Testun llawn:
I am writing to express my opposition to the District Council's plans to develop on Green Belt land as shown in their 2012 Preferred Options booklet.
My grounds for objecting are numerous but I'll focus this letter on three areas as follows:
1. National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy as set out in the Government's NPPF is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.
The NPPF requires there to be "very special circumstances" for development in the Green Belt. It also requires the harm caused to the Green Belt by the development to be outweighed by the benefit of the development. According to Warwick District Council the special circumstances are that there is nowhere else for the homes to be built. However, in the "2009 Core Strategy" (the previous plan adopted by Warwick District Council) land south of Leamington (not in Green Belt), was identified and is still available, for development. The assessment performed by Warwick District Council shows that this land is easier to develop and already has a substantial amount of infrastructure (roads etc) to support the development, and the new residents who will live there. It is close to the M40 and there are existing employment opportunities south of Leamington as well as existing out of town shopping facilities and good access to the town centres of both Leamington and Warwick.
The previous plan (the 2009 Core Strategy) is direct evidence that there are alternative areas for development other than the Green Belt and that the "special circumstances" put forward by Warwick District Council do not exist.
Warwick District Council argues that the land in the south of Leamington is not as attractive to developers because concentration of development in that area may result in the developers making less profit. Personally I'm shocked to think that consideration of the developers' "financial gain" rates so highly with the Council.
2. Proposed New Roads
Turning the A452 between Leamington and Kenilworth into dual carriageway will not help traffic flows. At peak times the delays on the A452 result from commuters wanting access to the town centre. Building nearly 3,000 houses to the north of Leamington will simply increase the levels of congestion, whether there is a park and ride system in place or not.
A "Northern Relief Road" (budgeted cost £28m) is not required. Traffic flows tend to be north to south rather than east to west. If the proposed development does not go ahead this road will not be required anyway.
The proposed "Northern Relief Road" will need to be built across the flood plain near Saxon Mill and will violate an important historic corridor along the River Avon as evidenced by the number of archaeological finds reported over the years between Old Milverton and the A46 junction with Leek Wootton - exactly on the route of the proposed road. Not far away look what has been allowed to happen to Gaveston's Cross - since the A46 was built access is now virtually impossible. How can this be allowed to happen in a locality apparently proud of its historical heritage?
Alternatively, if development were concentrated in the south of Leamington, or to the west of Warwick, there is an existing road network (leading to the M40 and A46) that could be upgraded at considerably lower cost than the £28m allocated to construct a "Northern Relief Road". Access to the railway stations at Leamington Spa and Warwick Parkway would also be much easier for commuters.
3. Farming, Wildlife and Recreation
The land between Old Milverton and Blackdown is prime fertile agricultural land that is actively farmed and brings with it several spin-off benefits.
First, the area is a haven for wildlife - foxes, pheasants, woodpeckers, bats, buzzards and kestrels as well as numerous garden birds, some of whom are reported by the RSPB to be in decline.
Second, the area provides much needed, and well used, country access to hikers, dog walkers and cyclists who routinely use the pathways across the fields from Northumberland Avenue through Old Milverton and on to the River Avon at Guy's Cliffe/Saxon Mill.
If the proposed HS2 High Speed Rail line does go ahead this would be an additional blow to those who value and enjoy the countryside between Leamington/Warwick and Kenilworth/Coventry. I believe Warwickshire is already been "forced" to pay too high a price through its loss of Green Belt countryside and that the District Council should be doing everything in its power to protect what is left for the benefit of both current residents and future generations.
I sincerely hope that the District Council reconsiders its "Preferred Options" for future development of the area, taking into account the views of its residents and fully adhering to the guidelines of the NPFF, rather than trying to "second guess" Government housing growth expectations and trying to tempt developers with "juicy" tracts of land stolen from the Green Belt.