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I have spent time reviewing the proposed Local Plan and do not think that the exceptional circumstances required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have been sufficiently demonstrated by Warwick District Council.

My particular concerns to this modification are as follows:

The proposed development is to support Coventry City Council's housing need. There are sustainable sites closer to Coventry that should be used in preference to the land North of Milverton to reduce unnecessary commuting,
inevitable congestion and further road construction. I would question whether people who want to live and work in Coventry would choose to buy houses on land North of Milverton, so I can not see how the development proposal will support Coventry's housing needs.

The precedence for releasing land from the Green Belt requires the "value" of potential sites to the Green Belt to be taken into account and those with the least value to be removed from the Green Belt first. I understand that WDC, in cooperation with Coventry City Council, has assessed sites on the edge of Coventry as being of lower Green
Belt value. Therefore, even if development at Old Milverton was acceptable as a sustainable location for development, there are sites with a lower Green Belt value that should be used in preference to the land north of
Milverton.

I would also highlight that the modification is unsound as it would result in "green lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1 1/2 miles.

The environmental and social consequences of the modification would also be extremely damaging and irreversible. Not only would the area lose highly
productive farming land but also a fantastic recreational space. Like many other local residents, my family, including my two young children enjoy walking, bird watching and enjoying the fresh air of this special area.

It is also used by people who may not live in the area, but park cars by the fields to take advantage of the countryside to jog and walk dogs - it is an area that is well known among people who work in Warwick as a beautiful walk linking the Saxon Mill, Milverton and Leamington - to lose such a unique terrain when other areas could be used which are more suitable for Coventry's housing needs would be a short-sighted mistake.

I believe the protection of the Green belt is extremely important and I would urge that this modification be reconsidered

Additionally, the proposed infrastructure developments for public transport seem vague and dependent on other stakeholders cooperation and requiring huge investment that could result in an unsustainable (environmentally and financially) white elephants.

The proposed park-and-ride scheme is unsustainable because:
There will be no dedicated buses, so users will have to time visits to coincide with the bus timetable

 The site is too close to Leamington. It would be better if the site was focused on the A46 roundabout with the A452, which could form part of the Thickthorn development, and provide for Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth, Warwick University and potentially Coventry.

 Much of the traffic using the A452 crosses to the south of Leamington where there are the major employers

 Shoppers are unlikely to use the park and ride when there is plenty of parking in Leamington

A railway station is unviable because the railway line is in a deep cutting in Old Milverton making construction impractical. With the single track, the model so successfully demonstrated by Chiltern Railways on the Warwick Parkway development, would not be feasible or financially attractive to an investing train company.