5. Health & Wellbeing

From the Parish Plan survey: Residents regard health & wellbeing as important, with a third of leisure journeys involving walking or cycling; footpaths are rated as important by two thirds, cycleways by nearly hald and bridleways a third. Greatest demand for activities in the village was various forms of keeping fit (1 in 5 respondents). Two thirds of respondents would like a doctor's surgery in Hatton Park.

6. Road Congestion & Air Pollution

An important issue for the parish which relies almost exlusively on the busy A4177. Just over hald of respondents consider the volume of traffic or the dangerous junctions on this road to be a problem.

Most households depend on cars, three quarters for work and half for school, shopping and leisure. A third use buses for school, but less than a tenth for shopping trips and 5% for work and leisure journeys. Half of the journeys made by bus are to Warwick and a third to Leamington. Overall this travel pattern is not conducive to sustainable development nor helpful in combating climate change.

Hatton has very few public facilities. the Ferncumbe School at Hatton Green is thriving and very popular, but probably has limited scope for expansion. There are village halls at Hatton and Hatton Park, a very small shop at Hatton Park and all weather sports area and children's playground at Hatton Park. the shop has almost closed on at least one occasion and the Hatton Park Village Hall has struggled to find volunteers to run it.

Scenario 1 with its low levels of growth would most closely match the views of Hatton residents and be most appropriate for this Parish.

The uncertain future of the economy is an issue of concern to everyone in the Parish.

Residents would wish to see economically strong, vibrant and attractive town centres given that they rely on them for many of their needs and services.

5 - Health & Wellbeing

Provision of polyclinic at Priory Road should be considered. A strategy for improving the quality of Warwick's parks and open spaces would provide mulitple benefits, socially, economically and in health terms.

6 - Traffic & Air Pollution

Volume of traffic passing through Warwick town centre. Air quality needs improving in Warwick town centre.
Accessibility at and to-and-from Warwick rail station is poor.

5: Health & Wellbeing
As noted, the Scenarios with average to high levels of new development will put pressure on existing facilities. Planned housing growth over coming years will put a strain on the existing infrastructure and any impact upon heritage and cultural assets should be accounted for in spatial strategies. We would argue that a proportion of funding from any new developments be ring fenced to ensure adequate levels of cultural and heritage facilities are maintained, to meet increased demand.

Data and resources available:
The standard charges for our sector were developed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in collaboration with the Department for Communities and Local Government, and other non departmental public bodies (MLA, ACE, CLOA, nalgao, TT, SCL, SA, NA).

These charges build on the results of systematic survey research designed to assess appropriate levels of provision for cultural at local level. The survey covers cultural provision which is community based and managed by local authorities, or otherwise regularly publicly funded.

Detailed geographical mapping of public sector heritage and cultural facilities in Warwick District and surrounding areas, including drive times from venues, catchment areas, venue type(s) and floor space. The mapping allows us to see distribution and reach of facilities, and to identify 'cold spots'.

6: Congestion & Air Pollution
I believe Adrian Hart and Alan Law recently met with your Gary Stephens to discuss our highway and transport input into the preparation of the Local Plan. It was agreed that WCC would carry out some technical work on transport, with a view to providing him with the results of this by the middle/end of August 2011. These will be used to inform the District Council's decision relating to future levels of growth.

Road Congestion & Pollution:

To live in Hatton Park, you need to drive, and need to use the already congested A4177. This road can have two mile tail-backs on a weekday, just with existing travellers trying to get to Warwick or the A46. The road cannot sustain more daily users. There is no other possible access point for any of these sites (R36,R37,R38). The roundabout at Hatton Park cannot deal with more traffic, it becomes very congested at busy periods, and is a current school bus route, where very young children walk (the site is too far from any school). Additional construction would hence cause infrastructure needs within Hatton Park

6: Road Congestion & Air Pollution

The local area is subject to stress caused by excessive development placing undue burdens on the road network and reducing the quality of life.

6: Road Congestion & Air Pollution

Unless development is built adjoining Coventry or the railway stations of Warwick Parkway and Hatton there will be greater traffic movement for commuters, more congestion and worse air pollution.

6: Congestion & Pollution

The policy context is described well and we support the recognition that an integrated transport network is needed, and that agencies should work towards reducing the need to travel, especially by car.

There is a need to add policies to:
actively restrict development which has a major negative impact on CO2 emissions .

We would also remind you that the Warwickshire Climate Change Strategy's aim to reduce greenhouse gas omissions may be difficult to achieve if population figures for the District are allowed to increase as has been predicted.

Objective 5.1 should read 'provide a sustainable economy'. Whilst the Districts economy is healthy changes in the type of work from industrial to more office based professions has meant less land is needed to provide a similiar number of jobs and there is little need to allocate more land for employment purposes particularly in the short term. Before encouraging people to live in the District it is important to reduce out commuting by making it easier for people to work at home or creating more jobs in the district. Policies should encourage employment development only to meet an identified local need not to encourage businesses and people to move into the district at the expense of Major Urban Areas of the region.

The suggested additional demand for retail is based on the assumption that the population will increase which is difficult to predict. In assessing demand the local authority should look at quantitative and qualitative need to ensure it will contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of existing retail centres. A threshold should be imposed to restrict the development of large scale retail outlets which would damage the town centres. Within significant areas of housing development provision should be made for local retail outlets which would avoid an increase in traffic, provide access to shopping for those without a car and encourage vibrant neighbourhood centres.

6: Road Congestion & Air Pollution

Any further drain on standards for roads will be detrimental to the area. We already have problems now.
Look at the problems we face already-
-Long queues along the Birmingham Road into Warwick for people who want to get to the Technology Park along gallows Hill. They will not use the A46/M40 because of the long queues getting off at Junction 14 and along Europa Way.
-The aforementioned queues on Europa Way in both directons, which will get worse when the old Ford factory site is developed.
-Long queues on Tachbrook Road and Queensway for people getting into town from Whitnash and Warwick Gates.

6: Congestion & Pollution

Whilst this plan area falls outside the West Midlands Metropolitan area, the plan is within the West Midlands 'Journey to Work' area and therefore Centro considers that is important that any plan is consistent with national policy guidance as well as with the West Midlands Local Transport Plan (2011-2026). Centro are happy to assist in the continued development of this plan and provide information and guidance where necessary.
Generally, Centro considers that when preparing Local Development Documents, local authorities must ensure that as far as possible, development and redevelopment proposals make the best use of existing transport infrastructure and services, improve connectivity locally and in the wider area where appropriate and provide high levels of accessibility for all with an emphasis on sustainable modes of travel. This is a key policy within the West Midlands LTP.

In conclusion, Centro stresses that a high quality integrated transport network can assist in sustainable economic growth, job creation and regeneration, whilst also ensuring that the wider West Midlands transport sector contributes to the wider challenges including reducing carbon emissions. It is essential that investment into the provision of high quality integrated transport facilities and services to serve new and existing development is made from the outset in order to encourage use of more sustainable modes.

Centro support objective 4 which aims to "Make sure that new developments are in places that will reduce the need for people to use their cars, and will improve air quality in the district by reducing road congestion and carbon emissions, and encouraging people to live more healthy lifestyles by walking and cycling more".
Further to this Centro also supports objective 13 "To enable transport providers to provide improvements, particularly better and more integrated public transport, cycling and pedestrian facilities, to meet people's current and future needs, improve the safety and efficiency of the transport network, and support sustainable economic growth".
Centro actively supports the HS2 proposal and believes that it represents a major opportunity for the West Midlands in terms of jobs and wider economic benefits. It belives that capacity improvements as a consequence of HS2 will bring about improvements to the 'classic rail' network already in exhistence.

The Offchurch Plan data showed that the village is divided between those who would support low housing growth (Scenario 1) and those who would like some new housing to respond to a need for both the young and the elderly to be able to stay in the village.