Issue and Options 2023

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General Planning Principles - Accessibility & Transport Accessibility to train services is critical. We welcome any policy that enables as many people as possible to travel by train. As a Rail User Group, this objective is axiomatic to the aims, values and wishes of many residents and passengers we represent. Rail has a vital role to play in supporting new housing development, especially if we can encourage high-density developments around new or existing stations with good connectivity to a major metropolitan area. We wish to see increased train service frequencies where appropriate; we want to see latent demand caused by accessibility issues faced by groups of potential rail passengers resolved; we wish to see existing stations significantly enhanced where suitable, together with an expansion of the rail network where such investment would enable better connectivity and rail network resilience. Increased rail passenger demand compounded by the absorption by local authorities of government-directed housing growth poses a risk and opportunity to rail. We believe the SWLP should reflect the priorities of the West Midlands Carbon Homes Routemap, defined as; To address whole-life carbon, low-carbon transport also needs to be prioritised, including: • Investments in public transport • Prioritising active travel solutions within the transport hierarchy • Encourage transit-oriented and car-free development. • Include requirements for EV charging infrastructure as a condition of West Midlands Combined Authorities housing investment. South Warwickshire Local Plan – Transport Policy Rail network and infrastructure enhancement and expansion are seldom considered, and we would welcome the inclusion of a broader vision for rail network expansion. The need for this objective to be realised is underpinned by the requirement to move to more sustainable methods of transport, and railways represent the most sustainable. Without this, the ability to increase rail capacity and service increased passenger demand meaningfully is significantly impaired. A robust "Local Rail Investment Policy (LRIP)", setting out the principle that Local Planning Authorities should use the powers and instruments given to them by central government and requiring that new housing development within 5 miles of a railway station should be subject to the application of either the Community Infrastructure Levy or Section 106, should be contained within any Local Plan. A LRIP would mirror the principle enshrined in statute related to utilities and customer service since the early 1990s. Where any development occurs, the utilities concerned must ensure no diminution of regulated levels of service received by existing customers. Consequently, where required, the cost of additional infrastructure identified as needed to maintain existing service levels and supply new services can be required by the utility to be financed by the developer. The purpose of the LRIP is to fund enhanced, enlarged, improved rail station infrastructure adequately with funds from developers to ensure existing train service users do not experience a diminution in their train service and that additional users arising from such housing growth can use a train service that has adequate capacity and station facilities to ensure complete and sustainable accessibility. Where the Local Planning Authority believes housing growth, cumulative or exclusive, will impact rail station or network infrastructure, rail and/or train service capacity, the LPA can ensure funding is provided as part of any planning consent for such development. A LRIP, through its inclusion within the Local Plan, will enable this ability with any planning proposals.

South Warwickshire Local Plan – Housing Development and Sustainable Transport The Draft South Warwickshire Plan sets out several development options, with some involving settlements or developments near or within a certain radius of a rail corridor. If developments are preferred in the final plan close to rail corridors, then the developers should bear the costs of the infrastructure expansion/enhancement indicated as required. The best way for rail to support housing growth in the case of South Warwickshire is to focus new housing around existing stations. Such developments should support the case for enhancements at the stations in question (Shelters, Ticket Buying Facilities and Car Parking). However, we expect an equal focus on delivering dedicated walking and cycle routes from the new developments to these stations. The following would be helpful to promote sustainable travel from the new developments. In terms of providing rail service enhancements to support housing proposals in areas 1 and 2, and 3: 1. Double the frequency of the existing Birmingham – Shirley – Henley – Stratford service from one to two trains per hour. This is essentially an extension of existing Birmingham – Whitlock's End services so no infrastructure is required. 2. Ensure we retain an hourly Birmingham – Solihull – Claverdon – Stratford service for which no infrastructure is required. 3. Seek to deliver a regular hourly Stratford – Claverdon – Warwick – Leamington service and enable through services between Oxford and Stratford upon Avon. This would require investment to redouble the section of railway between Hatton West Junction and Bearley Junction. 4. Seek to deliver a regular hourly Birmingham – Solihull – Lapworth – Hatton – Warwick – Leamington service. The delivery of options 3 and 4 would be significantly helped by track and signalling infrastructure works at Leamington to allow direct access from north to Platform 1 (bay) and may be required if both are pursued in parallel. Funding towards these works should be provided from developers or through mechanisms available to the LPA (Section 106 and/or CIL) The best way for rail to support housing growth in area 4 is to: 6. Increase frequency of hourly Kenilworth service to half hourly (likely to require a complete doubling of Milverton to Gibbet Hill single track section – i.e. more extensive work than currently proposed by Midlands Connect, which recommends Milverton to Kenilworth doubling) 7. Consider the potential new Coventry South / University of Warwick Station. This would require doubling the entire Leamington – Coventry rail line) The reopening of the Stratford upon Avon to Honeybourne railway line should be comprehensively examined, particularly the Total Economic Impact of reopening and the significantly greater level of accessibility and network resilience it could provide, which is crucial with some 391,000 new homes expected to be completed by 2033 across the wider West Midlands. We support a broader vision that includes rail network expansion, electrification, and better train service frequency. Without expansion, electrification and improved frequencies, South Warwickshire will be condemned with a sub-optimal rail network providing a sub-optimal train service leading to sub-optimal environmental, sustainability and customer service outcomes.