Preferred Options

A.C.Lloyd Homes Ltd wish to support the allocation of 100 dwellings in the Category 1 village of Bishop's Tachbrook. It is acknowledged by the Council that there is a limited supply of land within the existing built up area of the towns which necessitates the allocation of land outside the built up area on undeveloped land. In respect of the rural areas paragraph 7.34 of the Local Plan states that a limited amount of development is directed to those villages with a good range of services and public transport to towns. All the category 1 villages, including Bishop's Tachbrook, have the benefit of a school, shop and village or community hall. The Council have suggested that a limited quota for new housing will enable villages to expand the choice of housing as well as deliver affordable homes, this is supported by A.C.Lloyd Homes Ltd.

In particular, Land to the West of Bishop's Tachbrook identified as site R22 within the SHLAA is an appropriate site for additional residential development to assist in meeting this identified Development Plan requirement for the village. The site comprises 2.39 hectares of land and adjoins the north western boundary of the village. The site is located north of Mallory Road and lies to the rear of existing properties along Seven Acre Close, St Chads Road and Rye Close.

The site is not located within either the Green Belt or the Area of Restraint and it does not lie within the identified floodplain. It immediately adjoins the existing built up part of Bishop's Tachbrook and is in a sustainable location. The local facilities within the village are within a reasonable walking distance (within 2 km) of the site. These facilities include Bishop's Tachbrook Church of England Primary School which is 450m from the site, the Post Office which is 740m from the site, the Church on Mallory Road and the Public House off Oakley Wood Road

The majority of Leamington Spa is within easy cycling distance (5 km) of the site. Facilities in this locality include the local centre within the Warwick Gates development, the southern employment areas, Whitnash, the town centre and the rail station.

The closest bus stops to the site are located on Mallory Road, just to the east of Seven Acre Close only a short walking distance from the site. Routes X15, 77 and 67B serve these stops. They offer services between Stratford and Coventry hourly between Monday and Saturday; Leamington and Kineton between 7-9 trips per day in each direction between Monday and Saturday; and Leamington and Cubbington 2 hourly on Sundays.

In terms of access to the site, this would be from Seven Acre Close. The speed limit of Mallory Road changes from 60mph to 30mph with the presence of a gateway feature into the village. Visibility splays in a westerly direction can be achieved in accordance with the east bound vehicle speeds.

To summarise the site is in a sustainable location, adjacent to the built up area of the village of Bishop's Tachbrook. Access to the site is deliverable within either the existing highway or land controlled by A.C.Lloyd. Future residents of the site would have the opportunity to access every day facilities and key destinations by a choice of transport modes. The site is available and achievable and offers a sustainable solution to assist in meeting the housing requirement for Bishop's Tachbrook.

A.C.Lloyd Homes Ltd wish to support the allocation of 100 dwellings in the Category 1 village of Radford Semele. It is acknowledged by the Council that there is a limited supply of land within the existing built up area of the towns which necessitates the allocation of land outside the built up area on undeveloped sites. In respect of the rural areas paragraph 7.34 of the Local Plan states that a limited amount of development is directed to those villages with a good range of services and public transport to towns. All the category 1 villages, including Radford Semele, have the benefit of a school, shop and village or community hall. The Council have suggested that a limited quota for new housing will enable villages to expand the choice of housing as well as deliver affordable homes, this is supported by A.C.Lloyd Homes Ltd.

In particular, Land South of Radford Semele identified as site R21 within the SHLAA is an appropriate site for additional residential development to assist in meeting this identified Development Plan requirement for the village. The site comprises 2.59 hectares of land and is located on the western edge of the village. The site is bound to the north by residential development with open countryside to the west and south west. Spring Lane marks the eastern boundary of the site which also forms its primary access point. Development of this site for housing purposes, would form an natural extension to the village and would effectively round-off the built form on the western side of the village. The site is not in Green Belt but is identified within an Area of Restraint (AoR) as identified on the Proposals Map of the Adopted Local Plan.

The site formed part of a larger site promoted during the previous Local Plan Inquiry. Whilst the site was not required for development at that time, the Council acknowledged that the development of this site would not erode the gap between Radford Semele and Leamington Spa by virtue of the fact that the site does not extend the urban edge of Radford Semele any closer to Leamington Spa. As such it is considered that the AoR, in the context of this site, does not represent a constraint to development.

The site would be accessed via an extension of Spring Lane/School Lane into the site at the existing turning head. This would accommodate the needs of pedestrians and cyclists as well as vehicular traffic. School Lane forms a priority junction with Southam Road to the north of the site, which provides connections to the remainder of the local highway network.

The local facilities within Radford Semele are all within close walking distance from the site. These include the Sunbeam Pre-School and Radford Semele Church of England Primary School, playing fields adjacent to the site, the Post Office opposite the Lewis Road / Lay Gardens junction, the church and a Public House. Some of the eastern parts of Sydenham are also within a reasonable walking distance of the site.

The majority of Leamington Spa is within easy cycling distance of 5 km from the site. Facilities in this locality include the town centre, rail station and Whitnash.

The closest bus stops to the site are located on School Lane and Southam Road only a short walking distance from the site. Route 63 operates between Rugby and Leamington. Route 64 provides services between Long Itchington and Leamington via Bishops Itchington. These routes combine to provide a half hourly service Monday to Saturday with Route 63 running four times on a Sunday. The Flexibus 498 runs between Radford Semele and Banbury providing one service each way on Thursdays. There is therefore a frequent nearby bus connection to a number of destinations, including Leamington Spa, Rugby and Long Itchington.

To summarise, the site is in a sustainable location, adjacent to the built up area of the village of Radford Semele. Access to the site is deliverable within either the existing highway or land controlled by A.C.Lloyd. Future residents of the site would have the opportunity to access every day facilities and key destinations by a choice of transport modes. The site is available and achievable and offers a sustainable solution to assist in meeting the housing requirement for Radford Semele.

Objection is raised to Map 2: Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Sites as our client's sites at R21 Land South of Radford Semele and R22 Land West of Bishop's Tachbrook are identified on the Plan as unsuitable/unavailable sites when in fact they are considered wholly suitable for development to assist in meeting housing requirement within the Category 1 villages. Please refer to comments made in relation to Policy PO4 of the Plan.

The sites are both situated within sustainable locations, adjacent to the built up area of the respective villages of Radford Semele and Bishop's Tachbrook. Access to the sites is deliverable within either the existing highway or land controlled by A.C.Lloyd. Both sites are available and achievable and offer a sustainable solution to assist in meeting the housing requirement for Radford Semele and Bishop's Tachbrook.

A.C.Lloyd (Asset Management) Ltd wish to object to the wording in relation to student accommodation and HMOs at Policy PO6.

In particular, the current wording suggests that new student accommodation/HMOs will be required to meet locational criteria to ensure they are not located in areas which already have a high concentration of such accommodation. It is our contention, however, that in order to accord with advice within NPPF, locational criteria should be based principally on sustainable development criteria such as access to services and facilities and public transport links to the university.