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I wish to raise my objection to the 2013 Local Plan, and the numerous planning applications that are associated with it - those that have been submitted and that are currently under consideration, and those that are either in the pipeline or have been placed on hold. I also feel that the areas of search identified for sites for Gypsies and Travellers have also been unfairly focused in the same overall areas -mostly around Warwick, south of Leamington, and in and close by to Whitnash. I have submitted my views and objections separately to the relevant sites and applications.

I strongly feel that this revised local plan unfairly places the majority of the proposed housing in one concentration to the south of Warwick / Leamington and around Whitnash.

Some of the issues that I feel are relevant and should be high-lighted relate to the overall plan to concentrate development in one main area and the scale of these plans. I believe that overdevelopment of the area would lead to significant urban sprawl and long term coalescence of settlements. The loss of the countryside, rural aspects and local agricultural land are not factors which can be replaced once development has begun and these will be lost for future generations forever.

The effect on local roads in relation to traffic and infrastructure has been severely underestimated and the road infrastructure south of Warwick / Leamington and around Whitnash is already stretched. Major problems already exist with traffic heading into the centre of each of the towns, and at peak times congestion on rural roads outside the town and on various local roads is also experienced. The increase in pollution through gridlocked areas and the additional vehicles in such a small, concentrated area of the District will only make the problems worse. If we estimate that each additional household will use at least two vehicles there could be almost 10,000 extra vehicles using the local road networks.

The National Planning Policy Framework, Policy DC7 states that development will not be permitted where it generates significant road traffic movements, unless mitigation measures are used to avoid adverse impacts. Short of completely reworking most of the local road networks at massive cost and disruption I do not see that this can be achieved.

With regard to much of the planned development in and around Whitnash, the infrastructure is just not in place to accommodate planned development in this vicinity. Whitnash is the smallest of the four main towns in the District and as is evidenced by NHS reports, local doctors surgeries are already oversubscribed and cannot reasonably be extended further. Nor would it be feasible to build a separate local facility for use by additional residents to Whitnash. Warwick Hospital is currently operating at full capacity and typical waiting times for referred appointments run to many months.

With the HS2 development and other local projects where additional construction and workers will be on site - there is little capacity for additional residents to be assisted at the hospital, particularly in emergency cases.

The general facilities available in the Whitnash area are not comparable with Warwick, Leamington or Kenilworth and massive investment would be required to bring services and amenities up to a standard to justify the proposed developments in and around the Whitnash area.

The National Planning Policy Framework, Policy DP2 states that development will not be permitted where it has an unacceptable adverse impact on the amenity of nearby uses and residents and/or does not provide acceptable standards of amenity for future users / occupiers of the development. Much of my knowledge relates locally to Whitnash, however I believe that the other local areas experience similar pressures in that primary schools are already oversubscribed year on year and the majority of schools will experience pressures, parking issues and difficulties in changing catchment areas, with siblings potentially at different schools, should these plans go ahead. It is my understanding that whilst developers may "allocate" land for a school, they do not actually fund the school to be built and surely it is WCC who would have to agree to pay the wages of teachers and staff in the short, medium and long term?

I am aware that in Whitnash and Warwick Gates there are proposed planning applications on areas where currently and historically there have been flooding issues. Previous planning applications have been rejected on the basis that some of these sites are very steep and that water drainage and access issues for others have deemed them unsuitable for development in the past. It seems strange that these issues can suddenly be overcome purely on the basis that a projected need for housing has been identified.

There are many reasons why the Local Plan is unbalanced and unfairly impacts on the South Warwick/Leamington/Whitnash areas by concentrating the proposed new housing in one relatively small area. Alternatives that may be considered include identifying existing housing that is currently unoccupied, spreading the numbers of new homes evenly around the district, with many more much smaller developments, which are more likely to be completed by local builders rather than large national firms, thus helping the local economy, and identifying empty industrial units with a view to using the land for brownfield site housing.

My preferred option would be to identify an area in the surrounding countryside which could be used to build an entirely new town.

Applications have already been submitted for land that is proposed to be part of the Local Plan, before the Local Plan has been fully agreed and approved and I feel that this situation is unacceptable. Such applications should not even be considered until the Local Plan has been clarified and the public consultation completed.

W/13/0036 -200 homes on Grove Farm fields (application on hold)
W/13/0603 -370 homes on land west of Europa Way / South of Gallows Hill
W/13/0606 -720 homes on Lower Heathcote Farm land, south of Harbury Lane (withdrawn?)
W/13/0607 - 220 homes on Hawkes Farm fields (withdrawn?)
W/13/0776 -280 homes at Woodside Farm fields
W/13/0858 -up to 100 homes at Fieldgate Lane/Golf Lane, Whitnash
W/13/1016 -800 homes at Myton Garden Suburb

I am aware that permission for W/13/0464 - large Retirement Community development on Gallagher Land near Heathcote has already been granted at the time of writing.

I hope Warwick DC would also refuse any new applications relating to the following:
Further development South of Gallows Hill - up to 260 homes
Former Severn Trent Sewage Works - 225 homes
Further development at Grove Farm - 375 homes
Whitnash East/South of Sydenham - 500 homes

These applications fall within part of the consultation on the new Local Plan and to decide/grant planning permission whilst consultation is ongoing is wholly inappropriate and unjust. Decisions relating to the Local Plan, as a whole, impact on each of these individual applications. At the very least decisions should be deferred until the situation regarding the local infrastructure is clearer, and sensible plans relating to accurate projected housing requirements have been reviewed and amended.

Please reconsider the Local Plan and give value to the views of current residents of the District, in addition to any future residents. At the moment Warwick District is a great place to live and raise children, however if the Local Plan is implemented in its current form, the quality of life for residents and future generations would be very sadly diluted and compromised.