BASE HEADER

As a resident of North Leamington, I am writing to object to the Council's plan to allow housing to be built on green belt land near Milverton and Blackdown on the following grounds:-
* The countryside between Kenilworth and Leamington needs to be preserved in order to maintain Kenilworth and Leamington as 2 distinct towns and avoid the threat of urban sprawl which has seen the virtual merger of Leamington and Warwick along Emscote Road.
* It is an attractive area of countryside which provides an important local amenity for walking and other outdoor activities.
* Given that there is alternative land available to the south of Leamington, I do not not accept that the Council can show "exceptional circumstances" as to why precious green belt land should be used. It is all too tempting to allow developers to use green belt as such land is generally easier to build on and more profitable for the builders.
* The village of Old Milverton has a distinctive rural character which will be lost if the development is allowed
* The main road between Leamington and Kenilworth already becomes congested at peak time and new housing will only add to this. I understand that the Council propose building a relief road but this will only further damage the rural nature of the area in question and would be a waste of public money.
Overall the development proposals for this area are misconceived and I urge the Council to reconsider its plan and look for other areas more suited to the building of new housing.