Testun llawn:
I wish to object to the local plan on these grounds:
The projected housing need of 12,300 new homes to be built is much too high. Half this number will be sufficient to meet local needs. It is a complete nonsense to suggest to forecast a housing need as far into the future as 2029. It is wrong to allocate greenfield land now based on this wildly inaccurate projection. Once used the greenfield land cannot be recovered.
The National Planning Policy Framework requires the approval of sustainable development which meets an established housing need, but planning applications already made or imminent for much of the land meet neither of these criteria. A realistic forecast of housing need would mean that the District already has the required five-year supply of sites, enabling economic growth and matching the housing market.
The agricultural land between Warwick, Whitnash and Bishop's Tachbrook is an 'Area of Restraint'. Building on it would merge our built-up areas, turning them into a single suburban sprawl. This green space is as important as the Green Belt to the north of Leamington and Warwick, and it should be safeguarded just as strongly.
Transport: sprawling development is inevitably car-dependent. The transport strategy is car-based, just squeezing more congested traffic on to existing road network.
Air Quality: the already illegally dangerous pollution in streets in centres of Warwick and Leamington would be made worse by the increase in traffic. Noise and vibration would be constant, business would be damaged
The historic environment would directly be damaged by the increase in traffic and by building wide new junctions cluttered with traffic lights and signs at beautiful places: in Warwick at Bridge End, over the Castle Bridge, on Castle Hill, and at St John's; and on the approach to Leamington via Europa Way, destroying the first impression of the spa town.
Other Infrastructure: I understand that development would be conditional on it funding schools, and healthcare facilities. I am concerned that the funding and provision would be inadequate. There would also be risks to water supply, sewage and drainage.
There are better alternatives. Lower housing numbers which meet local needs, especially for affordable housing, instead of encouraging in-migration; the gradual release of land for development as demand grows; giving absolute priority to using brownfield and infill sites; building homes close to jobs and not mainly within 20% of Warwick District.