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I live in Emscote Road (Coten End). I work in the middle of Warwick (I'm the proprietor of the Thomas Oken Tea Rooms in Castle Street). I've lived in Warwick for 25 years, I've brought my children up here and I feel I've been very lucky to live and work in such a vibrant, friendly community. Every morning I walk up to work at the tea rooms, and I walk home again in the evenings. These are possibly my nicest times of day, stopping to chat to all the friends and neighbours I meet along the way, buying my daily paper at St John's newsagents, doing a bit of window shopping in all the wonderful shops along my route and admiring - daily - the beautiful historic buildings we are fortunate enough to live amongst. It sounds idyllic - because it is!

I fear that the building of 4,500 new houses in the South of Warwick will change all that. I know that the district council has to respond to the National Planning Policy Framework, but the plan that has been put together will quite simply be the death of Warwick as our beautiful county down. The suburbs that will be created seem to be totally car dependent and Warwick will have a massive amount of increased traffic passing through its ancient streets, causing much more congestion than there already is. I've been to Traffic Forum meetings in past years that have sought to make Warwick streets nicer for residents, visitors and pedestrians - but the new local plan will totally destroy any advances that have been made in this direction.

Indeed, looking at the plans I'm shocked at how the district council can be giving them serious consideration. Creating a gyratory system on Castle Hill, making Smith Street and St Nicholas Church Street two-way? What will happen to the poor residents and traders along those streets? Creating light-controlled crossings in order to enable pedestrians to cross will make walking through Warwick a lengthy and unpleasant experience. The whole town will be turned into an urban highway and will lose all of the charm which residents hold in such high affection.

I understand that because of the high volume of traffic currently passing through Warwick Town Centre, the Council is already contravening European regulations on the level of air pollution. Surely any plan should be striving to reduce, not increase, the level of pollution. Maybe I will need to don a face mask in my future walks to and from work, in order to protect my health - or join the problem by taking my car instead.

I feel so strongly about this that - if the plans for this scale of new development at this particular site are approved - Warwick will no longer be the place I want to live and work in, and I will be selling up my home and my business and moving elsewhere. I have heard other residents and businesses saying the same. Please don't countenance new developments at the risk of destroying the lovely town we already have.