , the plans to develop land of outstanding natural beauty at Old Milverton and Blackdown.

We submit that the council have failed to demonstrate the 'exceptional circumstances' required in the national guidelines to permit development in this area of Green Belt.

Our objections are as follows

1. Loss of Amenity

The areas identified as suitable for development in Old Milverton and Blackdown are beautiful and the footpaths provide the only access to the countryside within direct walking distance of North Leamington. The footpaths provide much needed respite from the pavements of the town and provide an opportunity to appreciate peace and quiet . We regularly walk the footpaths ,from Northumberland Road to Old Milverton and the footpaths from Blackdown to Leek Wooton. It is busy with runners , dog walkers and people enjoying the natural beauty and wildlife. The access from the town to this precious piece of country is what makes 'leafy leamington' a joy to live in as opposed to a sprawling conurbation. The Character of North Leamington and the unique beauty of the village of Old Milverton will be lost forever.

The area provides a natural habitat to wildlife and birds that also should be cherished. The loss of habitat by the inevitable destruction of hedgrows , ponds and trees is tantamount to a death sentence for foxes ,badgers, small mammals, hedgehogs birds, newts, frogs etc. . The educational benefits of showing local children the reality of the countryside will be eroded yet again. Where will the children go from Milverton School for their nature walks? To some homogenised country world or nature parks?? The children of North Leamington are lucky to have such close access to real countryside . If the planning proposal go ahead, they are living in yet another built up town restricted to the local cultivated parks, like any other town where the planners have been similarly shortsighted. Children need to see fields planted with crops experience the joy of spotting and investigating wildlife and to see trees and fields.

The land is designated as Green Belt for a reason and the reasons are that the land is the last reminder of the way the countryside was around Leamington . We live in a rural county and by joining up Leamington and Kenilworth you erode the individual character of each town. The fact that we were so close to countryside was one of the reasons I was attracted to come and live in this town in the first place. I moved here to bring up my family and want the character of this town to be preserved for future generations of children. It is a wonderful town to bring up children and part of this is the access to rural parts of the countryside where all can enjoy the sights and sounds of real countryside. This is why we chose to live here as opposed to London.

If the Northumberland allotments are included in these plans, then yet again a precious amenity would be lost. I should add that I am not an allotment holder but everyone in the area knows someone who is. The loss of this valued community spirit cannot be measured. Do we want North Leamington to lose its sense of tradition and community?

To destroy the character of North Leamington by taking away the close access to these lovely stretches of land destroys the character of the whole town.

2. Green Belt Land should not be developed when alternative sites are available in Leamington.

Warwick Council has ignored the national guidelines that state that building on Green Belt is only permitted in 'exceptional circumstances' if there is ''insufficient suitable and available sites outside the Greenbelt'. The Council itself has identified possible available land to the east of Europa Way A452 and south of Heathcote towards Bishops Tachbrook. Why have these areas not been included in the preferred sites? If the planning policy is to 'spread it around' as opposed to identifying the best available land , it does not appear that the council have explained properly why it considers there are exceptional circumstances to permit the development of precious Green Belt land.

Distributing development around the district is not a planning policy as set out in th NPPF but a lazy attempt to be fair.
The council has therefore ignored the importance of the status of Green Belt land and its importance to the character of the town itself. The status of Green Belt land is to prevent urban sprawl and the council have wilfully ignored this in order to appear to be politically correct.

3. The councils projections for the need for new housing are taken from projections that are no longer valid. These projections were taken at a time when the area was at a point of exceptional expansion.
Even if the councils projections for housing needs are accepted, the units proposed for the green belt could be deleted without causing a deficit., even if not alternative sites are substitute.

The village of Old Milverton and it's environs should be protected . It's very nature as a village would be destroyed.

4 The current infrastructure cannot support the proposed new development. The further destruction to the area by the construction of new roads and the cost of providing the new infrastructure does not make economic sense , when areas to the South of Leamington have already been established eg Warwick Gates. For years we were dogged by an inefficient sewage and drainage system caused by expansion and it took years to actually get to the point where the Council acknowledged that development could not be supported by the existing sewage and drainage system. The amount of resources to develop an adequate infrastructure for housing on Green Belt land does not make economic sense.

Conclusion

If new development is needed for housing needs then we would say that it would be better suited to land in other parts of the town. Warwick Gates is at the moment a bit out on its own surely it would benefit newer developments . At present it is rather out on its own developing land nearby and the available sites near Sydenham would enrich these communities and help them develop a sense of community. To vandalise areas of outstanding natural beauty already deemed to be Green Belt is an assault on the whole community's amenity, the individuality of the town of Leamington and Kenilworth and seems to be based on the assumption that development must be spread around the town, when it is clear that there are wide gaping tracts of wasteland to the south of Leamington that would fulfil housing needs without having to destroy the ever decreasing Green Belt to the North.