Testun llawn:
Having looked at the Local Plan and attended recent public meetings I am writing to you to indicate my many concerns and total dissatisfaction with the revised development strategy for the Local Plan.
Air Quality
In particular, the air quality issue is of great concern. I understand that air quality in Warwick and Leamington is already above the legal limit. The District Council is required to improve air quality. The scale of planned houses will make it worse. I also note that Stratford Council have their own plans for even more houses south of Warwick, has this development been taken into consideration?
Transport
I believe the strategy is car based and will push even more congestion onto the existing road network. It is obvious that building a dual carriageway to the river Avon bridge will just bring increased traffic to a halt. Also the current bridge was not built to take the potential amount of traffic. Parking in Warwick is already difficult enough, this plan will make matters far worse. As for traffic at the Morrisons roundabout on the Myton Road, I shudder to think of the implications there. The proposed removal of parking in Smith Street would adversely effect the viability of the shops in this street.
Projected Housing
The projected 12,300 homes is extremely high and I understand that less than half that number would meet local needs. Also, there are a large number of empty houses in Warwick and Leamington and these should be used to house people instead of just building more new ones.
Could we not build on brownfield and infill sites already within each towns infrastructure.
Should there not be a slower phasing in of housing based on estimated local demand releasing land as demand grows rather than an unjustified estimate so far into the future?
Historic Environment
There is no doubt that the plans will ruin the visual look of Warwick forever. The increase of traffic and people will drive visitors away. We need to conserve the beauty of Warwick, not plan to destroy it.
Parks
I understand that the new Local Plan does not have any policy to protect our parks. When this is adopted there will be no protection for our parks from developers - only National Planning Policy Framework which I believe is insufficient. This could mean that developments could go ahead on exceptional circumstances (which was the basis for the Gateway application).
Funding
With the current and projected Government cutbacks, will Warwick District Council have the funding to expand the needed infrastructure to support 12,300 homes?
National Planning Policy
From the meetings I attended it appears that a realistic forecast of need would mean that we already have the required five year supply of sites when you balance housing with employment growth forecasts vs the housing market. Why has this not been taken into consideration in the local plan?
Gypsy Sites
They seem to have all been crammed into the same area. Could they not have been spread out more fairly within the area?
Consultation Process
I was most concerned to hear at the meeting that these plans had been pushed through by councillors who do not live in the area and that politics were possibly involved in the decision making?
I would be most grateful if you would note my constructive dissatisfaction which is based on my fear that our beautiful town of Warwick will be destroyed in the future.