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Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to comment on the Revised Development Strategy for
Warwick District. In response to the consultation I would like to provide the following comments:
 The Revised Development Strategy correctly recognises that the exceptional circumstances necessary for a
major development in the North Leamington Green Belt do not exist. It is vital to preserve the limited
green space between Leamington and Kenilworth which is so valued by local people. Otherwise there is a
real risk that Leamington and Warwick will merge with Kenilworth and the southern fringe of the West
Midlands Conurbation. Furthermore there is almost unlimited green space to the south of Leamington
where the nearest town is Banbury.
 WDC is to be congratulated for preparing a Revised Development Strategy which, whilst providing a similar
number of new houses for the District, removes the proposal to build 2,000 houses on the North
Leamington Green Belt and, through the better use of Brownfield sites, and results in only 325 further
houses on Greenfield land South of Leamington.
 The Revised Development Strategy has a fair distribution of new housing across the District. 17% of the
new houses will be in the Green Belt North of Leamington, at Thickthorn and Lillington. 15% of the
proposed development will be in Warwickshire Villages.
 In promoting sustainable development, it is important that most of the development is located close to
where there are employment opportunities (to the South of Leamington and Warwick) providing an
opportunity for people to live close to their place of work, reducing or eliminating commuting for many
people, with a consequential positive impact on the environment and their quality of life.
 The prospect of access to a good local workforce will help to encourage more business investment in to
the area, helping to generate more jobs and prosperity for the local community.
 The Revised Development Strategy provides for improvement to the road network South of Leamington to
relieve the existing congestion and to cater for the new development. It is important that these road
improvements are carried out as part of a coordinated plan. Traffic surveys show that road improvements
can cope with the planned new development and that locating the majority of the development South of
Leamington will reduce traffic movements, ease congestion and reduce pollution. Conversely, the
previous proposal to build 2,000 houses on the North Leamington Green Belt would have resulted in
significant increases in traffic and congestion in already densely populated residential parts of Leamington
where there is very limited scope for expanding the road capacity.
 The Revised Development Strategy provides for the necessary schools and other infra‐structure to support
the new development.