Testun llawn:
I am writing in connection with the outline district plan and in particular the proposals to build on the Green Belt land in the North Leamington, Old Milverton and Blackdown areas. This is not of course the first occasion upon which development has threatened the character and amenities of this part of Leamington. In 2004 developers' proposals to build apartment blocks in Northumberland Road led to the designation of most of the road as a conservation area by English Heritage.
Preserving the Greenbelt
Although I would not be so dogmatic as to oppose the loss of greenbelt land for residential and commercial purposes in absolutely any context this should only be undertaken in exceptional circumstances, as the National Framework requires.
The Green Belt in North Leamington is of particular importance both in preserving the separate characters of Leamington and Kenilworth and in enabling leisure pursuits such as walking, running and cycling for local residents. There is only a limited open publicly accessible space in this part of Leamington and the proposals in the preferred option would reduce this to vanishing point.
* These proposals will very significantly accelerate a drift towards urban sprawl and is therefore in contravention of the principles of the National Planning Framework. This rejects proposals that urban sprawl and certainly is not justified by any exceptional circumstances. Moreover it was as recently as 2009 in the core strategy that this area was stated in the district plan to be greenbelt which it was vital to preserve. Whilst policies my change over decades this was only three years ago. This proposals therefore go against the whole principle of the Green Belt as developed since the 1940s.
It is also frankly bizarre that the district council is claiming that development in south Leamington will be less attractive to developers because they would make less profit. This is not part of the Council's brief in drawing upon a plan for the future and it is not the Council's role to be a developer's poodle. Surely in the current and foreseeable future economic context developers will be very willing to take up any opportunities wherever offered.
The proposed building of the very significant number 1980 homes on green belt land in the area will have important other implications
* The residents alone in the proposed area will have at least 4000 motor vehicles or more , let alone access by service vehicles of all kinds. The pressure on roads is already heavy, notably the A452 from Leamington to Kenilworth. Proposals to create a dual carriageway along the A 452 will not prevent a much increased build up of traffic as it enters Leamington in the morning rush hour.
* The idea of a northern relief road to meet this increased traffic near to the line of the A 452 and A46 will simply further accelerate the erosion of the Green Belt between Leamington and Kenilworth, in addition to the new housing.. It would also destroy the surviving rural character of Old Milverton. This would over a relatively short time lead to Leamington, Old Milverton and Blackdown joining up with Kenilworth a very large conurbation.
* We already have Leamington and Warwick running into each other with all the attendant traffic problems, deriving from a time before proper planning was in place. With hindsight this ought to have been avoided. With future sight we must not let this happen in north Leamington.
* Although I believe there are very strong arguments to oppose the erosion of the Green Belt in North Leamington, it is more than anything else the large scale of the development which is so damaging
* Adding the northern relief road to the reduction of the Green Belt is mutually reinforcing. The alleged benefits of allowing development on the Green Belt would not outweigh the loss of a very important area for amenity to support local health and recreation. This is particularly important in the growing national concern about the threat to health deriving from lack of exercise.
Other Possible Housing Development
How much extra housing is really required depends upon assumptions and projections based upon census and other data. In the current difficult economic climate, likely to be sustained over a long period, it is very difficult to anticipate what the demand will be but surely unlikely to equal the recent past. In this context I note the continuing efforts to sell apartments in the Portobello development well after the completion of the building project. This is close to the proposed Green Belt development.
However there is surely a powerful case for basing what development is needed in areas of South Leamington, identified by the Council previously for possible development and which is not in the green belt.
* Given the extensive open character of the countryside to the south there is much less danger of urban sprawl
* In terms of commuting and development many of the major industrial centres and attendant employment opportunities are very much in South Leamington. The value of allocating residential development there is that it would reduce commuting pressures, given its proximity to an M40 access point. In this context new housing in North Leamington is thoroughly perverse since commuters wishing to access work in South Leamington or to access the M40 for work further afield would have to traverse the central area of Leamington. This would increase pollution traffic gridlock in the central area of Leamington.
* The Leamington Community
It is very important to stress that this is not simply a matter of people in North Leamington preferring development in South Leamington and vice versa. The increase traffic flows through the central area which development in the north - at least on the scale proposed - would affect all Leamington residents and detract from the amenity of all residents. It would also reduce the leisure opportunities available to some Warwick residents coming into the Old Milverton area..
Appreciating the pressure on the district council's local plan there may be scope for some modest development in North Leamington (and some is currently taking place, such as that at Park Road) which would not threaten the erosion of the Green Belt in any significant way. It is the scale of the proposed development in north Leamington and the associated infrastructure needs which are so significant. This will send us on the high road to the merging of the Leamington and Kenilworth areas with further degradation of local leisure amenities and wildlife.
Motivation
I would stress that my objection is based not on personal interest but on a wider community interest and a sense of trusteeship for the future. Indeed from a personal viewpoint the impact upon house values, which are not part of the planning criteria, would almost certainly benefit me as the owner of house with a large garden. The reduction of accessible public space nearby would certainly raise the value of properties with substantial private space. So if I was thinking of my own personal interest I would not object at all to these planning proposals. But in opposing this development I take a wider view. Any decision to erode the Green Belt in North Leamington now would inevitably lead to its disappearance. This is a defining moment for the planning policy of Warwick District Council.