Testun llawn:
I wish to make comments on the proposed Local Plan, specifically the sites chosen for further housing development.
My objection is to the continued development of the areas south of the river. This area of Warwick District has already supplied much of the housing need for the District. In the last decade or so the Whitnash/South Leamington has seen substantial development; South Farm extension, Whitnash Allotments, Warwick Gates plus the industrial development and shopping provision in the area. All of these developments have put huge pressure on the existing infrastructure, and coupled with access to and from the M40, means that the area cannot take any further development. This part of the District has already taken more than its fair share of the District's new housing provision.
The development along the Tachbrook Road shows that the existing roads cannot take any increase in vehicle movement. I would say planning in Warwick District, especially in and around Leamington, is totally hampered by the constraints caused by the River Leam, the canal and the railway line. These are barriers that nobody seems to be able to address. It is difficult to get from South Leamington/Whitnash to the North of the town at peak times. It is difficult to get north/south via Warwick also. Additional development will make these moves even more difficult. Until someone can devise a way of getting over these obstacles there should be no further development south of the river.
The plans solution on dual carriageways to move traffic will not work as there will still be the bottle necks where traffic needs to cross the river, canal and railway. Whilst dualling the road out of Leamington might get traffic away more quickly, will not help ease problems for traffic coming into Leamington.
Until there is a properly integrated public transport system, that is reasonably priced, people will not use any public transport. I find it odd that you want to build on the Station Approach (I assume) car park. Where will train users park if that lane is built on? That will not encourage use of public transport. The plans for park and ride also seem totally hit or miss. There needs to be public transport, fully integrated (rail and bus), that is easily accessible for all users. Your plan does not seem to address this.
Warwick District is happy to breach the Green Belt for industrial/employment land, so why not for housing north of Leamington. It is entirely possible that the jobs created around Baginton Airport will be taken by people from the Warwick District area, or people who would want to live in the area.
I do not believe that previous decisions by the authority stand up to too much scrutiny in terms of overall planning. It is my view that the number of vehicle movements associated with the recent developments in and around Whitnash were seriously under estimated, and the impact on the local environment and community similarly under estimated. There is no room for any further development in this area.