Testun llawn:
1. The original 2012 Local Plan identified a housing requirement of 10,800 new dwellings for the District. The LPRDS now states that the requirement has increased to 12,300 homes. This is a nearly 15% increase in forecast and we do not see a robust reasoning in the LPRDS for this significant change.
2. The proposed increase of new homes in Hampton Magna up to 150 is likely to result in some 300 additional residents to the village. We are concerned that the existing amenities and infrastructure in the villages cannot absorb this increase without significant improvement. To name just a few:
* Budbrooke Primary School is already oversubscribed;
* the single access road through Hampton Magna and Hampton on the Hill has seen increasing traffic in recent years due to the development of Warwick Parkway Station and its is often used as a "rat run" of speeding traffic to Warwick Parkway station and the motorway links;
* The sewage system is already at capacity and there are a number of areas in Hampton Magna and Hampton on the Hill which are prone to flooding.
If there is any proposal to build new housing in this area then consideration and provision must be made to improve the infrastructure first.
3. It is essential to preserve the rural character and green belt area of Hampton Magna and Hampton-on-the-Hill. This area has already been significantly affected by the development of surrounding road and motorway networks, the railway link at Warwick Parkway as well as Birmingham International Airport. The residents have long suffered increased noise pollution and traffic from these developments, and the District Council has a duty to consider carefully the impact of the proposed new housing and not to devastate this area further.
4. There is already an existing demographic division between the east and west regions of Warwick resulting in variances in schools, local amenities, social and recreational facilities and house prices etc. The Local Plan is an opportunity that the District Council should use to bring down the division and make Warwick a more integrated town. Hampton Magna and Hampton on the Hill already have a high proportion of affordable housing, and to propose a further 150 homes of which 40% are affordable housing will only serve to increase the east and west divide.
5. We understand the need to provide pitches for Gypsies & Travellers which was missing in the original Local Plan. The LPRDS now suggests twenty different sites within the District to accommodate 206 pitches. However, we are not convinced that the proposal has been well researched and thoroughly assessed - it feels more of a kneejerk reaction and a piecemeal approach, yet the locations and sizes of these sites could have long lasting impact on local communities. There are six proposed sites within two miles of Hampton-on-the-Hill amounting to 41 pitches, and some of these proposed sites are very close to main roads which we do not consider as suitable for any residential purposes no matter who they are. We would suggest that pitches should be built on brownfield sites wherever possible, or be accommodated within the development of future new housing areas where all the amenities will be at hand.
The Local Plan is a blue print for the future development of the District and we believe it is also a great opportunity for improving the infrastructure, supporting economic development, enhancing community integration and improving quality of life for the residents. We urge the Councillors and the Council officers to carefully reconsider the number of developments, their locations and the impact on local infrastructure and local community.