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We can confirm that we act as agents for the Forresters, who are the sole owners of this land and are keen to bring the land forward for development.
Map 2 showing potentially suitable urban edge sites show the whole of our clients
land coloured in orange but, on Map 4, a restricted area was allocated. Whilst we
are happy with this allocation, should there be a shortfall or should you require
further land, we previously highlighted the availability of all of the land edged red on the attached Rural Land Register map.
If there are issues around the development of the land shaded green on Plan 1
attached, being part of the Registered Park and Gardens to Guys Cliffe, that would
still leave OS.7413 and 9532 available for development and these areas, as shown on the attached Rural Land Register Map, extend to 5.29 hectares, or thereabouts.
As a general principle, our clients support the methodology behind the Preferred
Options and believe that a more "dilute and disperse" policy, as put forward, is
preferable to that previously advocated, specifically much larger sites which
encroach substantially into Green Belt.
We believe the benefits of this site have been previously advocated, namely in
submissions last July, but there are one or two further points which we think are
worth putting forward, and these are:-
Access to Loes Farm
We are formally consulting with Warwickshire County Council on alternatives to
access the site. There are at least three under consideration:-
a) The widening of the existing farm access to Loes Farm, which accesses the
Coventry Road / A429 near Guy's Cliffe. This would then run straight into the
proposed development site.
b) Access off Primrose Hill and into the site from the south. We understand from
our clients that this was originally envisaged 30 to 40 years ago when Woodloes
was developed. This is the preferred option.
c) The possible use of Woodloes Lane. This is in fact owned by my clients, but we
think that it may be difficult to widen sufficiently to provide the access desired.
We will come back to you in due course in this regard.
2. Loss of Agricultural Land
The land in question is only Grade 3, all of it grazed.
3. Visual Impact
The majority of the land is well screened by a mixture of existing vegetation or
landscape features such as the slopes of the land and the contours.
The eastern boundary of the proposed development consists of an old hedgeline,
shown on the attached plan, which is marked by a bank and a number of
significant mature trees which would remain and which could be thickened to
further improve the screening from the east. Just west of this line the land slopes
away towards the A46 to the north and west and towards Woodloes Lane. There
is a mature hedgerow along Woodloes Lane, which screens the proposed
development land, and further screening could be implemented here. There are
few properties that look out onto the proposed site and fewer that would have an
extensive view. One property in the south-east corner would look out onto part of
the site, but this too has screening around it as does the adjacent plant nursery,
and we envisaged that this would be thickened and widened for privacy.
There are no views into the site from the north because of the existing properties
and farm building, together with the screening against the A46. This runs along
the north and north-western boundaries as well.
There are no footpaths through the site, the only footpath that would be affected
is one that runs along Woodloes Lane, which is owned by my client. There are
limited views into part of the site from this path and due to the contours, the
existing hedgerow and the proposed screening, the path would be little affected.
3. Infrastructure and Local Amenity
We do not believe that the level of housing proposed would impact adversely on
existing local services. Indeed, Woodloes has both a new Junior and Infant
school on Deansway, together with an adjacent new special needs Junior and
Infant school at Ridgway, immediately adjacent. These would be within walking
distance of the proposed development.
The nearest secondary school is at Myton, with a further new school recently
constructed at North Leamington and both of these can be reached easily by
public transport. The former is in walking distance.
There is a shopping centre on Woodloes Avenue South with a wide variety of
shops, which the proposed development would help to support. These include a
pharmacy, a newsagent, post office, off-licence, coffee shop, fish and chip shop,
convenience store, hairdresser, Chinese take-away, launderette and the public
house. There have been proposals for a Co-Op development on the public
house site as well
Adjacent to the school there is an existing Community Centre and also nearby
the Woodloes House, run by the Coventry and Warwick NHS.
We believe, therefore, that the existing development would aid the maintenance
and support of these existing facilities.
4. Loss of Green Belt
To satisfy the needs of the Warwick District area, the Green Belt boundaries are
having to be altered to allow for provision of housing. My clients support the
"dilute and disperse" policy that has been put forward through the Draft Local
Plan and the Preferred Options, and find this approach preferable to much larger
sites.
A significant advantage of this proposed site is that Woodloes itself is relatively
short of public open space and this proposed development will allow this to be
improved on to the benefit of the general area.
5. Access to the Wider Area
The proposed site is particularly well located in relation to the following facilities
and modes of transport.
a) the adjoining industrial estate around Wedgenock Lane;
b) Warwick Hospital, just south of the site off the Coventry Road;
c) Warwick Station which is walkable;
d) Warwick Parkway Station, which is only a short drive away, either via the A46 or via the Coventry Road;
e) the A46 which is very close and the proposed new road network running from the Coventry Road / Kenilworth Road junction, via the north of Leamington to the
A452.
f) both Warwick and Leamington centres which are readily accessible by public
transport; and
g) there is a good system of footpaths through Guy's Cliffe to the surrounding area, including the River Avon.