BASE HEADER

I would like to strenuously object to the proposals for the extremely large housing development in the green belt to the north of Leamington. I accept there may be a need for more housing although the proposed figures are flawed because they are based on an unrepresentative time period of unusual growth and should be reviewed before going any further.

The proposed green belt land is a beautiful rural area, very well used by many people for recreation, and other options for public access are very limited. The Council is required to demonstrate 'exceptional circumstances' if there are insufficient sites outside the green belt but has failed to do so and in fact will be unable to do so. Appropriate land was previously identified to the south, east of Europa Way and towards Bishops Tachbrook, but a political and not a planning decision has been made to ignore this. National requirements also appear to indicate that the Council cannot legally remove the green belt designation.

Leamington, Kenilworth and Old Milverton have separate identities and are surrounded by beautiful countryside. In purely practical terms the proposed development would merge them in to a large sprawling conurbation in an area completely lacking the necessary and expensive infrastructure unlike the area to the south, and the suggested North Leamington Relief Road costing £28 million will destroy Old Milverton and be a very large avoidable additional expense.

In summary I suggest the proposed scale of any development needs urgently reviewing before going any further. Having identified an accurate number it may well be that a much smaller number can be accommodated by limited extensions to existing housing north of Leamington while any larger increases that are needed are directed to the immeasurably more suitable area already identified south of Leamington.