Testun llawn:
Impact on Green Belt
Separated from Warwick by a relatively small area of agricultural land, Hampton on the Hill and Hampton Magna are located within Green Belt land. However, this status is already threatened by a current proposal for Hampton Magna to expand by 150 homes virtually conjoining Hampton Magna, on the northeastern edge, to Warwick. Whilst on the southern edge of Warwick, the expansion of Chase Meadow out to the west, has encroached upon the open space between Hampton on the Hill and Warwick. This incremental growth 'pincer movement' threatens the lifestyle and ecological credentials of green belt boundaries which are crucial for both the environment and the preservation of the rural life around our small village. Developmental plans of any kind on this piece of land would further increase the potential for increment growth
to merge our village with the 'built up' town of Warwick.
Proximity to residential properties and Impact on land contamination, noise and disturbance.
The westerly aspect of the proposed site would be adjacent to the local community allotments; a small area bordered, on the opposite side, by residential properties. Village residents' values are demonstrated by their financial and emotional investment, their permanence and their commitment to the preservation of the rural community. Their lifestyles are marked by quiet, sedentary and countryside pursuits. The lifestyles and cultural norms of the community for whom the land is sought are not renowned for quiet, sedentary activity or countryside pursuits. Whereas noise, disturbance, unruly and sometimes squalid conditions tend to be more commonly recognized features. Moreover, their 'travelling' tradition and practice belies disregard for the concept of an established community and an unlikely empathy for the residents of such a place. To find anything of common interest between the two lifestyles /cultures could not be more difficult. Inflicting a group of neighbours with such a divergent lifestyle on the established community would be cruel, divisive and highly contentious. It is very likely that there would be conflict, disputes, suspicions and discriminatory allegations. Harmonious coexistence is highly improbable and outcomes could have a significant impact on the local authority services.
Availability of the site
There is an injunction against development on this land. It was placed there in May 2010 by Warwick District Council, in perpetuity, in response to planning applications made by the current landowner. It is therefore, understandably, an expectation that this tool for local control will not be sacrificed to government directives for which the local community has no appetite. If the reasons for the injunction were valid in 2010 they are even stronger now that the expansion of Hampton Magna is a serious possibility.
Impact on visual amenity including the visibility and character of the site and surrounding area and Impact on Landscape character
Entering or passing the village of Hampton on the Hill on the Henley Road from Warwick, this field is clearly in a prominent elevated position; a focal point for the motorist or walker. The native flora provides a natural and dappled glimpse of the field beyond. Caravan pitches and their associated artifacts would not enhance the aesthetics of the environment and the only way they could be screened from the road is with a solid material; a fence or a wall. Either would be out of keeping with the character of the site and both of these would be an extreme blight on what is without doubt a naturally beautiful aspect of the local landscape.
Safe access to and from the site for vehicles and pedestrians. Availability and Deliverability
In the Local Plan March 2014 document 'achievable' is the description of access to and from the site for vehicles. This is, at best, an audacious assessment. The road is narrow, traffic already has to slow down to pass safely. The road is subject to heavy 'run off' from the excess water accumulating in this field and also from the field on the opposite side of the road. Importantly, there is a ditch running parallel alongside and between the road and the field. It would have to be bridged to a standard suitable for heavy vehicles; a very expensive adjustment. Alternative access to and from the site, on the Henley Road, would be at the mercy of very fast traffic and, in particular, approaching from the easterly direction would involve a right turn crossing that fast traffic to an opening located on an incline on a curved road. Additionally, there are powerful electricity lines crossing the field overhead and end to end.
In conclusion, whilst the current owner may well be keen to make this land available, probably because his own efforts to develop it have been blighted and unprofitable due to rejected planning applications and a perpetual injunction, I strongly disagree with the Local Plan's author that this makes it available AND deliverable. How can that be? Not only is it neither of these things, it fails to meet a number of criteria required to make it suitable.