BASE HEADER

No

ID sylw: 97985

Derbyniwyd: 05/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Ms Jenny Brown

Comments on Proposed New Settlement – Land at Bearley and Wilmcote
This site is located entirely in Green Belt. The proposed new settlement will destroy the Green Belt to the north of Stratford-Upon-Avon, as it is not located at sufficient distance from the town itself.
Employment opportunities in and around the Stratford area are limited. There is not a vibrant range of opportunities locally for potential new residents. Other sites closer to large local employers (such as JLR) and located next to better connected railway lines (near Leamington and Warwick) would be more suitable.
The site of the proposed settlement is poorly connected by roads. It is hemmed in on one side by the canal and the railway, forcing new residents to join the A3400 (Birmingham Road) in order to leave the settlement. Travelling in either direction on this road can present problems: travelling north in some weather conditions can be impossible as after heavy rain the road floods under the railway bridge at Bearley.
Wilmcote is home to a site of global historical significance, Mary Arden’s Farm. This building is frequented by a City Sightseeing bus, which brings a number of tourists to the village.
The land proposed for the new settlement is unsuitable for building houses. The small number of houses currently located at Pathlow are not connected to the mains sewage system – they use septic tanks. The local waterways would not cope with a large development – local sewage is already directed to the Avo, which notoriously has been polluted so much in recent years that it is no longer safe to swim in. The land for the proposed site is flooded for about half of the year.
Finally, it goes without saying that this new settlement will be deleterious for local wildlife. Whilst all sites chosen will involve loss of habitats, the destruction of Green Belt for this settlement will have impacts beyond the immediate site, essentially removing part of a corridor that many species have come to rely on in order to survive.