Ref: Old Milverton Lane Development.

The draft local plan does not meet the criteria of "Exceptional circumstances" required to develop this Green Belt land.
The argument that the only land available is in Old Milverton is incorrect. The additional housing required to assist Coventry meeting their targets should be located closer to Coventry. The distance for commuters would increase pollution.
Sufficient land is available at a reasonable rate on the environs of Coventry that can be used without affecting the Green Belt of Old Milverton.
Therefore the Exceptional Circumstances requirements have not been met. The Local Plan significantly underestimates the capacity of land adjacent to Coventry to deliver Coventry's housing needed and therefore the development in Old Milverton is not required.
In a similar case in Cheltenham and Gloucester the Planning Inspector ruled that when releasing land from the Green Belt the "Green value" of the land should be rated and the least Green rated be removed first.
WDC and Coventry City Council have assessed the sites on the edge of Coventry and agreed that they are of a lower Green Belt Value.
Therefore the lower green belt value land should be released for the Local Plan and not Old Milverton land in North Leamington.

The Green Belt has been very effective in preventing Leamington joining with Kenilworth and Warwick. It thus does the job it was designed to do and assist in preventing the area from Wolverhampton to Leamington becoming one metropolis.

The WDC has complied with the duty to work with other local councils (Coventry City). In doing so it has not reacted the information that is included in the Coventry City Local Plan. Cooperating councils should provide housing land close to Coventry. Old Milverton is not close enough to Coventry to support the additional housing needs.

The EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt HAVE NOT BEEN DEMONSTRATED by Warwick District Council.

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.

Unsound, Uneffective and not consistent with national policy: The EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have not been demonstrated by Warwick District Council.
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.
In practice it is unlikely that people who want to live and work in Coventry will buy houses on land North of Milverton and therefore this development proposal will not support Coventry's housing need.
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. WDC, in cooperation with Coventry City Council, has assessed sites on the edge of Coventry as being of lower Green Belt value. 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.
The "green lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1 1/2 miles.
The picturesque northern gateway to the historic regency town of Royal Leamington Spa will be destroyed.
Highly productive farming land will be lost together with long established wild life habitat.
The residents of local towns will be deprived of an area which is highly valued and sustainable for walking, running, cycling, riding, bird watching and is also used by local schools for educational walks.
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  Oxford appears to have the only park and ride scheme in the country which really works and this is because there is such limited parking in Oxford city centre.  There are already a lot of car parks in this area of Green Belt with impervious surfaces all of which reduce the areas ability to absorb rainfall and contribute to flooding
A railway station is unviable because the railway line is in a deep cutting in Old Milverton making construction impractical

The EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have not been demonstrated by Warwick District Council.

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.

In practice it is unlikely that people who want to live and work in Coventry will buy houses on land North of Milverton and therefore this development proposal will not support Coventry's housing need.

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. WDC, in cooperation with Coventry City Council, has assessed sites on the edge of Coventry as being of lower Green Belt value. 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.

The "green lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1 1/2 miles.
The picturesque northern gateway to the historic regency town of Royal Leamington Spa will be destroyed.

Highly productive farming land will be lost together with long established wild life habitat.
The residents of local towns will be deprived of an area which is highly valued and sustainable for walking, running, cycling, riding, bird watching and is also used by local schools for educational walks.

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

 Oxford appears to have the only park and ride scheme in the country which really works and this is because there is such limited parking in Oxford city centre.

 There are already a lot of car parks in this area of Green Belt with impervious surfaces all of which reduce the areas ability to absorb rainfall and contribute to flooding
A railway station is unviable because the railway line is in a deep cutting in Old Milverton making construction impractical

The exceptional circumstances required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have not been demonstrated by Warwick District Council. 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. WDC, in cooperation with Coventry City Council, has assessed sites on the edge of Coventry as being of lower Green Belt value. These lower Green Belt value sites should be used in preference to the land north of Milverton. While I don't object to a park & ride scheme in principle this has no relevance to Coventry's housing needs. Locating a park & ride area at Blackdown is a poor decision as it is too close to the centre of Leamington and will do nothing to ease the traffic congestion along the A452.

In my opinion the exceptional circumstances required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have not been demonstrated by Warwick District Council.

The removal of land North of Milverton from the green belt is intended to support Coventry City Council's housing need. 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. Warwick District Council, in cooperation with Coventry City Council, has assessed available sites on the edge of Coventry as being of lower Green Belt value than the green belt land North of Milverton and these should be used in preference to the land North of Milverton.

Using sites closer to Coventry to address the housing needs for Coventry makes obvious sense as it minimises unnecessary commuting, inevitable congestion and further road construction and enables people who wish to live and work in Coventry to do so.

I believe the plan is unsound because Warwick District Council has not demonstrated that there are EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES to justify taking the land North of Milverton out of the Green Belt.

The New Local Plan states that Coventry City Council is "unable to meet its housing need". The suggested removal of the Green Belt land North of Milverton is justified by the plan as supporting Coventry's housing need and yet WDC in consultation with Coventry City Council has already identified land of lower Green Belt value on the edge of Coventry. Precedence for releasing land from the Green Belt requires the value of potential sites to be taken into account, with land of lower value being used first.

In addition to this an important planning consideration is to build new housing "close to areas of employment." Building houses for Coventry based workers in Leamington is not sustainable, it is simply too far away and will increase commuting and congestion on already congested roads.

The land North of Milverton is a rural amenity used by countless residents of the town for jogging, walking, cycling and bird watching. It is also used by local schools for nature walks. It is accessible to local residents without the need for getting into a car to travel to it.

The village of Old Milverton attracts countless local dog walkers and ramblers from further afield due to its rural nature; to build right up to the railway bridge will mean that a pretty and highly prized rural community will become just another suburb.

If this land is built on the green lung between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1.5 miles. These two Warwickshire market towns are celebrated for their different histories and very different architecture. They are popular with tourists, bringing employment and income into the local economy. The road between the two towns needs to maintain that precious 1.5 miles of green space to protect their individual identities. It would be a retrograde step to remove forever the picturesque northern gateway to the historic regency town of Royal Leamington Spa.

See attached letter

Please see attached letter of objection

This is a war on the countryside. As far as I know the Green Belt protections remain in place and all new settlements should be locally led and not imposed on communities.
The picturesque northern gateway to Royal Leamington Spa will be destroyed if this plan goes ahead and the Green Lung between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1 1/2 miles. The highly productive, high value farming land with long established wild life habitat will be destroyed. The local residents will be deprived of an area which is enjoyed for walking, running, cycling and riding.
The idea that tiny Milverton should provide houses for Coventry City Council is wrong. We the residents were not consulted.Coventry is a huge city and must find its own land not ours to build their houses on. Anyway it is illogical and not green planning for Coventry workers to live in Leamington and commute to Coventry every day. If each house has two cars, imagine what a lot of extra cars and fumes will be on our roads.
Land must be found nearer Coventry, whether north,south,west or east. In fact land is available at Kings Hill.
In fact there are no exceptional circumstances to remove this land from the Green Belt. There are other sites adjacent to Coventry with a lower Green Belt value that should be used in preference to land north of Milverton.

This is Greenbelt re-purposing to provide Coventry with Housing. It provides extensive hedgerows and wildlife corridors plus public footpaths. there is plenty of land around Coventry which could be developed for this use, plus there has historically been poor planning for brownbelt land use (another supermarket!)

The "green lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced. Highly productive farming land will be lost together with long established wild life habitat. The residents of local towns will be deprived of an area which is highly valued and sustainable for walking, running, cycling, riding, bird watching and is also used by local schools for educational walks.

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 Oxford appears to have the only park and ride scheme in the country which really works and this is because there is such limited parking in Oxford city centre. There are already a lot of car parks in this area of Green Belt. A railway station is unviable because the railway line is in a deep cutting in Old Milverton making construction impractical

The land North of Milverton should remain in the Green Belt

Land is Green Belt and there are no exceptional circumstances established for development for housing

The "Exceptional Circumstances" needed to remove this land from the green belt do not exist. There are lower value green belt sites closer to Coventry which on the basis of planning precedent should be used in preference to the land in Old Milverton.

* The idea that Warwick District Council should promote commuting from Old Milverton to Coventry is ill conceived, irresponsible and bad planning.

* In practice people who want to live and work in Coventry will not buy houses in Old Milverton.


In addition, the greenbelt area is natural and should not be built on.

The exceptional circumstances for the use of greenbelt have not been demonstrated by WDC. The development is ill thought out- perhaps as a money making scheme and not to alleviate Leamington or Warwicks housing issues. There is no need for another primary school when there are already two popular schools within two miles.

Having spent some time reviewing and discussing the Local plan with family, friends and neighbours I 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 concerns for the plan are around a number of areas;
The housing proposal is to support Coventry City Council housing not Leamington Spa or even Kenilworth. There are sustainable sites closer to Coventry, that people who want to work and live near work can access, rather than unnecessary commuting, increasing already congested access to and from Leamington Spa, especially around peak times, and increasing road construction. I also have concerns about increased volume of traffic through a residential area, creating an increased safety risk for children of all ages, getting to and from their school or local clubs.
I have also been informed that WDC, in co-operation with Coventry City Council, have assessed sites on the edge of Coventry as being of lower green belt "value". I am lead to understand that when a Green belt site is being put forward as a sustainable site, the green belt "value" is taken into account, therefore surely these lower value green belt areas should be considered before any development is proposed in the Green belt area north of Milverton, as has already been done in other counties.
I would also highlight that the modification is unsound as it would result in "green lung" between Leamington Spa and Kenilworth,to be reduced to only 1 1/2 miles.
I am also devastated to see the irreversible loss to wild life habitats and highly productive farmland that this proposal would support. I teach young children and it is getting harder and harder to find environments locally that can be used to teach our children about wildlife, farming, seasons and learning about the natural world by merely going on a walk. Alongside this my family and I love to use the land for recreational walks, bike rides and talking about nature. I believe the protection of the Green Belt is extremely important and I would urge this modification to be reconsidered.

I believe that the greenbelt around North Milverton should not be removed. Not only is this a conservation area, it is an area that is used by hundreds of local residents on a weekly basis for running, walking, cycling and other outdoor activities. The Government actively encourages people to be more active and do more exercise and they are now trying to take away an area that is available to do this for many local residents and their families, free of charge. The Greenbelt classification system was instigated for a reason - to protect our countryside.

I believe that the greenbelt around North Milverton should not be removed. Not only is this a conservation area, it is an area that is used by hundreds of local residents on a weekly basis for running, walking, cycling and other outdoor activities. The Government actively encourages people to be more active and do more exercise and they are now trying to take away an area that is available to do this for many local residents and their families, free of charge. The Greenbelt classification system was instigated for a reason - to protect our countryside.

The proposed development is to ease the pressure on the Coventry housing situation. Residents of Coventry will not want to move to Leamington as the commute will longer and more expensive, they will be further away from the family network, house prices in Leamington are substantially higher than Coventry meaning people are unlikely to move anyway. Provisions must be made closer to Coventry, you cannot force people to move away from the area.

Coventry's housing needs should be addressed closer to Coventry. The road system between Leamington and Coventry is almost at breaking point as it is.

The farmland that the site is proposed for is in 'food production' which will be gone forever. Surely it is better to used lower value land, such as small pony paddocks and waste ground first. Sites have been identified.

I don't see that there are exceptional circumstances for using this land when there are viable alternatives.

The EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have not been demonstrated by Warwick District Council.

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.

In practice it is unlikely that people who want to live and work in Coventry will buy houses on land North of Milverton and therefore this development proposal will not support Coventry's housing need.

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. WDC, in cooperation with Coventry City Council, has assessed sites on the edge of Coventry as being of lower Green Belt value. 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.

The "green lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1 1/2 miles.

The picturesque northern gateway to the historic regency town of Royal Leamington Spa will be destroyed.

Highly productive farming land will be lost together with long established wild life habitat.

The residents of local towns will be deprived of an area which is highly valued and sustainable for walking, running, cycling, riding, bird watching and is also used by local schools for educational walks.

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
 Oxford appears to have the only park and ride scheme in the country which really works and this is because there is such limited parking in Oxford city centre.
 There are already a lot of car parks in this area of Green Belt with impervious surfaces all of which reduce the areas ability to absorb rainfall and contribute to flooding
A railway station is unviable because the railway line is in a deep cutting in Old Milverton making construction impractical

The National Planning Policy Framework requires there to be exceptional circumstances to warrant approval of areas of the Green belt being removed. The need to build additional housing for Coventry residence can be met on areas of land closer to Coventry that have a lower Green Belt value and that will be more convenient to those who currently live and work in Coventry.
Building houses in Leamington to support Coventry will only add to the congestion on the already busy roads. Both this increased vehicle pollution and the reduction in trees in the area will lead to a deterioration in air quality, which will affect the health of residence who have chosen to live in North Leamington largely because of the relative quiet and clean air that the area currently enjoys.
The green belt is currently used for many leisure pursuits that help keep the residents in the area healthy. Walks in the fields also provide the opportunity to teach children about ecology and wildlife. Removing the hedgerows will destroy the wildlife habitats that are long established.
Exceptional circumstances do not exist and therefore WDC should continue to be protected the Leamington / Milverton Green Belt.

This is going directly against the Government's assurance that it would maintain protection for the Green Belt and against the promises by ministers that their reforms under the National Planning Policy Framework would not lead to a degradation of the Green Belt.
There are still no exceptional circumstances. When the exceptional reasoning for building on North Leamington's Greenbelt were read out in our meeting at Old Milverton Church on March 14th, there was a round of laughter. It took a few moments for us to realise that Mr. Landers was not joking!
While I appreciate houses are needed in Warwick District, I do not agree that there are exceptional circumstances to build on the Greenbelt for the following reasons:
1) You say that it needs to be there because it needs to be close to the A46!
a) If you build in Leamington Spa, it's not just people from Coventry who will buy the houses so why is this relevant?
b) There is more appropriate, cheaper land available closer to Coventry which you have identified but discounted.
c) The Greenbelt is there to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. I do not believe urban regeneration has been properly investigated due to builders putting pressure on the Council. In addition to this land closer to Coventry, we have acres of land on the old School on Kenilworth Road, which I've been told is being overlooked because it is too expensive to demolish. There is also 8 acres of land off Coventry Road in Warwick which could be developed into lovely canalside houses like the ones on Myton Road. The Old Travis Perkins site by Leamington train station would be a great location for apartments.

2) Coventry City Council have pledged to preserve Greenbelt land in Coventry so it's comical we are planning to use Greenbelt land to fulfil their housing shortfall? The Coventry Local Plan States "The Local Plan will make sure Coventry keeps its beautiful parks, green belt and open spaces as the city grows. High quality, well-connected green areas can make Coventry a much more attractive and prosperous city, and a healthier place to live and work. The plan will look at all areas of the city's green environment, from individual protected trees to areas of open land, woods, parks and wildlife sites. It looks at the green belt that surrounds the city and the green corridors within it. It looks at how to protect public parks, allotments, churchyards, nature reserves, waterways, civic squares, sports pitches, play areas and much more........"
Coventry City Council clearly values and appreciates the Greenbelt. Why is the Greenbelt in Leamington Spa being prioritised for building Coventry's houses? Why can't we have a attractive, healthy place to live and work and they get to keep theirs? Do we not have environmental values or any plans to maintain healthy living for residents of Warwick District? If you build on our Greenbelt, we would loose our access to open fields for walking / running and access to clean fresh air.
3) CCC also states in It's plan that it wants to "improve active travel - better networks for walking and cycling; cutting air and noise pollution through fewer car journeys and reducing the speed of vehicles".
There are closer areas to Coventry which have been identified for development which would reduce the air and noise pollution.

Park and Ride
Other than ticking a box, I do not understand why this has been proposed for the following reasons:
a) We already have ample parking in the form of private car parks and 10 district council car parks with just under 1900 spaces in Leamington Spa.
b) In addition to the money made in the council car parks, the Council also make up to £1 per hour in some places for on street parking. Surely this Park and Ride will, if any one actually uses it, will reduce Council income.
c) Let's presume that this is for the residents of the new houses:
i) I've heard that a majority of the houses are required for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Employees. They all have very nice company cars and it is doubtful they will use the Park & Ride.
ii) Do you think residents, regardless of where they work will drive 5 minutes up the road to get a 2 minute bus ride into Leamington Spa?
iii) There's a perfectly good bus stop at the island by Nuffield Hospital if you want to get a bus into Coventry.
iv) It only takes 20 mins to walk into Leamington town centre on foot and 5 minutes by bike so it would be more sensible to improve the cycle tracks instead of building a park and ride.
v) It would be more cost and environmentally efficient to put bus stops up in the new estate and improve the current bus services than build an ugly concrete Park & Ride on our Greenbelt.

It is becoming annoying obvious that the Builders who have "Building Rights" on the land are putting pressure on the Council to use this land as it is very valuable. Less valuable sites, close to an existing infrastructure are available and HAVE been identified by WDC but I presume are less desireable to builders because there's less profit to be made.

I'm extremely passionate about our Greenbelt because it is home to a wealth of wildlife, including small owls, badgers, foxes and crested newts and makes North Leamington a beautiful place to walk, cycle or run. It makes an entrance to Royal Leamington Spa an entrance to be admired and enjoyed by all. This is not only Greenbelt land, it's grade A agricultural land and we need to protect our resources to feed ourselves as a country.
Our Greenbelt currently prevents neighbouring towns merging into one another - the 2nd stage of this proposed building will merge Old Milverton Hamlet with Leamington Spa.

Houses are planned in the green belt North of Milverton as overflow housing for people employed in Coventry. I would question how many people working in Coventry would look for a home in a newly built suburban sprawl outside Leamington, if something similar were available on the fringes of Coventry. Considering the extra commuting created, putting these buildings next to Leamington may satisfy the requirement to cooperate with Coventry but is not rational. It does not justify losing an area of green belt land in useful agricultural production.

I believe that this modification is unsound because there has been no demonstration of the 'exceptional circumstances' required to develop important and highly-valued green belt land. We will never regain any green-belt land that is lost; the current government and opposition, and in this case the local-community all agree that green belt land should have the highest importance attached to its preservation and protection.
As an example of this concord please see:
https://hansard.digiminster.com/Commons/2016-03-15/debates/16031557000003/HousebuildingKing%E2%80%99SHillCoventry

The proposed modification regards an area of green belt that also has a 'highly ranked' importance attached to it's green belt status. Although I believe all green belt land should be protected wherever possible, there are lower value green belt sites closer to Coventry that should be considered in preference to the land in Old Milverton; a valuation criteria established in previous planning decisions.

Developing on this land is undesirable because it means the loss of an area of land that is important to Old Milverton's identity as a distinct village and our local infrastructure, the land:
* provides a treasured recreational area for joggers, dog-walkers, amblers and families giving them an important and easily accessible escape from urban life
* the local road system is inadequate to deal with increased traffic and the proposed changes would increase congestion problems in rush-hours and the risks of death & injury to all road-users
* replacing agricultural land with a built-up area is likely to create drainage & flooding issues that have not been thoroughly evaluated
* there will be a large and negative environmental impact not just in terms of the loss of the greenbelt land itself but also for the surrounding areas of countryside in terms of light, noise & air pollution and the effect on local wildlife and habitats

I also totally agree with Old Milverton parish council assessment of the plans, who have objected to them on the basis that the proposed development is to support Coventry City Council's housing need and have highlighted that 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 and that the proposed park-and-ride scheme is ill-conceived and unsustainable for the reasons they have cited.

I would like to add that I realise that planning is a difficult job, balancing many needs, but the continued attempts by the council to develop this land, contradicting national policy to protect high-value green belt and the flying in the face of the local community's views is really surprising and very disappointing.

I believe that Modifications 16 and 14 are unsound because:
The EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES required by the National Planning Policy Framework to remove the land North of Milverton from the Green Belt have not been demonstrated by Warwick District Council.
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. Which at peak times the A452 is already congested to its capacity, and will cause lengthy delays and cut off Leamington from Kenilworth. Sending traffic through the hamlets of Blackdown and Hill Wootton which already experience a 'rat run' effect with unacceptable levels of passing traffic in Hill Wootton road dangerous to local residents - a country lane with a historic mill bridge, two blind bends and skew bridge. As a resident of Hill Wootton we need access to our dwellings and Hill Wootton Road is already a notorious black spots for collisions.
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. 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.
The "green lung" between Leamington and Kenilworth will be reduced to less than 1 1⁄2 miles.
The picturesque northern gateway to the historic regency town of Royal Leamington Spa will be destroyed.
Highly productive farming land will be lost together with long established wild life habitat.
As a local dog walker I will be deprived of an area which is highly valued and sustainable for walking, running, cycling, riding, and is used by local schools.
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.
 Shoppers are unlikely to use the park and ride when there is plenty of parking in Leamington And has nothing to do with solving the housing deficit and associated infrastructure required for Coventry.
 There are already a lot of car parks in this area of Green Belt with impervious surfaces all of which
reduce the areas ability to absorb rainfall and contribute to flooding, there is already significant flooding in the area from the river Avon to the south which affects Hill Wootton significantly.
A railway station is unviable because the railway line is in a deep cutting in Old Milverton making construction impractical and again would destroy historic farming land and local wildlife habitats and increase noise pollution.

I feel very strongly about the plans to develop such a large area of green belt land in Milverton. I use old Milverton lane twice daily through the village to take my children to school & frequently experience high volumes of traffic travelling along the Kenilworth road thus making it lengthy & difficult to cross the roundabout up to sandy lane, this journey would be impossible if work commences on the land for people like myself & anyone attempting to get to Kenilworth or Coventry. Also when we are experiencing heavy rain , which is becoming more frequent, the water overflows off the farmers fields and runs down old Milverton lane to the roundabout where it floods, making driving conditions very difficult. If all that land is built upon taking away any drainage the floods will be devastating. People move to Coventry from leamington & beyond because they can't afford the property prices round here ,North Leamington being one of the most expensive areas .I would like to know how it could be made possible to stipulate that only people from a certain area could purchase these homes (as the land is required for Coventry over spill). We currently have no buses that pick up in Old Milverton lane for residents that don't drive, instead they have to walk to the rugby road & get one there. Would a park & ride service take people into leamington thus helping local businesses or would it take them to directly to Coventry ? These are a few of my concerns apart from the many obvious ones .... Pollution, noise ,loss of wildlife, congestion etc.
Myself & my family have lived on Old Milverton lane for 20 years & my mother in law lives at Priors house nursing home opposite the Nuffield private hospital. She also would be affected greatly as herself & her friends like to sit in the grounds watching the wildlife & this would sadly be impossible if work commences as many of them have breathing difficulties. I understand the demand for more housing but really feel there must be more appropriate land either on brown field sites or land that's available nearer to where it's needed.
I hope my views will be taken into consideration

Modification or SA : Removal of Land North of Milverton from the Green Belt
Mod No: 16
Paragraph: 2.81
Mod. Policies Map Number: H44

There was suggestion that a train station could be provided in Old Milverton in the proposal.
This is absolute nonsense and should be dropped because Kenilworth station (just 7 KM away) may never open as there is no rolling stock (trains) available to run on the line to stop at Kenilworth and trains passing through wont stop as they are on a tight schedule and have to get to Coventry within a certain time frame.
It has so far taken 5 years and still Kenilworth station is not open. The idea of a station in Milverton is pie in the sky and just being floated to make it more environmental. It's not realistic and should be removed from any speculative proposals.

Modification:Removal of land north of Milverton from the Green Belt

Mod Number: 16

Paragraph Number: 2.81

Mod. Policies Map Number: H44

Modification: Allocation of land north of Milverton for development
Modification: No 14-
Para: Policy DS15
Mod. Policies Map Number: H44

I have read the proposals in the WDC Draft Local Plan and would like to express my concerns and objections.


I would like to register a formal objection to the removal of land from the Green Belt north of Milverton, and the proposed building of 250 houses and park-and-ride scheme, followed by a further 1100 houses, railway station and commercial property within 5 years.

I believe that we must provide additional housing in South Warwickshire, but It is preposterous that this green belt land should be used to support Coventry City's housing need, and I cannot believe that this is sustainable.

Traffic congestion in the Leamington/Warwick area is already an enormous problem and whilst the suggestion of Park and Ride facilities are put forward I do not believe that residents of the proposed area will want to use the facility to travel into Coventry, and will certainly not use it for trips into Leamington Spa. They will use their cars.

The "Exceptional Circumstances" needed to remove this land from the green belt do not exist. There are lesser value sites closer to Coventry which on the basis of planning precedent should be used in preference to the land in Old Milverton. It is very far fetched to suggest that people living and working in Coventry will be interested in buying houses and living in Old Milverton.