Other

ID sylw: 108894

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to prior extraction of minerals and subject to:
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)

Active Travel

The key active travel link for this site will be to Warwick/Leamington Spa. The site is not currently served by active travel infrastructure and the local road network does not support cycling. The Golf Lane bridleway runs adjacent to the Leamington Spa to Banbury railway line between Fosse Way and Whitnash and whilst this is used for cycling is narrow, frequently overgrown by vegetation and the surface is mostly poor quality and unsuitable for cycling other than during periods of dry weather. It also requires cyclists to use an uncontrolled crossing over the heavily trafficked Fosse Way. Further to the south, the County Council is developing plans for a route between Warwick and Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath via Harbury Lane although feasibility design is yet to be completed. There is a route between Chesterton and Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath that connects to the Gaydon employment site that uses a low trafficked road south of Windmill Hill Lane and the stopped up Old Gated Road.

A new route would need to be provided to connect the site to either the Golf Lane or Harbury Lane routes which would require crossing under the Leamington Spa to Banbury railway line. This is unlikely to be achievable at the Fosse Way where there is insufficient space between the bridge abutments for cycling infrastructure alongside the carriageway. An alternative option would be to cross under the railway using one of several underpasses south of Fosse Way which connect fields either side of the railway line. If the Golf Lane route is used it will be necessary to provide cyclists with a controlled crossing over Fosse Way and to upgrade the surface of the Golf Lane bridleway. This is also likely to require widening to accommodate both cycles and equestrians and lessen the regularity of vegetation overgrowing the route which will therefore necessitate the acquisition of third party land. The alternative option would be to provide a route parallel to Fosse Way to connect with the proposed Warwick to Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath route. This would also likely require third party land acquisition.

Potentially, however there would be significant challenges completing connections to both the Golf Lane and Warwick to Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath routes, both of which are likely to require land acquisition due to there being insufficient space within the highway boundary to construct cycling infrastructure. Feasibility work on the Warwick to Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath route is yet to be completed and completing the connection to this route at Harbury Lane crossroads is also likely to be challenging within the configuration of the new road junction. Further work would be required to confirm a controlled crossing could be provided over Fosse Way to connect to the Golf Lane route and that the necessary upgrades to the Golf Lane bridleway to accommodate both cyclists and equines is achievable.

Connecting to the Golf Lane route provides a slightly more direct route to central Leamington Spa but would require cyclists to use on-road routes through the Whitnash area to connect with existing provision within Leamington and Warwick. Connecting to the Warwick to Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath route would potentially provide a more effective connection to the existing Warwick/Leamington Spa cycling network and could provide a connection to a route to the employment centre at Gaydon if design work identified this route is feasible.

At greater than 8km, Warwick town centre, Leamington town centre and the employment site at Gaydon are upper end of distances many people will consider reasonable to cycle for everyday your round journeys.

Rail

The site has reasonable proximity to the rail network with the nearest station being located at Leamington Spa some 4 miles away. Train services are principally provided by Chiltern Railways, with a half-hourly frequency in each direction between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill, with some services extended to/from Stourbridge Junction in the peaks. Arriva Cross Country services also use the line with an hourly service between Manchester and Bournemouth and a less frequent Newcastle/York to Reading service (these have been recently reintroduced following the post-Covid recovery of rail demand).

The main issue on the rail network in this area is the lack of any substantial capacity to increase service frequencies beyond their current level. The corridor is heavily used for freight, most notably intermodal services to/from the deep seaports at Southampton.

A new station in the vicinity of where the railway line passes under the B4455 Fosse Way would be required to serve the new settlement, although it should be noted that the railway at this point is on a substantial embankment west of Harbury Tunnel until it reaches the outskirts of Leamington Spa. This may have engineering and cost implications for the construction of a station.

Current journey times between Leamington Spa and Banbury for Chiltern and Cross Country passenger services is around 16-17 minutes. A key issue will be whether either operator would want to make an additional call at a station to serve the new settlement, for example Chiltern who may have already made three calls in this area (Warwick Parkway/Warwick/Leamington Spa). Issues around abstraction from Leamington Spa and Banbury would need to be explored as part of demand forecasting, along with the extent to which a new station in this area would support wider access to rail objectives from local communities such as Harbury, Bishop’s
Itchington, Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath and Southam.

Given capacity constraints on this section of line it is envisaged that a new station would need to be served by existing train services. Adding a stop into a timetable will not only extend the overall journey time by several minutes, but it can also have wider implications for how the service interacts with other key parts of the network such as the timing at Aynho Junction south of Banbury and locations including Reading and Didcot where pathing points in relation to other services will be critical. These issues will need to be explored with the Train Operating Companies (TOCs) and Network Rail.

The typical cost of a new rail station is around £30-35m (based on the estimated cost of Rugby Parkway), although this may be higher for the location in question due to the engineering challenges noted above. Given the potential wider benefits of a new station to local communities in the area who do not currently have direct access to rail there may be a case to bid for public monies to part fund the station.

Chiltern Railways and Arriva Cross Country have been contacted to ascertain whether they would be interested in calling at a new station between Leamington Spa and Banbury, given that it forms part of a number of the options for a new settlement in South Warwickshire. In responding, Arriva Cross Country confirmed that their focus is on providing fast Inter City services and that longer distance passengers are their priority. Given the likely destinations of new passengers being Leamington Spa, Birmingham and London, they believe that Chiltern Railways would provide a better fit for the generated trips from the new settlement (possibly as part of a new hourly Birmingham to Oxford service which is currently under consideration). They confirmed that an assessment would be needed to understand the impact of any new station on capacity between Leamington Spa and Aynho Junction, including the performance and reliability of their reintroduced services between Reading and Newcastle (via Solihull). Unfortunately, no response has been received from Chiltern Railways.

Bus

The Service 63/64 inter-urban bus route between Rugby and Leamington Spa passes along the northern edge of the site. Local bus services also provide access to Harbury, Bishop’s Itchington and Southam.

It is proposed that the Service 63/64 bus route between Leamington Spa and Rugby be diverted to serve the new settlement, with an upgrade in frequency to provide an attractive service. This will require discussion/agreement with the operator. It is suggested that links to JLR at Gaydon be explored as part of any service changes. The route could also call at Leamington rail station, ensuring good connectivity to the rail network should a new station in the vicinity of the settlement prove to be unfeasible.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the route of the existing inter-urban service and within the new settlement should be provided.

The proposed diversion of the existing inter-urban bus service and associated
infrastructure improvements should be deliverable, affordable and viable in the long term if planned and promoted properly.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is reasonable well-located in relation to the SRN in terms of proximity to M40 Junctions 12 and 13/14 with access via predominantly ‘B’ roads (B4451/B4452 and B4455/B4100/A452 respectively).

M40 Junction 12 was upgraded around 2015/16 to address queuing on the mainline motorway as a result of vehicles exiting to access the major employment areas at Gaydon (Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda). This included the construction of a new dual-carriageway link from the junction towards the B4100.
The scheme has been successful in achieving its aims.

The split arrangement of M40 Junctions 13 and 14 with their limited movements and proximity to M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) have safety issues caused by their physical characteristics and conflict between entering and exiting traffic. This issue is predicted to worsen over time because of background traffic growth on the M40 combined with local growth impacts in South Warwick/Leamington. A new settlement in this area along with further growth in the joint Local Plan will undoubtably add to these problems. There is however a potential through the SWLP Spatial Strategy to actively seek to rationalise Junctions 13 and 14 into a single junction mid-way between the two with a new connection to the A452/A425 Grey’s Mallory junction.
This would address most of the safety issues and improve traffic flows.

Previous modelling of major growth around M40 Junction 12 has highlighted the need for changes to be made to the slip-road arrangements. This should be reassessed if this option were to go forward for more detailed assessment. Traffic modelling should also be undertaken to identify if M40 Junctions 13-15 require a contribution towards an improvement, particularly when considered in conjunction with the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy.

The timely involvement of National Highways in the assessment process should ensure they are able to help scope the traffic modelling and ensure the understanding of the analysis of its outputs. Initial discussions have taken place with National Highways regarding the principle of a new single junction to potentially amalgamate M40 Junctions 13 and 14.

Improvements to any of the M40 junctions may have deliverability or affordability issues depending on their scale and the need for third-party (non-highway) land. It is assumed the costs of amalgamating M40 Junctions 13 and 14 will be met in full as a result of other development.

Highway (Local)

The site is well related to the LRN particularly in terms of the A425 which links Warwick and Leamington Spa with Southam, Daventry and Northampton and the B4455/A429 Fosse Way which is a long-distance cross country route linking
Leicester with Cirencester. There are several other ‘B’ roads in the area which provide links to local villages such as Harbury (B4452), Bishop’s Itchington (B4451/B4452), Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath (B4451/B4100) and Bishop’s Tachbrook (B4100/B4087) and some significant ‘C’ roads such as Welsh Road between Cubbington and Southam.

The nature of the LRN in this area with limited ‘A’ roads and predominance of ‘B’ roads is less than ideal when planning a new settlement. Previous Local Plan Strategic Transport Assessment work has highlighted issues on the A425 going into Leamington Spa and within the town centre (including the Bath Street area) as a result of growth to the east of the town. There are also issues with rat-running (particularly to/from JLR at Gaydon) and speeding traffic with several junctions having poor casualty records. The Fosse Way is used locally as an eastern bypass of Warwick and Leamington Spa, which has implications for traffic exiting from or entering side roads. The Harbury Crossroads near Chesterton has recently been signalised to address these issues as well as impacts from growth in South Leamington. The County Council is currently in the early stages of developing a Route Treatment scheme for the Fosse Way, which will aim to implement
interventions designed to address speeding traffic concerns with a focus on enhancing road safety for all users, including young and new drivers.

A targeted package of improvements to the A425, B4455 and other key ‘B’ roads in the area as well as key junctions will be required to ensure that local traffic generated by the new settlement uses the most appropriate roads, thereby protecting local villages in the area and minimising rat-running onto less appropriate roads. Given its likely use as a route to/from M40 Junction 12, a local bypass of Bishop’s Itchington should be funded by the new settlement. Impacts on Warwick and Leamington Spa town centres will need to be assessed, including consideration of the emerging ‘Mini-Holland’ and other roadspace reallocation/active travel schemes within those town centres. Mitigation will be required to support casualty reduction measures along the Fosse Way in line with the Route Treatment scheme described above. This will include a major improvement of the A425/B4455 Fosse Way junction.

The proposed LRN mitigation is considered to be broadly affordable. The proposed local bypass of Bishop’s Itchington will require further detailed work to establish a preferred alignment, which in turn will inform the need for third-party land acquisition. The County Council will assume that all costs and risks associated with this scheme would rest with the developer if the new settlement option were to go forward.

Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for 1 new secondary school for 6,000 new dwellings and 2 new secondary schools for 10,000 new homes.

At primary we would suggest the need for 3 or 4 new primary schools for 6,000 new dwellings and between 5 and 7 new primary schools for 10,000 new dwellings.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.

There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

There are no existing schools, primary or Secondary within safe walking distances and so home to school transport would need to be provided for all children until new provision built.

No local capacity to take initial growth as either primary or secondary age.

No safe walking route so home to school transport would be required. Impact of HS2 line?

Other

ID sylw: 108895

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to the exclusion of the land between Ladbroke Road/Railway line and B4451 and subject to:
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Waste Site Assessment (for assessing the extent to which an existing waste site/use/operation would be prejudiced) (Bishops Bowl, Folly Fields Farm)
• Site Waste Management Plan (a plan for reusing/recycling waste on site and avoiding off-site disposal to landfill),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)


Active Travel

The National Cycle Route 48 previously ran between Bishop’s Itchington and Southam, however traffic growth on the B4451 led Sustrans to withdraw the route along this section of road so it currently stops at the junction of Harbury Road and the B4451. HS2 Ltd is in the process of constructing a new cycle route adjacent to the A423 between Ladbroke and Southam. Once delivered NCR48 is expected to be reinstated following the low trafficked Harbury Road/Church Road to Ladbroke and the new route on the A423 to Southam.

The Warwickshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan includes an aspiration to deliver a route between Southam and Long Itchington, however feasibility of such a route is yet to be confirmed. If it is possible to deliver this route it will support a connection between the site and the Lias Line which is being upgraded in phases by its owner Sustrans to provide a continuous off-road route between Leamington Spa and Rugby.

The National Cycling Route 48 between Bishop’s Itchington and Ladbroke which currently follows a low trafficked road would need to be protected or an alternative off road route provided. The route on the A423 between Ladbroke and Southam is a minimum standard shared use facility and as such has limited capacity.
Consideration would need to be given to upgrading this route to accommodate the additional demands the site would create and to create a more appealing route for cycling trips. A new off road or protected low trafficked route would be required through Southam and a new off route road would be needed between Southam and Long Itchington in order to connect with the Lias Line and provide continuous routes to Leamington Spa and Rugby.

Consideration would need to be given to maintaining a high quality route between Long Itchington and Ladbroke, part of which would run through the site. This would need to include ensuring any remaining on-road sections are not negatively impacted by increased traffic flows associated with development. The section following the A423 is unlikely to be an attractive route for cycling due to the volume, speed and nature of traffic using the road, and unless this section can be improved this is likely to limit the number of people who would cycle to Southam (approx. 4km).

It is yet to be confirmed whether a route can be delivered between Southam and Long Itchington, however a route is likely to require third party land. If this could be provided it would enable a largely continuous route between the site and Leamington Spa and Rugby to be created, however at greater than 15km these distances are too far for all but the most committed and fit cyclists to regularly cycle to access employment and services.

Rail

The site currently has reasonable proximity to the rail network, with the nearest station being located at Leamington Spa some 8 miles away. Train services are principally provided by Chiltern Railways, with a half-hourly frequency in each direction between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill, with some services extended to/from Stourbridge Junction in the peaks. Arriva Cross Country services also use the line with an hourly service between Manchester and Bournemouth and a less frequent Newcastle/York to Reading service (these have been recently reintroduced following the post-Covid recovery of rail demand).

The main issue on the rail network in this area is the lack of any substantial capacity to increase service frequencies beyond their current level. The corridor is heavily used for freight, most notably intermodal services to/from the deep sea ports at Southampton.

A new station in the vicinity of where the railway line passes under the B4451/B4452 would be required to serve the new settlement, although it should be noted that the railway at this point is in a substantial cutting east of Harbury Tunnel until it reaches Bishop’s Itchington. This may have engineering and cost implications for the construction of a station.

Current journey times between Leamington Spa and Banbury for Chiltern and Cross Country passenger services is around 16-17 minutes. A key issue will be whether either operator would want to make an additional call at a station to serve the new settlement, for example Chiltern who may have already made three calls in this area (Warwick Parkway/Warwick/Leamington Spa). Issues around abstraction from Leamington Spa and Banbury would need to be explored as part of demand forecasting, along with the extent to which a new station in this area would support wider access to rail objectives from local communities such as Harbury, Bishop’s Itchington, Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath and Southam.

Given capacity constraints on this section of line it is envisaged that a new station would need to be served by existing train services. Adding a stop into a timetable will not only extend the overall journey time by several minutes, but it can also have wider implications for how the service interacts with other key parts of the network such as the timing at Aynho Junction south of Banbury and locations including Reading and Didcot where pathing points in relation to other services will be critical. These issues will need to be explored with the Train Operating Companies (TOCs) and Network Rail.

The typical cost of a new rail station is around £30-35m (based on the estimated cost of Rugby Parkway), although this may be higher for the location in question due to the engineering challenges noted above. Given the potential wider benefits of a new station to local communities in the area who do not currently have direct access to rail there may be a case to bid for public monies to part fund the station.

Chiltern Railways and Arriva Cross Country have been contacted to ascertain whether they would be interested in calling at a new station between Leamington Spa and Banbury, given that it forms part of a number of the options for a new settlement in South Warwickshire. In responding, Arriva Cross Country confirmed that their focus is on providing fast Inter City services and that longer distance passengers are their priority. Given the likely destinations of new passengers being Leamington Spa, Birmingham and London, they believe that Chiltern Railways would provide a better fit for the generated trips from the new settlement (possibly as part of a new hourly Birmingham to Oxford service which is currently under consideration). They confirmed that an assessment would be needed to understand the impact of any new station on capacity between Leamington Spa and Aynho Junction, including the performance and reliability of their reintroduced services between Reading and Newcastle (via Solihull). Unfortunately, no response has been received from Chiltern Railways.

Bus

There are no inter-urban bus routes which pass near or through the site. Local bus services provide access to Harbury, Bishop’s Itchington and Southam.

It is proposed to serve the site with a new, frequent bus service to Leamington Spa and Warwick. Opportunities to reconfigure the existing 665 service from Napton-on- the-Hill to Leamington Spa should be explored to deliver the new service, including consideration of extending the route to Banbury and incorporating JLR near Gaydon. This will require discussion/agreement with Warwickshire County Council as the current 665 service is fully subsidised.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the route of the proposed inter-urban service and within the new settlement should be provided.

The proposed inter-urban bus service and associated infrastructure improvements should be deliverable, affordable and viable in the long term if planned and promoted properly.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is reasonable well-located in relation to the SRN in terms of proximity to M40 Junctions 12 with access via the B4451/B4452.

M40 Junction 12 was upgraded around 2015/16 to address queuing on the mainline motorway because of vehicles exiting to access the major employment areas at Gaydon (Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda). This included the construction of a new dual-carriageway link from the junction towards the B4100.
The scheme has been successful in achieving its aims.

Previous modelling of major growth around M40 Junction 12 has highlighted the need for changes to be made to the slip-road arrangements. This should be reassessed if this option were to go forward for more detailed assessment. Traffic modelling should also be undertaken to identify if M40 Junctions 13-15 require a contribution towards an improvement, particularly when considered in conjunction with the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy.

The timely involvement of National Highways in the assessment process should ensure they are able to help scope the traffic modelling and ensure the understanding of the analysis of its outputs. Initial discussions have taken place with National Highways regarding the principle of a new single junction to potentially amalgamate M40 Junctions 13 and 14.

Improvements to any of the M40 junctions may have deliverability or affordability issues depending on their scale and the need for third-party (non-highway) land. It is assumed the costs of amalgamating M40 Junctions 13 and 14 will be met in full as a result of other development.

Highway (Local)

The site is well related to the LRN particularly in terms of the A423 which links Coventry with Banbury (and links to Rugby and Daventry from Southam) and the A425 which links Warwick and Leamington Spa with Southam, Daventry and Northampton. The B4455/A429 Fosse Way which is a long-distance cross country route linking Leicester with Cirencester is also in relative proximity to the site. There are several other ‘B’ roads in the area which provide links to local villages such as Harbury (B4451/B4452), Bishop’s Itchington (B4451/B4452) and Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath (B4451/B4100) and some significant ‘C’ roads such as Welsh Road between Cubbington and Southam.

The A423 was a trunk route prior to the opening of the M40 in the early 1990’s, which includes bypasses of both Southam and Ladbroke. The route has some spare capacity due to its downgraded status, although there are capacity constraints in and around Southam. Previous Local Plan Strategic Transport Assessment work has highlighted issues on the A425 going into Leamington Spa and within the town centre (including the Bath Street area) as a result of growth to the east of the town.

There are issues with rat-running (particularly to/from JLR at Gaydon) and speeding traffic on the local ‘B’ road network with several junctions having poor casualty records. The Fosse Way is used locally as an eastern bypass of Warwick and Leamington Spa, which has implications for traffic exiting from or entering side roads. The Harbury Crossroads near Chesterton has recently been signalised to address these issues as well as impacts from growth in South Leamington.

The County Council is currently in the early stages of developing a Route Treatment scheme for the Fosse Way, which will aim to implement interventions designed to address speeding traffic concerns with a focus on enhancing road safety for all users, including young and new drivers.

A targeted package of improvements to the A423 around Southam and on the A425, B4455 and other key ‘B’ roads in the area as well as key junctions including the B4451/B4452 at Deppers Bridge will be required to ensure that local traffic generated by the new settlement uses the most appropriate roads, thereby protecting local villages in the area and minimising rat-running onto less appropriate roads. Given its use as a route to/from M40 Junction 12, a local bypass of Bishop’s
Itchington should be funded by the new settlement. A strategy to protect Ladbroke village (including Ladbroke Hall) will be required in terms of providing suitable access to the new settlement from the A423 via a new junction and link road south of Ladbroke village. Traffic calming measures within Ladbroke village should be provided to reinforce the use of the main access from the A423.

Mitigation will be required to support casualty reduction measures along the B4455 Fosse Way in line with the Route Treatment scheme described above. This will include a major improvement of the A425/B4455 junction.

The proposed LRN mitigation is considered to be broadly affordable. The proposed local bypass of Bishop’s Itchington and access/link road from the A423 will require further detailed work to establish preferred alignments for both schemes, which in turn will inform the need for third-party land acquisition. The County Council will assume that all costs and risks associated with these two schemes would rest with the developer if the new settlement option were to go forward.

Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for 1 new secondary school for 6,000 new dwellings and 2 new secondary schools for 10,000 new homes.

At primary we would suggest the need for 3 or 4 new primary schools for 6,000 new dwellings and between 5 and 7 new primary schools for 10,000 new dwellings.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.

There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

There are no existing schools, primary or Secondary within safe walking distances and so home to school transport would need to be provided for all children until new provision built.

Other

ID sylw: 108896

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to prior extraction of sand and gravel and subject to:
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)


Active Travel

This site is not well served by cycling infrastructure. National Cycle Route 48
(Farnborough to Deppers Bridge) passes through the site. It follows relatively low trafficked roads. To the south it is possible to follow NCR48 and NCR5 to connect to Banbury, but this is a circuitous and indirect route. The Edge Hill escarpment is a significant barrier to provide active travel connections to Banbury. To the north of the site NCR48 stops south of Southam, however this connection may be completed by the imminent delivery by HS2 Ltd of a new cycle route adjacent to the A423 between Ladbroke and Southam.

Once HS2 Ltd construct a new cycle route along the A423 it would be possible to connect to Southam via NCR48 however the route between Ladbroke and Southam will be a minimum standard shared use facility and as such has limited capacity.
Consideration would need to be given to upgrading this route to accommodate the additional demands the site would create and to create a more appealing route for cycling trips. In addition, the existing NCR48 will need to be maintained. This would need to include ensuring this route on low trafficked roads is not negatively impacted by increased traffic flows associated with the development. At 10km the route to Southam is likely to be at the greater end of distances people are likely to be willing to cycle for regular trips.

If the existing NCR48 route could be maintained as a low trafficked lane it may be possible to provide a connection to Southam. However, at approx. 10km and requiring users to mix with traffic it seems unlikely that this route would attract a large number of people to regularly undertake trips by cycle. There is no obvious means of providing a continuous off-road route between the development site and Southam.

Distances to the larger service centres of Warwick, Leamington Spa and Rugby are too far for most people to complete trips by cycle.

Rail

The site currently has poor connectivity to the rail network with the nearest stations being located at Leamington Spa and Banbury, both of which are around 12 miles away. Train services on the line are principally provided by Chiltern Railways with a half-hourly frequency in each direction between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill, with some services extended to/from Stourbridge Junction in the peaks. Arriva Cross Country services also use the line with an hourly service between Manchester and Bournemouth and a less frequent Newcastle/York to Reading service (these have been recently reintroduced following the post-Covid recovery of rail demand).

Site G1 lies near the single-track Fenny Compton to Kineton line, which is used exclusively by the Ministry of Defence for rail movements to/from the Kineton MoD site. Any use of this line for passenger services is unlikely, so it has been excluded for the purpose of this assessment.

The main issue on the rail network in this area is the lack of any substantial capacity to increase service frequencies beyond their current level. The corridor is heavily used for freight, most notably intermodal services to/from the deep sea ports at Southampton.

There would appear to be two options for a new station to serve the settlement. The first option would be to locate a station on the western boundary of Site F3, although it should be noted that the railway at this point is on a substantial embankment, parts of which have recently been subject to reinforcement work by Network Rail. This may have engineering and cost implications for a new station. A new link from the A423 would be required through Site F3 to access the station. It is not clear how residents located in Site G1 would access the station in this location without substantial new highway being constructed across third-party land to the south east of Knightcote village.

The second option would be to locate a station in the vicinity of where the A423 crosses the railway south of Fenny Compton Marina, although it should be noted that the railway at this point is in a substantial cutting and running adjacent to the Oxford Canal. This may have engineering and cost implications for a new station. The proximity of Fenny Compton Down Goods Loop and its associated signaling and turnout would be a consideration in the siting of the station. It should be noted that this location is also some 2-3 miles from both sites F3 and G1.

Current journey times between Leamington Spa and Banbury for Chiltern and Cross Country passenger services is around 16-17 minutes. A key issue will be whether either operator would want to make an additional call at a station to serve the new settlement, for example Chiltern who may have already made three calls in this area (Warwick Parkway/Warwick/Leamington Spa). Issues around abstraction from Leamington Spa and Banbury would need to be explored as part of demand forecasting, along with the extent to which a new station in this area would support wider access to rail objectives from local communities such as Bishop’s Itchington, Fenny Compton, Kineton and Farnborough.

Given capacity constraints on this section of line it is envisaged that a new station would need to be served by existing train services. Adding a stop into a timetable will not only extend the overall journey time by several minutes, but it can also have wider implications for how the service interacts with other key parts of the network such as the timing at Aynho Junction south of Banbury and locations including Reading and Didcot where pathing points in relation to other services will be critical. These issues will need to be explored with the Train Operating Companies (TOCs) and Network Rail.

The typical cost of a new rail station is around £30-35m (based on the estimated cost of Rugby Parkway), although this may be higher for the location in question due to the engineering challenges noted above. Given the potential wider benefits of a new station to local communities in the area who do not currently have direct access to rail there may be a case to bid for public monies to part fund the station.

Chiltern Railways and Arriva Cross Country have been contacted to ascertain whether they would be interested in calling at a new station between Leamington Spa and Banbury, given that it forms part of a number of the options for a new settlement in South Warwickshire. In responding, Arriva Cross Country confirmed that their focus is on providing fast Inter City services and that longer distance passengers are their priority. Given the likely destinations of new passengers being Leamington Spa, Birmingham and London, they believe that Chiltern Railways would provide a better fit for the generated trips from the new settlement (possibly as part of a new hourly Birmingham to Oxford service which is currently under consideration). They confirmed that an assessment would be needed to understand the impact of any new station on capacity between Leamington Spa and Aynho Junction, including the performance and reliability of their reintroduced services between Reading and Newcastle (via Solihull). Unfortunately, no response has been received from Chiltern Railways.

Bus

The sites are close to the existing 77A service between Banbury and Leamington Spa. There are limited other local bus services in the area.

It is proposed to serve the site with a new, frequent bus service from Banbury to Leamington Spa and Warwick via JLR near Gaydon. Opportunities to divert the existing 77A service to serve the new settlement as well should be explored with Warwickshire County Council as the 77A service is fully subsidised. Opportunities to connect the new settlement with Southam through a separate service should also be explored.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the route of the proposed inter-urban service and within the new settlement should be provided.

The proposed inter-urban bus service and associated infrastructure improvements should be deliverable and affordable. There are concerns that the service may not prove to be viable in the long term due to the long distance nature of the route.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is reasonable well-located in relation to the SRN in terms of proximity to M40 Junctions 12, although current access relies on a network of predominantly ‘C’ roads to reach the B4451.

M40 Junction 12 was upgraded around 2015/16 to address queuing on the mainline motorway because of vehicles exiting to access the major employment areas at Gaydon (Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda). This included the construction of a new dual-carriageway link from the junction towards the B4100.
The scheme has been successful in achieving its aims.

Previous modelling of major growth around M40 Junction 12 has highlighted the need for changes to be made to the slip-road arrangements. This should be reassessed if this option were to go forward for more detailed assessment. Traffic modelling should also be undertaken to identify if M40 Junctions 13-15 require a contribution towards an improvement, particularly when considered in conjunction with the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy.

The timely involvement of National Highways in the assessment process should ensure they are able to help scope the traffic modelling and ensure the understanding of the analysis of its outputs. Initial discussions have taken place with National Highways regarding the principle of a new single junction to potentially amalgamate M40 Junctions 13 and 14.

Improvements to any of the M40 junctions may have deliverability or affordability issues depending on their scale and the need for third-party (non-highway) land. It is assumed the costs of amalgamating M40 Junctions 13 and 14 will be met in full as a result of other development.

Highway (Local)

The site (particularly to the north east of Knightcote) is well related to the LRN in terms of the A423 which links Coventry with Banbury (and links to Rugby and Daventry from Southam). The B4100 provides access to Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath and the B4455 Fosse Way near Chesterton and the employment areas around M40 Junction 12. The ‘C’ road from Gaydon to Kineton is an important link to Kineton School. Otherwise, the network in this area consists of minor roads and lanes which are not designed to cope with large scale traffic.

The A423 was a trunk route prior to the opening of the M40 in the early 1990’s, which includes bypasses of both Southam and Ladbroke. The route has some spare capacity due to its downgraded status, although there are capacity constraints in and around Southam. There are issues with rat-running (particularly to/from JLR at Gaydon) and speeding traffic on the local ‘B’ and ‘C’ road network with several junctions having poor casualty records. As noted above, there is a limited network of other minor roads and lanes in the area, reflecting its rural nature and sparse
population.

A targeted package of improvements to the A423 around Southam, the Fenny
Compton Wharf staggered crossroads and the B4100 as well as other key junctions will be required to ensure that local traffic generated by the new settlement uses the most appropriate roads, thereby protecting local villages in the area and minimising rat-running onto less appropriate roads.

The proposed LRN mitigation is considered to be broadly affordable, however there will be a need to establish a clear network and hierarchy of routes given the current limitations of this area.

Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for 1 new secondary school for 6,000 new dwellings and 2 new secondary schools for 10,000 new homes.

At primary we would suggest the need for 3 or 4 new primary schools for 6,000 new dwellings and between 5 and 7 new primary schools for 10,000 new dwellings.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.
There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

There are no existing schools, primary or Secondary within safe walking distances and so home to school transport would need to be provided for all children until new provision built

Other

ID sylw: 108897

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to:
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)

Active Travel

This site is not well served by cycling infrastructure. National Cycle Route 48
(Farnborough to Deppers Bridge) passes through the site. It follows relatively low trafficked roads. To the south it is possible to follow NCR48 and NCR5 to connect to Banbury, but this is a circuitous and indirect route. The Edge Hill escarpment is a significant barrier to provide active travel connections to Banbury. To the north of the site NCR48 stops south of Southam, however this connection may be completed by the imminent delivery by HS2 Ltd of a new cycle route adjacent to the A423 between Ladbroke and Southam.

Once HS2 Ltd construct a new cycle route along the A423 it would be possible to connect to Southam via NCR48 however the route between Ladbroke and Southam will be a minimum standard shared use facility and as such has limited capacity.
Consideration would need to be given to upgrading this route to accommodate the additional demands the site would create and to create a more appealing route for cycling trips. In addition, the existing NCR48 will need to be maintained. This would need to include ensuring this route on low trafficked roads is not negatively impacted by increased traffic flows associated with the development. At 10km the route to Southam is likely to be at the greater end of distances people are likely to be willing to cycle for regular trips.

If the existing NCR48 route could be maintained as a low trafficked lane it may be possible to provide a connection to Southam. However, at approx. 10km and requiring users to mix with traffic it seems unlikely that this route would attract a large number of people to regularly undertake trips by cycle. There is no obvious means of providing a continuous off-road route between the development site and Southam.
Distances to the larger service centres of Warwick, Leamington Spa and Rugby are too far for most people to complete trips by cycle.

Rail

The site currently has poor connectivity to the rail network with the nearest stations being located at Leamington Spa and Banbury, both of which are around 12 miles away. Train services on the line are principally provided by Chiltern Railways with a half-hourly frequency in each direction between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill, with some services extended to/from Stourbridge Junction in the peaks. Arriva Cross Country services also use the line with an hourly service between Manchester and Bournemouth and a less frequent Newcastle/York to Reading service (these have been recently reintroduced following the post-Covid recovery of rail demand).

Site G1 lies near the single-track Fenny Compton to Kineton line, which is used exclusively by the Ministry of Defence for rail movements to/from the Kineton MoD site. Any use of this line for passenger services is unlikely, so it has been excluded for the purpose of this assessment.

The main issue on the rail network in this area is the lack of any substantial capacity to increase service frequencies beyond their current level. The corridor is heavily used for freight, most notably intermodal services to/from the deep sea ports at Southampton.

There would appear to be two options for a new station to serve the settlement. The first option would be to locate a station on the western boundary of Site F3, although it should be noted that the railway at this point is on a substantial embankment, parts of which have recently been subject to reinforcement work by Network Rail. This may have engineering and cost implications for a new station. A new link from the A423 would be required through Site F3 to access the station. It is not clear how residents located in Site G1 would access the station in this location without substantial new highway being constructed across third-party land to the south east of Knightcote village.

The second option would be to locate a station in the vicinity of where the A423 crosses the railway south of Fenny Compton Marina, although it should be noted that the railway at this point is in a substantial cutting and running adjacent to the Oxford Canal. This may have engineering and cost implications for a new station. The proximity of Fenny Compton Down Goods Loop and its associated signaling and turnout would be a consideration in the siting of the station. It should be noted that this location is also some 2-3 miles from both sites F3 and G1.

Current journey times between Leamington Spa and Banbury for Chiltern and Cross Country passenger services is around 16-17 minutes. A key issue will be whether either operator would want to make an additional call at a station to serve the new settlement, for example Chiltern who may have already made three calls in this area (Warwick Parkway/Warwick/Leamington Spa). Issues around abstraction from Leamington Spa and Banbury would need to be explored as part of demand forecasting, along with the extent to which a new station in this area would support wider access to rail objectives from local communities such as Bishop’s Itchington, Fenny Compton, Kineton and Farnborough.

Given capacity constraints on this section of line it is envisaged that a new station would need to be served by existing train services. Adding a stop into a timetable will not only extend the overall journey time by several minutes, but it can also have wider implications for how the service interacts with other key parts of the network such as the timing at Aynho Junction south of Banbury and locations including Reading and Didcot where pathing points in relation to other services will be critical. These issues will need to be explored with the Train Operating Companies (TOCs) and Network Rail.

The typical cost of a new rail station is around £30-35m (based on the estimated cost of Rugby Parkway), although this may be higher for the location in question due to the engineering challenges noted above. Given the potential wider benefits of a new station to local communities in the area who do not currently have direct access to rail there may be a case to bid for public monies to part fund the station.

Chiltern Railways and Arriva Cross Country have been contacted to ascertain whether they would be interested in calling at a new station between Leamington Spa and Banbury, given that it forms part of a number of the options for a new settlement in South Warwickshire. In responding, Arriva Cross Country confirmed that their focus is on providing fast Inter City services and that longer distance passengers are their priority. Given the likely destinations of new passengers being Leamington Spa, Birmingham and London, they believe that Chiltern Railways would provide a better fit for the generated trips from the new settlement (possibly as part of a new hourly Birmingham to Oxford service which is currently under consideration). They confirmed that an assessment would be needed to understand the impact of any new station on capacity between Leamington Spa and Aynho Junction, including the performance and reliability of their reintroduced services between Reading and Newcastle (via Solihull). Unfortunately, no response has been received from Chiltern Railways.

Bus

The sites are close to the existing 77A service between Banbury and Leamington Spa. There are limited other local bus services in the area.

It is proposed to serve the site with a new, frequent bus service from Banbury to Leamington Spa and Warwick via JLR near Gaydon. Opportunities to divert the existing 77A service to serve the new settlement as well should be explored with Warwickshire County Council as the 77A service is fully subsidised. Opportunities to connect the new settlement with Southam through a separate service should also be explored.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the route of the proposed inter-urban service and within the new settlement should be provided.

The proposed inter-urban bus service and associated infrastructure improvements should be deliverable and affordable. There are concerns that the service may not prove to be viable in the long term due to the long distance nature of the route.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is reasonable well-located in relation to the SRN in terms of proximity to M40 Junctions 12, although current access relies on a network of predominantly ‘C’ roads to reach the B4451.

M40 Junction 12 was upgraded around 2015/16 to address queuing on the mainline motorway because of vehicles exiting to access the major employment areas at Gaydon (Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda). This included the construction of a new dual-carriageway link from the junction towards the B4100.
The scheme has been successful in achieving its aims.

Previous modelling of major growth around M40 Junction 12 has highlighted the need for changes to be made to the slip-road arrangements. This should be reassessed if this option were to go forward for more detailed assessment. Traffic modelling should also be undertaken to identify if M40 Junctions 13-15 require a contribution towards an improvement, particularly when considered in conjunction with the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy.

The timely involvement of National Highways in the assessment process should ensure they are able to help scope the traffic modelling and ensure the understanding of the analysis of its outputs. Initial discussions have taken place with National Highways regarding the principle of a new single junction to potentially amalgamate M40 Junctions 13 and 14.

Improvements to any of the M40 junctions may have deliverability or affordability issues depending on their scale and the need for third-party (non-highway) land. It is assumed the costs of amalgamating M40 Junctions 13 and 14 will be met in full as a result of other development.

Highway (Local)

The site (particularly to the north east of Knightcote) is well related to the LRN in terms of the A423 which links Coventry with Banbury (and links to Rugby and Daventry from Southam). The B4100 provides access to Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath and the B4455 Fosse Way near Chesterton and the employment areas around M40 Junction 12. The ‘C’ road from Gaydon to Kineton is an important link to Kineton School. Otherwise, the network in this area consists of minor roads and lanes which are not designed to cope with large scale traffic.

The A423 was a trunk route prior to the opening of the M40 in the early 1990’s, which includes bypasses of both Southam and Ladbroke. The route has some spare capacity due to its downgraded status, although there are capacity constraints in and around Southam. There are issues with rat-running (particularly to/from JLR at Gaydon) and speeding traffic on the local ‘B’ and ‘C’ road network with several junctions having poor casualty records. As noted above, there is a limited network of other minor roads and lanes in the area, reflecting its rural nature and sparse
population.

A targeted package of improvements to the A423 around Southam, the Fenny
Compton Wharf staggered crossroads and the B4100 as well as other key junctions will be required to ensure that local traffic generated by the new settlement uses the most appropriate roads, thereby protecting local villages in the area and minimising rat-running onto less appropriate roads.


The proposed LRN mitigation is considered to be broadly affordable, however there will be a need to establish a clear network and hierarchy of routes given the current limitations of this area.


Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for 1 new secondary school for 6,000 new dwellings and 2 new secondary schools for 10,000 new homes.

At primary we would suggest the need for 3 or 4 new primary schools for 6,000 new dwellings and between 5 and 7 new primary schools for 10,000 new dwellings.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.

There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

There are no existing schools, primary or Secondary within safe walking distances and so home to school transport would need to be provided for all children until new provision built.

No safe walking route so home to school transport would be required.

No

ID sylw: 108898

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

OBJECT due to the possible impact on an allocated mineral site and possible mineral sterilisation and subject to:
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Site Waste Management Plan (a plan for reusing/recycling waste on site and avoiding off-site disposal to landfill),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)


Active Travel

This site is not served by any existing cycling routes, however there is an extensive network of routes within Warwick and Leamington which extend to the new development on the Europa Way corridor and at Heathcote, with a route between Bishop’s Tachbrook and Heathcote however this is a relatively low quality and narrow shared use facility with limited capacity for attracting significant numbers of trips. The emerging Tachbrook Country Park also provides facilities for cycling that connect between the B4087 Oakley Wood Road and A452 Europa Way at the southern edge of new development at Heathcote.

New routes would need to be provided to connect to the existing network on the edge of Warwick. A key challenge would be creating connections over the M40, Banbury Road and potentially Tach Brook. The route between Bishop’s Tachbrook and Heathcote may require upgrading to accommodate additional cycling trips if this was a preferred alignment. Some additional investment may be required to fill key missing links in the existing Warwick and Leamington Spa networks and to upgrade some poorer quality existing routes.

At least part of the active travel connections could be created as part of the site access arrangements. Additional links would be required to continue these routes to connect to the existing network in the Heathcote area. Some additional network improvements may be required within Leamington Spa and Warwick. The journey distances to Warwick and Leamington Spa town centre are approx. 5km with many services and facilities located closer to the development site. Such distances are within those that people are likely to be willing to cycle if suitable quality
infrastructure can be provided.

Rail

The site currently has reasonable proximity to the rail network, the nearest stations being Leamington Spa and Warwick some 5 miles away and Warwick Parkway some 7 miles away. Train services are principally provided by Chiltern Railways, with a half-hourly frequency in each direction between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill, with some services extended to/from Stourbridge Junction in the peaks. Arriva Cross Country services also call at Leamington Spa with an hourly service between Manchester and Bournemouth and a less frequent Newcastle/York to Reading service (these have been recently reintroduced following the post-Covid recovery of rail demand).

The main issue on the rail network in this area is the lack of any substantial capacity to increase service frequencies beyond their current level. The corridor is heavily used for freight, most notably intermodal services to/from the deep sea ports at Southampton.

Improved multi-modal access to Leamington Spa and Warwick Parkway stations will be required to encourage medium and longer-distance trips to be made by rail from the new settlement. Increased parking may also be required to meet overall demand levels. There is potential for the recently upgraded A452 Europa Way corridor to provide a convenient access route for new or upgraded bus services, linking the new settlement to Leamington station (and the town centre).

Given capacity constraints on this section of line it is envisaged that existing train services will be used. An assessment of the need for additional seating capacity will be required to understand whether trains will require lengthening, particularly during peak periods of demand.

The infrastructure improvements identified above should be affordable and deliverable, albeit that further work to understand how additional parking could be provided at both stations will need to be undertaken to identify land/decking options and their associated costs. The costs and deliverability of additional rolling stock, should it be required to strengthen services, will need to be explored with the West Midlands Rail Executive and TOCs.

Bus

The 77, 77A and 77C inter-urban services between Leamington Spa and Banbury (via Jaguar Land Rover) pass close to the eastern edge of the site. Local bus services also provide access to Newbold Pacey, Ashorne, Moreton Morrell and Lighthorne.

It is proposed to serve the site with a new, frequent bus service to Leamington Spa and Warwick. Opportunities to divert the existing 77/77A/77C service from Banbury to Leamington Spa should be explored to deliver the new service. This will require discussion/agreement with Warwickshire County Council as these services are fully subsidised. Alternatively, the new services being planned to serve the Asps Park and Ride site could be extended south to provide a high quality, frequent bus corridor.

The site should also be served by a new, frequent service to Wellesbourne and Stratford-upon-Avon. Opportunities to combine the two routes to deliver a frequent service between Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon via the new settlement should be explored.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the route of the proposed inter-urban service and within the new settlement should be provided.

The proposed inter-urban bus service and associated infrastructure improvements should be deliverable, affordable and viable in the long term if planned and promoted properly.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is well located in relation to the SRN in terms of its proximity to M40 Junctions 13 and 14 via the B4087/B4100 and A452.

The split arrangement of M40 Junctions 13 and 14 with their limited movements and proximity to M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) have safety issues caused by their physical characteristics and conflict between entering and exiting traffic. This issue is predicted to worsen over time because of background traffic growth on the M40 combined with local growth impacts in South Warwick/Leamington. A new settlement in this area along with further growth in the joint Local Plan will undoubtably add to these problems. There is however a potential through the SWLP Spatial Strategy to actively seek to rationalise Junctions 13 and 14 into a single junction mid-way between the two with a new connection to the A452/A425 Grey’s Mallory junction as part of development proposals for this area. This would address most of the safety issues and improve traffic flows. A new access road from the B4087/B4100 to the amalgamated junction would provide direct connectivity to the SRN from the new settlement.

Given the potential rationalisation of M40 Junctions 13 and 14, there do not appear to be any significant improvements to the SRN which will need to be funded as a result of the proposed new settlement. Traffic modelling should be undertaken to identify if any other junctions such as M40 Junctions 12 and 15 may require a contribution towards an improvement, particularly when considered in conjunction with the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy.

The timely involvement of National Highways in the assessment process should ensure they are able to help scope the traffic modelling and ensure the understanding of the analysis of its outputs. Initial discussions have taken place with National Highways regarding the principle of a new single junction to amalgamate M40 Junctions 13 and 14.

Subject to the outcome of any detailed traffic modelling work, it does not appear that there will be any deliverability or affordability issues in relation to SRN mitigation, assuming the costs of amalgamating M40 Junctions 13 and 14 are met in full as a result of other development in the area. If this were not to happen, then there could be significant issues with affordability if these costs were also to be met by the new settlement.

Highway (Local)

The site is well related to the LRN particularly in terms of the A452 and A425 which link the site with Warwick and Leamington Spa, the B4087 which links towards Leamington Spa, Wellesbourne and Stratford-upon-Avon and the B4455/A429 Fosse Way which provides a long distance cross-country route linking Leicester with Cirencester. There are several other ‘B’ roads in the area which provide links to local villages such as Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath (B4100) and Harbury (B4100/B4455).

There are also minor roads which provide links towards Barford and the A429, however these are not designed to carry large volumes of traffic.

Traffic volumes continue to grow along the A452 Europa Way linked to major growth allocated in the current Warwick District Local Plan, with associated impacts on the Banbury Spur between Grey’s Mallory and M40 Junction 14. There are also ongoing issues with traffic leaving the M40 and entering the LRN from both Junctions 13 and 14 given their current configuration. Previous Local Plan Strategic Transport Assessment work has highlighted issues on the A425 going into Leamington Spa and within the town centre (including the Bath Street area) as a result of growth to the east of the town. There are also issues more widely across the area with rat- running (particularly to/from JLR and Aston Martin Lagonda at Gaydon) and speeding traffic with several local junctions having poor casualty records. The Fosse Way is used locally as an eastern bypass of Warwick and Leamington Spa, which has implications for traffic exiting from or entering side roads. The Harbury Crossroads near Chesterton has recently been signalised to address these issues as well as impacts from growth in South Leamington. The County Council is currently in the initial stages of developing a Route Treatment scheme for the Fosse Way, which will aim to implement interventions designed to address speeding traffic concerns with a focus on enhancing road safety for all users, including young and new drivers.

A package of improvements to the A452, A425, B4087, B4455 and other key ‘B’ roads in the area as well as key junctions will be required to ensure that local traffic generated by the new settlement uses the most appropriate roads, thereby protecting local villages in the area and minimising rat-running onto less appropriate roads. The major improvement of the B4087 between the M40 and Wellesbourne should include the delivery of a western bypass of Newbold Pacey. Impacts on Warwick and Leamington Spa town centres will need to be assessed, including consideration of the emerging ‘Mini-Holland’ and other roadspace reallocation/active travel schemes within those town centres. Mitigation will be required to support casualty reduction measures along the Fosse Way in line with the Route Treatment scheme described above. This will include a major improvement of the A425/B4455 Fosse Way junction.

Given the limited requirement for SRN mitigation arising from this option, the proposed LRN mitigation is considered to be broadly affordable. The proposed local bypass of Newbold Pacey will require further detailed work to establish a preferred alignment, which in turn will inform the need for third-party land acquisition. The County Council will assume that all costs and risks associated with this scheme would rest with the developer if the new settlement option were to go forward. It is assumed that a new link road from the B4087 to the amalgamated M40 junction between Junctions 13 and 14 could be delivered as an internal road through the development, built to an appropriate standard as a strategic link.

Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for 1 new secondary school for 6,000 new dwellings and 2 new secondary schools for 10,000 new homes.

At primary we would suggest the need for 3 or 4 new primary schools for 6,000 new dwellings and between 5 and 7 new primary schools for 10,000 new dwellings.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.

There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

There are no existing schools, primary or Secondary within safe walking distances and so home to school transport would need to be provided for all children until new provision built.

No safe walking route so home to school transport would be required.

This is not a favoured location in terms of education.

No

ID sylw: 108899

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to the exclusion of the land to the south of Barnfield Farm and prior extraction of minerals to the North of Harbury Road and subject to:
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Site Waste Management Plan (a plan for reusing/recycling waste on site and avoiding off-site disposal to landfill),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)


Active Travel

The key active travel link for this site will be to Warwick/Leamington Spa. The site is bounded by the Golf Lane bridleway to the north. This route runs adjacent to the Leamington Spa to Banbury railway line between Fosse Way and Whitnash and
whilst this is used for cycling is narrow, frequently overgrown by vegetation and the surface is mostly poor quality and unsuitable for cycling other than during periods of dry weather. The route stops at the edge of Whitnash.

To the south of the site, the County Council is developing plans for a cycle route between Warwick and Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath via Harbury Lane although feasibility design is yet to be completed. Part of this route could fall within the development. It could link effectively to the Warwick/Leamington cycle network at the junction of Harbury Lane/Oakley Wood Road.

The Golf Lane route would need to be upgraded and most likely widened in order to accommodate both cycles and equestrians and lessen the regularity of vegetation overgrowing, however it may be possible to provide a new parallel route through the development. Thought would need to be given to providing new off-road routes through Whitnash to connect to the existing Leamington Spa cycling network.

It has yet to be established whether the Harbury Lane route is feasible, however there is an existing cycling connection to the Warwick District sports fields which could form part of the alignment however this would need to be upgraded to provide suitable quality infrastructure.

Potentially, particularly as it may be possible to provide part of an upgraded Golf Lane route and the Harbury Lane route within the development site. Connecting from the Golf Lane route into Leamington Spa appears challenging due to the constraints of the existing highway network and limited open space. Although yet to be confirmed as feasible, the Harbury Lane route could follow the alignment of an existing cycling route to the Warwick District Sports Fields to connect to the existing cycling network at the junction of Harbury Lane/Oakley Wood Road.

Connecting to the Golf Lane route provides a slightly more direct route to central Leamington Spa but would require cyclists to use on-road routes through the Whitnash area to connect with existing provision within Leamington and Warwick. Connecting to the Warwick to Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath route would potentially provide a more effective connection to the existing Warwick/Leamington Spa cycling network and could provide a connection to a route to the employment centre at Gaydon if design work identified this route is feasible.

Leamington town centre is approx. 6km from the development site and Warwick town centre approx. 7km. These distances are reasonable for cycling and a number of the key employment and retail destinations are substantially closer to the development site than this and the trips would primarily be within an urban area with established routes.

Rail

The site currently has reasonable proximity to the rail network with the nearest station being located at Leamington Spa some 4 miles away. Train services are principally provided by Chiltern Railways, with a half-hourly frequency in each direction between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street/Snow Hill, with some services extended to/from Stourbridge Junction in the peaks. Arriva Cross Country services also use the line with an hourly service between Manchester and Bournemouth and a less frequent Newcastle/York to Reading service (these have been recently reintroduced following the post-Covid recovery of rail demand).

The main issue on the rail network in this area is the lack of any substantial capacity to increase service frequencies beyond their current level. The corridor is heavily used for freight, most notably intermodal services to/from the deep sea ports at Southampton.

A new station in the vicinity of where the railway line passes under the B4455 Fosse Way would be required to serve the new settlement, although it should be noted that the railway at this point is on a substantial embankment west of Harbury Tunnel until it reaches the outskirts of Leamington Spa. This may have engineering and cost implications for the construction of a station.

Current journey times between Leamington Spa and Banbury for Chiltern and Cross Country passenger services is around 16-17 minutes. A key issue will be whether either operator would want to make an additional call at a station to serve the new settlement, for example Chiltern who may have already made three calls in this area (Warwick Parkway/Warwick/Leamington Spa). Issues around abstraction from Leamington Spa and Banbury would need to be explored as part of demand forecasting, along with the extent to which a new station in this area would support wider access to rail objectives from local communities such as Whitnash, Harbury, Bishop’s Itchington, Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath and Southam.

Given capacity constraints on this section of line it is envisaged that a new station would need to be served by existing train services. Adding a stop into a timetable will not only extend the overall journey time by several minutes, but it can also have wider implications for how the service interacts with other key parts of the network such as the timing at Aynho Junction south of Banbury and locations including Reading and Didcot where pathing points in relation to other services will be critical. These issues will need to be explored with the Train Operating Companies (TOCs) and Network Rail.

The typical cost of a new rail station is around £30-35m (based on the estimated cost of Rugby Parkway), although this may be higher for the location in question due to the engineering challenges noted above. Given the potential wider benefits of a new station to local communities in the area who do not currently have direct access to rail there may be a case to bid for public monies to part fund the station.

Chiltern Railways and Arriva Cross Country have been contacted to ascertain whether they would be interested in calling at a new station between Leamington Spa and Banbury, given that it forms part of a number of the options for a new settlement in South Warwickshire. In responding, Arriva Cross Country confirmed that their focus is on providing fast Inter City services and that longer distance passengers are their priority. Given the likely destinations of new passengers being Leamington Spa, Birmingham and London, they believe that Chiltern Railways would provide a better fit for the generated trips from the new settlement (possibly as part of a new hourly Birmingham to Oxford service which is currently under consideration). They confirmed that an assessment would be needed to understand the impact of any new station on capacity between Leamington Spa and Aynho Junction, including the performance and reliability of their reintroduced services between Reading and Newcastle (via Solihull). Unfortunately, no response has been received from Chiltern Railways.

Bus

The Service 63/64 inter-urban bus route between Rugby and Leamington Spa passes to the north of the site. Local bus services also provide access to Harbury, Bishop’s Itchington and Southam.

It is suggested that Service 665 between Leamington and Southam is enhanced in frequency and diverted to serve the new settlement, along with the provision of a separate bus service to JLR near Gaydon.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the route of the existing inter-urban service and within the new settlement should be provided.

The proposed diversion of the existing inter-urban bus service and associated
infrastructure improvements should be deliverable, affordable and viable in the long term if planned and promoted properly.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is reasonable well-located in relation to the SRN in terms of proximity to M40 Junctions 12 and 13/14 with access via predominantly ‘B’ roads (B4455/B4100 and B4455/B4100/A452 respectively).

M40 Junction 12 was upgraded around 2015/16 to address queuing on the mainline motorway because of vehicles exiting to access the major employment areas at Gaydon (Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda). This included the construction of a new dual-carriageway link from the junction towards the B4100.
The scheme has been successful in achieving its aims.

The split arrangement of M40 Junctions 13 and 14 with their limited movements and proximity to M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) have safety issues caused by their physical characteristics and conflict between entering and exiting traffic. This issue is predicted to worsen over time because of background traffic growth on the M40 combined with local growth impacts in South Warwick/Leamington. A new settlement in this area along with further growth in the joint Local Plan will undoubtably add to these problems. There is however a potential through the SWLP Spatial Strategy to actively seek to rationalise Junctions 13 and 14 into a single junction mid-way between the two with a new connection to the A452/A425 Grey’s Mallory junction as part of development proposals for this area. This would address most of the safety issues and improve traffic flows.

Previous modelling of major growth around M40 Junction 12 has highlighted the need for changes to be made to the slip-road arrangements. This should be reassessed if this option were to go forward for more detailed assessment. Traffic modelling should also be undertaken to identify if M40 Junctions 13-15 require a contribution towards an improvement, particularly when considered in conjunction with the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy.

The timely involvement of National Highways in the assessment process should ensure they are able to help scope the traffic modelling and ensure the understanding of the analysis of its outputs. Initial discussions have taken place with National Highways regarding the principle of a new single junction to potentially amalgamate M40 Junctions 13 and 14.

Improvements to any of the M40 junctions may have deliverability or affordability issues depending on their scale and the need for third-party (non-highway) land. It is assumed the costs of amalgamating M40 Junctions 13 and 14 will be met in full as a result of other development. If this were not to happen, then there could be significant issues with affordability if these costs were also to be met by the new
settlement.

Highway (Local)

The site is well related to the LRN particularly in terms of the A425 which links Warwick and Leamington Spa with Southam, Daventry and Northampton and the B4455/A429 Fosse Way which is a long-distance cross country route linking
Leicester with Cirencester. There are several other ‘B’ roads in the area which provide links to local villages such as Bishop’s Itchington (B4100/B4451), Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath (B4455/B4100) and Bishop’s Tachbrook (Harbury Lane/B4087).

The nature of the LRN in this area with limited ‘A’ roads and predominance of ‘B’ roads is less than ideal when planning a new settlement. Previous Local Plan Strategic Transport Assessment work has highlighted issues on the A425 going into Leamington Spa and within the town centre (including the Bath Street area) as a result of growth to the east of the town. There are also issues with rat-running (particularly to/from JLR at Gaydon) and speeding traffic with several junctions having poor casualty records. The Fosse Way is used locally as an eastern bypass of Warwick and Leamington Spa, which has implications for traffic exiting from or entering side roads. The Harbury Crossroads which is located on the edge of the site has recently been signalised to address these issues as well as impacts from growth in South Leamington. The County Council is currently in the initial stages of developing a Route Treatment scheme for the Fosse Way, which will aim to implement interventions designed to address speeding traffic concerns with a focus on enhancing road safety for all users, including young and new drivers.

A targeted package of improvements to the A425, B4455 and other key ‘B’ roads in the area as well as key junctions will be required to ensure that local traffic generated by the new settlement uses the most appropriate roads, thereby protecting local villages in the area and minimising rat-running onto less appropriate roads. Impacts on Warwick and Leamington Spa town centres will need to be assessed, including consideration of the emerging ‘Mini-Holland’ and other roadspace reallocation/active travel schemes within those town centres. Mitigation will be required to support casualty reduction measures along the Fosse Way in line with the Route Treatment scheme described above. This will include a major improvement of the A425/B4455 Fosse Way junction.

Given the limited requirement for SRN mitigation arising from this option, the proposed LRN mitigation is considered to be broadly affordable.

Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for 1 new secondary school for 6,000 new dwellings and 2 new secondary schools for 10,000 new homes.

At primary we would suggest the need for 3 or 4 new primary schools for 6,000 new dwellings and between 5 and 7 new primary schools for 10,000 new dwellings.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.

There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

The proposed development area includes both Central and Southern Education Areas. Potential issues re selective schools available for part of the area and not the rest.

Home to School Transport considerations with no short term capacity available locally.

Other

ID sylw: 108900

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to prior extraction of building stone and subject to
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)

Active Travel

The primary active travel connection for this site would be to Stratford-upon-Avon, the town centre being approximately 5km from the southern boundary of the site. This is within distances that most people can comfortably cycle if appropriate traffic free infrastructure is provided, however areas toward the Bearley end of the site are likely to be at the extreme of distances people could reasonably be expected to regularly cycle. National Cycle Network route 5 (NCN5) between Stratford and Redditch runs just west of the southern segment of the site and routes to Stratford via the Stratford upon Avon Canal towpath. There is a potential direct connection to the canal towpath from the south west corner of the site using an existing agricultural route/PROW which also provides a bridge over the Stratford to Birmingham railway line. The towpath currently has an unbound surface, is fairly narrow in places and unlit and therefore only suitable for low volume leisure cycling.

There are currently no alternative acceptable routes for cycling towards Stratford- upon-Avon. There is also an absence of traffic free cycling routes within Stratford to connect people to destinations. This is being addressed in part by the delivery of improved cycling infrastructure on the A3400 Birmingham Road south of the A46 and by the development of a proposed LTN1/20 scheme on Alcester Road between the A46 and Brunel Way, however this latter scheme does not currently include a connection to the town centre.

NCN5 also provides a connection from the site towards Alcester and to Studley and Redditch via relatively low-trafficked on road routes, however these destinations are at the extremes of distances that people would choose to regularly cycle and the site would likely increase the vehicular traffic on these routes which would make them less attractive for cycling.

The canal towpath would need to be upgraded (widened, surface improvements and lighting) to make it suitable for all year round cycling trips. Consideration would also need to be given to how safety concerns associated with a lack of natural surveillance could be overcome.

An alternative option would be to provide a new route(s) to connect the site to the existing/emerging cycle routes on the A3400 Birmingham Road and/or A422 Alcester Road corridors.

New active travel connections should also be provided to enable residents of the existing communities at Bearley and Wilmcote to enable these communities to access the new services and facilities being provided within the site since this has the potential to reduce external car based trips.

Finally, consideration would need to be given to the scale of impact the site would have on the existing on road sections of NCN5 and to whether new alternative route alignments would be required to retain the important NCN connections.

Potentially, however further work would be required to confirm this. It is unclear whether the canal towpath could be upgraded to be suitable for all year round cycling since this is likely to require third party land, impact on ecology and require the support of the Canals and Rivers Trust. It seems unlikely that this would be fully lit or be subject to a winter maintenance regime which would limit its attractiveness for year round trips.

It is also unclear how alternative connections could be provided between the site and the existing/emerging walking, wheeling and cycling routes on the Birmingham Road/Alcester Road corridors could be provided. There appears to be insufficient highway land to provide off-road routes adjacent to either the A3400 Birmingham Road north of the A46 or via Billesley Road/The Ridgeway without the need to acquire third party land. Providing a safe crossing of the A46 would be challenging and likely require a grade separated crossing in the form of a bridge if feasible, which would be costly. Subject to feasibility work it may be possible to provide a route under the A46 adjacent to the railway line at Stratford Parkway, but this is likely to reduce the directness and therefore attractiveness of the route.

Rail

The site is well-related to two stations on the rail network, these being Wilmcote on the Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham (North Warwickshire) line and Bearley on the Stratford-upon-Avon to Leamington Spa line. Wilmcote has an hourly train service provided by West Midlands Trains between Stratford-upon-Avon, Birmingham and Kidderminster, with a service every two hours between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa provided by Chiltern Railways. Bearley is also served by the service every two hours between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa, along with a small number of West Midlands Trains services between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham (via Dorridge). The travel time from Wilmcote to Birmingham (via Henley) is around 50 minutes. The travel time to Leamington Spa from Bearley is around 25 minutes. The site is also located in reasonable proximity to Stratford Parkway and Stratford Town stations (3-5 miles away), both of which benefit from being served by the two trains per hour towards Birmingham (via Henley-in-Arden or Dorridge). Warwick Parkway is also located within a relatively short driving distance from the site, which offers frequent rail services towards Solihull, Birmingham, Banbury and London Marylebone.

There are some issues around seating capacity on certain peak-hour trains on the North Warwickshire line, although this is helped by the second train service each hour between Birmingham and Stratford which travels via Dorridge and Solihull.

Passenger facilities at both Wilmcote and Bearley are relatively limited, particularly at Bearley due to its current footfall. Access by means other than a car to either station is currently challenging, and there is limited formal parking. There is an aspiration to electrify the Snow Hill lines including the North Warwickshire line and increase the train frequency between Stratford and Birmingham to two trains per hour via Henley-in-
Arden. It is envisaged that this additional service would be limited stop to offer an attractive end-to-end journey time for users.

Both stations have the potential to serve the transport needs of the new settlement, although of the two Wilmcote currently has the better train service offer. Key to both stations will be the provision of a dedicated car park/transport interchange with appropriate access to the station platform(s). From the indicative masterplan for the site there appears to be land around both stations which could be used for these purposes, including space for secure cycle parking. The current footbridge linking the two platforms at Wilmcote (which is a Grade II Listed Building) would need to be upgraded to full ‘Access for All’ standards including lifts. Similar provision at Bearley will not be required due to it being located on a single line, however careful thought will be needed regarding the pedestrian route from the proposed car park to the station platform to ensure it is fully accessible.

On-board passenger count data from the Train Operator would be required to ascertain the level of overcrowding on current (peak-hour) services. Securing a stop at Wilmcote for the second Birmingham service (via Dorridge) and/or the second train per-hour via Henley-in-Arden would be highly desirable to give a train frequency level that both encourages rail use and discourages trips being made to Stratford Parkway/Stratford Town stations to access these frequencies. Based on the current rail service pattern, the modal share for rail trips would be strong towards southern and central Birmingham, but less strong towards other key areas such as Solihull and UK Central without driving to other stations or interchange within Birmingham.
Additional calls by West Midlands Trains services at Bearley (peak and off-peak) would improve this position and the combined rail offer of the two stations generally.

The key infrastructure upgrade of both stations set out above should be both deliverable and affordable, although the listed status of the footbridge at Wilmcote may have challenges with regards to an ‘Access for All’ upgrade. The decisions around any train service improvement to provide a half-hourly service to/from Birmingham at Wilmcote as well as electrification of the Snow Hill lines will rest with DfT and the West Midlands Rail Executive. Whilst a decision to proceed with a new settlement option in this area would make a positive contribution towards the business case for these improvements, it is unlikely to be the deciding factor. It is recommended therefore that a proactive dialogue with WMRE be instigated should this settlement option proceed to the next stage of assessment.

Car parking charges at both stations will be required to ensure parity with Stratford Parkway and therefore minimise abstraction. It should be noted that improvements to these stations may draw additional traffic into the area, and as a result parking
restrictions may be required in Wilmcote and Bearley villages to protect residents from station car park overflow issues.

Bus


The existing X20 Stratford-upon-Avon – Henley-in-Arden – Solihull inter-urban service operates along the A3400 every hour on weekdays and every two hours at weekends. Other bus services are relatively limited in this area apart from the 229 circular route between Stratford-upon-Avon, Wilmcote, Aston Cantlow, Bearley and Snitterfield. The rail services at Wilmcote and Bearley stations (detailed above) provide a significant element of the current public transport offer for local residents.

The new settlement should be served by bus through an amalgamation of Service X20 (which provides access to major trip generators for retail and leisure amenities such as The Maybird Centre in Stratford and Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull) and Service 229 to create a high-quality bus offer for residents of the new settlement. This would serve the development directly by diverting from the A3400 using Featherbed Lane and the proposed spine road. The intention would be to extend the route to Birmingham Airport (at the northern end) and the Rosebird Centre (at the southern end). Diversion of the existing X16/X18 to serve the site is unlikely to be feasible, and as such trips by bus from the new settlement towards Warwick/Leamington Spa will therefore either need to be undertaken via an interchange within Stratford-upon-Avon or by train.

The funding provided by the developer would function as "kickstart" to position Service X20 towards being operated on a fully commercial basis by the time the support funding ended. Part of the funding should be used for marketing to promote the enhanced bus service, including information provision directly to new residents on occupation. A fare promotion over a set period should also be considered for the new bus service serving the site to encourage patronage and facilitate modal shift, with the funding being used to reimburse the bus operator for reduced ticket sale revenue over the promotional period (in accordance with a Minimum Subsidy contract).


Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures on the route of the amalgamated X20/229 service and within the new settlement should be provided. This will include locations within the West Midlands Combined Authority area, therefore the involvement of Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) and Solihull Council in the development of this route should be sought.

As noted earlier, bus/rail interchange facilities should be provided at Wilmcote and Bearley rail stations, including bus shelter(s), Real Time Information displays and signage.

In the event of all-electric buses being used to run the new high-quality bus service, it is deemed unlikely that charging infrastructure would be required for installation at the proposed development site, as bus operators involved in electric bus provision schemes in Warwickshire (i.e. Coventry All-Electric Bus City Scheme and Warwickshire Zero Emission Bus Scheme) have a strong preference towards such infrastructure being provided at their depots and at bus stations for operational and security purposes. Notwithstanding, it is possible that the developer would be asked to make a financial contribution towards the provision of charging infrastructure at a bus depot or bus focal point, if a decision is taken by the County Council that all-
electric bus specification fleet should be used to operate the amalgamated bus service.

The proposed enhanced bus service and associated infrastructure improvements should be deliverable, affordable and viable in the long term if planned and promoted properly.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is located close to the A46 trunk road, which provides direct access to the M40 at Junction 15 (Longbridge), the M6/M69 at Junction 2 (Coventry) and the M5 at Junction 9 (Tewkesbury). The M40 and M6 provide access to the M5/M6/M42 Motorway Box and UK Central. There are no designated Major Road Network (MRN) routes within this part of Warwickshire, although the A435 MRN is accessed from the A46 at Alcester/Oversley Green. The A3400 which travels through the site links to M40 Junction 16 near Hockley Heath which is a restricted movement junction (northbound on/southbound off) and to M42 Junction 4.

The section of the A46 in the vicinity of the site is a wide single carriageway road, with three principal junctions at Marraway (A439), Bishopton (A3400) and Wildmoor (A422), all of which are at-grade roundabouts. The Wildmoor junction is due to be upgraded shortly as part of a s278 scheme associated with local development and the construction of the West of Shottery Relief Road (WSRR) in Stratford-upon-Avon. North of Marraway the A46 is of dual-carriageway standard to M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge). West of Wildmoor the A46 is single carriageway as far as Oversley Green (Alcester) where it becomes wide single.

The key issues on the SRN in this area relate to the inconsistent standard of the A46 and performance/interaction of the three junctions. As noted above, the A46 is of mixed standard with single, wide single and dual provision. This has impacts on the capacity of the route as well as its safety, particularly on the wide single/single carriageway sections due to overtaking. The three junctions have a strong inter- relationship due to their proximity, and as such any improvement of one will have implications for the others. Because of this, National Highways has historically looked at the performance of the junctions as a package, recognising the need for a joined-up strategy along this section of the A46. Linked to this is a wider concern from the County Council over the interaction of the junctions with the Local Road Network (A439/A3400/A422) and the capacity/safety of the A46 between Wildmoor and Oversley Green/Alcester. These issues have been raised consistently by the County Council through the various Road Investment Strategy/Route Strategies processes over the last 10 years.

The proximity of the new settlement option to the SRN is likely to have a major impact on the A46, not only at the A3400 Bishopton junction but also Marraway, Wildmoor and the wider A46 connections north towards Warwick (including M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge)) and west towards Alcester – particularly when considered with other SWLP allocated sites in terms of cumulative impacts. There could also be impacts at the A46 junctions/side-roads located at Billesley, Binton and Snitterfield from traffic attempting to avoid the three main junctions or heading north towards Warwick/Leamington Spa or west towards Alcester/Evesham/Redditch.
A major improvement of the A46 will be needed at Bishopton (grade-separation), which in turn will require Marraway and Wildmoor to be improved due to their interaction in traffic terms – collectively at a very high cost (>£250m). It is recognised that some apportionment of costs will be needed with other major sites across the SWLP area, although the share for the Bearley/Wilmcote site will be high due to its proximity/impact.

As noted above, the Wildmoor junction is due to be upgraded as part of a s278 scheme – albeit that it will remain an at-grade junction. Should this site go forward to further assessment, proactive engagement with National Highways will be required to assess the impact of a new settlement option in this area on the three A46 Stratford junctions (A439/A3400/A422), as well as M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) and the A46 between Stratford and Alcester.

Any major improvements to the A46 SRN required as a result of the assessment are likely to be very costly and will need to be considered in light of other significant transport and other infrastructure requirements to understand overall viability. The impacts from this site (and therefore cost apportionment) are likely to be high due to the scale of the development and its proximity to the A46.

Highway (Local)

The site is well-related to the Local Road Network in terms of the A3400, which provide links towards Henley-in-Arden and Hockley Heath (north) and Stratford- upon-Avon town centre (south). Prior to the opening of the M40 in the early 1990’s, the A3400 was a trunk road (A34), linking Birmingham with Oxford. As noted earlier, it provides access to the Strategic Road Network in terms of M40 Junction 16 and M42 Junction 4 (north) and the A46 (south). It also provides access to Stratford Parkway station and Stratford Park and Ride at Bishopton. The proposed West of Shottery Relief Road (which will be numbered the A4131) is a committed scheme which is due to be delivered within the next 2-5 years. This route is expected to have both a local and strategic function, providing access into the residential development parcels on land to the West of Shottery and linking the A4390 and B439 Evesham Road with the A46 at Wildmoor.

The key issues on the Local Road Network in this area principally relate to the A3400 in terms of impacts in Henley-in-Arden at the A4189 crossroads and within the town centre, interaction with the A46 at Bishopton (including access to Stratford
Parkway/Park and Ride) and traffic levels between the A46 and Stratford town centre (Birmingham Road).

The capacity of the A3400/A4189 signal controlled junction in Henley-in-Arden has been fully maximised and cannot be increased further. An improvement scheme for the Birmingham Road as the busiest arterial route within Stratford-upon-Avon is currently being delivered in phases by the County Council, recognising its important role as both a destination for significant retail and employment facilities and a key distributor route to access the SRN. The enhancements aim to improve the capacity and performance of the route, whilst also providing better active travel provision in the corridor.

Apart from the A3400 and proposed A4131, the area is served by a network of ‘C’ class lanes which are not designed to carry large volumes of traffic. Our understanding of existing traffic from this area heading towards Warwick/Leamington Spa is that it tends to use the rural routes (Langley Rd via Norton Lindsey or via Bearley and Snitterfield) rather than the A46. Similarly, traffic heading south and west uses the lanes to access the Billesley and Binton junctions on the A46 (which have known casualty issues) rather than routing via A3400 to the A46 – even in
uncongested conditions. It is not clear how a developer would mitigate these issues, as improvements to the A46 are unlikely to provide sufficient benefit to draw trips away from the rural routes.

The new settlement site is likely to have a major impact on the A3400 corridor, including within Henley-in-Arden and Stratford-upon-Avon (Birmingham Road and wider town centre network). The low bridge on the A3400 adjacent to Bearley station could have site construction issues that will push more traffic through the A46 Bishopton junction.

It will be extremely challenging to provide further mitigation on the A3400 Birmingham Road beyond the current improvement schemes being implemented by the County Council to accommodate the trip demands associated with the new
settlement. A cumulative impact assessment of other major growth within Stratford- upon-Avon and south of the river and at Henley-in-Arden will be required once the wider SWLP Spatial Strategy has been agreed.
Improvements to the three A46 Stratford junctions will require suitable provision for the Local Road Network (A439/A3400/A422). Good access to Stratford Parkway/ Stratford Park and Ride and the Industrial Estates off Bishopton Lane/Timothy’s Bridge Road will need to be maintained in any major improvement scheme at the Bishopton junction.

The impacts of the site on local roads within and around Wilmcote, Bearley, Aston Cantlow, Wootton Wawen, Norton Lindsey and Snitterfield will need to be assessed and mitigated, including impacts at the A422 Alcester Road/The Ridgeway junction.

Further improvements to the A3400 beyond those already being implemented by the County Council between the A46 and Stratford town centre are likely to be both expensive and challenging to deliver, as will improvements within Henley-in-Arden and at the A46 Bishopton junction.

A package of local junction/traffic calming improvements will be required which should be affordable within the overall IDP. Some third-party (non-highway) land may however be needed to deliver certain schemes. Junction improvement schemes which interface with the A46 SRN will carry a high cost and require agreement with
National Highways.

Education Impacts

Overall numbers would suggest the need for a new secondary school for 4,500 new dwellings although this is probably at the lower number of new homes that we would require to support a new secondary school.

The site falls within the priority area for two secondary schools, Stratford School and Henley High. We could look to expand Henley High School but not Stratford School which has already undergone significant expansion with more works planned. The delivery of a new school could support a shrinking of the geographic spread of the priority area for Stratford School and this would then support the provision of school places for the growth already planning within the town. Henley High is a relatively small school, and we would not want the delivery of a new school to have an adverse impact on the existing school.

At primary level we would suggest the need for 2 or 3 new primary schools for 4,500 new dwellings. There could be the possibility of relocated and expanding an existing school which currently operates at 0.5 forms of entry.

The possibility of delivering all through schools to be considered, i.e. co-location of at least part of the primary offer with new secondary facilities.

There is an assumption that all new primary facilities will include early years facilities and Special Resource Provision facilities.

There is an assumption that all new secondary schools will provide for sixth form teaching on site and that there will also be a Specialist Resource Provision included.

Henley does not have a sixth form so pupils would need to travel to Stratford to access post-16 facilities. The County Council does not offer free transport for Post- 16 students.

Other

ID sylw: 108901

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

WCC recognises the level of growth necessary within South Warwickshire resulted from the 2024 NPPF Standard Method.

We note that at this point in time the potential impact of unmet need from Coventry, the Greater Birmingham and Black Country areas is not yet known.

WCC understands that Town and Parish Councils have been asked to comment on the sites identified within the Call for Sites exercises. However, this will be without input from specialists such as the Highways Authority, Lead Flood Authority, Education Authority etc.

The lack of clarity on the status of the sites to come through the Call for Sites exercises does cause some difficult in the County Council being able to comment on the potential impacts. Further engagement with the County Council will be required to assess the sustainability/deliverability of the sites before any progress to the next stage of the Local Plan development.

Yes

ID sylw: 108902

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

WCC supports the delivery of new settlements as opposed to a dispersed method of delivery. Thought will need to given to the timing of the delivery of key infrastructure and funding mechanisms to ensure this is delivered when needed.

Other

ID sylw: 108903

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

In principle, WCC is not opposed to the emerging policy direction to seek to promote infill development within existing Built Up Areas (settlements).

However, it is recommended that the final policy ensures that settlements do not become overly dense and promotes a balance between infilling/recycling urban land and continuing to provide greenspace for sport and recreation, health and well-being, air quality and improving biodiversity, to ensure a good quality of life for residents.

Separation between settlements should be maintained.