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Derbyniwyd: 04/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Bishops Itchington Parish Council

The South Warwickshire Plan and identified areas for development are at odds with the creation of nature recovery networks and Bio Diversity improvement set by national policy, targets and international agreement.
Rather than destroy more of the remaining Warwickshire rural landscape these areas should be protected and targeted to increase habitats. This should be part of supporting the target to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, which will also help the UK to meet its international commitment to protect 30% of its land and ocean by 2030.
The landscape radiating out from the SSSI on Hambridge Road is valued and perhaps remains unchanged since the end of the last ice age. The Salt Road and ancient roads emanating from it form part of this ancient and historical important landscape. Archaeology in the area has identified more than one Roman / Romano British Farm, with one sighted as “being of national importance”. Also the existence of round houses along the Salt road at Knightcote Bottoms, shows the presence of Iron Age / pre Roman activities in the valued landscape. Round Hill, pre-dates ridge and furrow and nearby Weddington Brake suggest yet undiscovered ancestral activities in an ancient but fast disappearing landscape. National Historic Landscape Characterisation NHLC_250 identifies the location as priority historic character type and characteristic. There are several areas in the proposed BI development that are classified as “Enclosed Agriculture (Typically Ancient Form)”

Rather than development and destruction, the area needs protection and valuing for what it is, as it also has significant amenity value for the rural community, residents of local Villages and the more built-up areas of Warwick as Leamington. Great value has been placed on amenities and the countryside in the - South Warwickshire Plan itself, but again the description of the South Warwickshire rural landscape appears at odds with the plan itself and the response of previous consolations.
It should also be noted that the proposed development areas include a Drinking Water Safeguard Zone, so the sighting of any industrial activities in the area should be discouraged. Near to the M40 is Itchington Halt an ancient, replanted woodland and a key part of introducing more habitat pathways in the area. Existing hedge lines are used as pathways but need improving. The sighting of the M40 cut off natural pathways, which has never been addressed, and deer can be seen gathering in fields along the M40, where once they roamed across the landscape towards Gaydon. Significant increased development around Warwick and Lighthorne has already been detrimental to the natural landscape and natural pathways.
We note the mandated use by developers of the the biodiversity matrix toll, however, whilst the tool may be applicable in urban areas its use in existing open farm land areas is inappropriate.
Contrary to policies, NCA 96 Dunsmore & Feldon stated above the Natural England Joint Publication JP039 Biodiversity Metric does not recognise open farmland as having high biodiversity value scored as Low 2, whilst Arable field margins are rated Medium 4.
Family farms are less intensive that the large farms with less biodiversity Loss.
Whilst traditional farmland practices have been associated with biodiversity loss, changes in future farming practices have the potential to significantly increase biodiversity and increase productivity. The JP039 matrix does not account for a greater weighted increase in biodiversity improvement from Agri-environment schemes or even give greater value to the farmland currently implementing such schemes. As a result, the biodiversity matrix as it stands is skewed in favour of building on farmland, which would be destructive to the existing habitats and programmes to improve the area for farmland bird species under greater threat.
We would discourage the use of the matrix in such settings until it is updated to remove the current skewed approach.