Testun llawn:
New Homes and Projected Numbers
I struggle to understand the long term plan to increase the volume by 12000 and in the south of the District by over 4000 in the next phase. This will completely transform the dynamics of the community to the south of Leamington and severely damage the appeal of the area. I would want to see clear evidence that the local economy and new employment will demand such growth. This said, in planning terms the recommended solution seems to be an easy planning option. A huge swathe of housing adjacent to Myton is not clearly thought through.
We already have a large vacant property stock and many brown field sites which with imagination and thought could be brought back in to play to regenerate the town and restore its character.
Why cannot we see smaller developments around the outskirts, both north and south of Leamington rather than one' big bang '.
The constraint of green belt seems to have been overcome and modifications made by other District Councils . Is there joined up thinking across the whole of the County both in terms of policy and capacity?
I am also concerned at the impact the Plan has on the land close to and surrounding Warwick Castle - a major economic attraction to the District.
Office Buildings
Why are there proposals for more office accommodation?
There remain significant office buildings vacant in Leamington - indeed many offices have been unoccupied for some years. Proper planning should bring these buildings back into the equation. They also provide options for redesignation / modification as housing.
In this way the gradual decay of our town centre could be addressed. It remains too easy simply to build outwards!
Transport
The proposed modifications / widening of roads to meet expected volume changes does not acknowledge the fact that as roads draw closer to the centre of Leamington there are unavoidable bottlenecks with simply no where for traffic to go! Peak travel would become impossible if we extrapolate the average number of cars per proposed new dwellings in terms of vehicle growth.
Health Services, Schools and infrastructure
While any developments would need to balanced by additional health centre and GP services it is difficult to see how Warwick Hospital and both its general and maternity services could cope with increased patient numbers which in the long term could rise by up to 50,000 The hospital itself is landlocked with no scope for expansion.
The quality of education in existing schools could well be undermined if capacity is not accurately calculated. I am uneasy about class numbers rising above accepted norms.
Has the current work regarding drainage in the town taken account of the impact of such a large increase in dwellings?
In conclusion I remain very unhappy about the Plan. It does not appear to have been thought through with any in depth knowledge of the District but and with somewhat dubious population statistics and economic forecasts.