Testun llawn:
I am writing in protest of the proposed Traveller/Gypsy site to be located off Stratford Road, Warwick.
I have lived in Warwick all my life to which I am very proud of.
Warwick is a historical town which has always struggled to have sufficient facilities/attractions for visitors to want to spent time walking around the town rather than just visiting Warwick Caste. Warwick has just started turning a corner with more shop units being occupied with independent shops and cafe's. To have a permanent traveller site at the key entry into Warwick may discourage tourists from doing anything other than visiting the Castle.
For many years Warwick people and the Council have worked hard to keep the visual beauty of Warwick untouched. To see caravans and vans as your first image of 'historical Warwick' would certainly not fit the image Warwick Tourism has tried to portray over the years. This in turn will mean that many of the shops and cafe's that rely on this revenue will close, with loss of local jobs and revenue to the Council from business rates etc.
The site itself does not have sufficient access on what is already a busy main road for the additional traffic this will bring. The road is a main road to the M40. This road is very fast and already carries a large volume of traffic. The vehicles turning onto this road especially with Caravan's will cause a greater risk for accidents.
There will also be more pedestrians crossing the road as the travellers will want to also move on foot. Again the speed and constant traffic will put lives at risk.
The local schools are full to capacity. Aylesford a school I attended as a child has already lost most of its sport ground to allow for expansion. It cannot possibly sustain any further developments and with the new houses already approved for Chase Meadow it at its limit. Unlike Heathcote which as included in its plans further schools and facilities, the new houses on our estate do not have that luxury and will have to be absorbed within the already stretched facilities.
The Doctors surgery on the estate does not have capacity for its current patients with appointments having to be book quite far ahead, emergency appointments are impossible, and I have still been unable to secure a NHS dentist in the area due to long waiting lists so am currently paying privately.
The site is also adjacent to a river and brook. Should hard standing be put on this land it will cause potential flooding and to the local area. The new development on Chase Meadow itself has had to take additional precautions to prevent flooding. Being close to the actual river this site will have more environmental and flooding issues.
In addition to this, the site is opposite a prestige business site. The impact of the site will inevitably put potential businesses off moving to this location. This will not only lose the council useful revenue but limit the amount of new jobs to the area.
I really feel that the site proposed on Stratford Road is an inappropriate site.