Revised Development Strategy

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Object

Revised Development Strategy

5.6 District Wide Transport Mitigation Proposals

Representation ID: 60169

Received: 02/08/2013

Respondent: Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council

Representation Summary:

Traffic and pollution
The concentration of proposed development in one area to the south of the urban area of Warwick and Leamington will have serious traffic implications.

Traffic engineers advise that 24 or more large junction improvements must be made to reduce the effect of this proposal estimated at this stage to cost £39,000,000 but likely to exceed that when all the problems are known.

Even then, at peak periods due to the high traffic volumes, the myriad traffic light junctions are unlikely to speed things up very much. Traffic is bad now and will continue to be so.

The problem is the historic road layout and the combination of rail, rivers and canals requiring bridges that give a very limited number of north south routes for road traffic and because of concentrated development in the towns it is not possible to find a new route through, the problem is difficult to resolve.

Warwick is an old town most of which was built for horse powered traffic. Many roads are narrow and restricted and the buildings are close to roads some with narrow pavements.

The paraphernalia of signalled junctions, multiple lanes and traffic signs for every purpose, as well as the high levels of road lighting do not fit well with the elderly buildings and character of the town.

Alternatives:
The Severe and unacceptable Traffic impact on the town, can be avoided by accepting that the objectively assessed level of local housing need amounting to 5,400 homes.

As these will be better distributed around the district, major traffic concentration would be avoided. Depending on where development are located, some traffic junction improvements may be required but not on the scale being proposed.

Air Pollution:
Air pollution is also a concern, particularly for those properties that line the roads and ventilate into the narrow streets.

No reassurances, with independent continuously measured air pollution levels, have been provided by the District to indicate whether this is a real concern or not.

It must be assumed therefore that such measurements would show that the problem is real and from time to time at unacceptable levels.

Any development included in the RDS would not be in compliance with NPPF 109 in respect to new development contributing "to unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by unacceptable levels of soil, air, water or noise pollution or land instability."

Object

Revised Development Strategy

RDS5: The following sites will be allocated for development:

Representation ID: 60170

Received: 02/08/2013

Respondent: Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council

Representation Summary:

Housing and Rural Settlements:

Reject the proposed Settlement Hierarchy because it uses the wrong criteria to decide what each village might be able or want to do. Careful change to the Limited Growth Villages policy, could identify sympathetic housing developments in rural areas which the local community would support.

The tone of the suggested policy is contrary to the spirit of the Localism Act and seeks to impose from above rather than be formulated by the residents who live there.

R1-DS 5 categorises 5 villages as Primary Service Villages and another 5 as Secondary Service Villages. But, apart from a checklist of facilities, nowhere is the logic set out to explain the distinction.

Many residents would argue that Barford is better served with facilities than Bishop's Tachbrook, and other awkward comparisons can be made.

2-Not clear why a further 14 Smaller Feeder Villages could not be included in the first 2 categories.

3-It is not necessary or fair to exclude Smaller and Very Small Villages from having the opportunity to grow organically. All might benefit from some new housing, provided it is built in small numbers of units and phased over the period of the plan; and of course sensitively designed to harmonise with the existing settlement in terms of topography and landscape.

Recommend that new housing in rural areas should be dispersed evenly across the District.

4-Agree therefore para 4.4.3, but these should be applied to all rural communities equally and reject the concept that villages in Green Belt have different needs and ambitions to villages in other rural areas.

5-WDC should encourage parish councils, with the support of their community, to identify plots within and adjacent to village envelopes. Confidence in the process will be established provided policy provides for maximum of, say, 20 units (this would enable up to 8 affordable dwellings).

6 There is some land in the green belt which does not contribute to the quality of the environment or landscape, where appropriate schemes would be beneficial and would improve unkempt parts. (ie could be treated as "washed over" [as part of a Green Belt review]

7 "Sustainability" is a prerequisite not just for villages with shops and pubs. Most smaller settlements will have WIs, allotments, churches, and a range of groups and activities which ensure a thriving community life. Planning policy should underpin this.

8 As per 4.4.3 most PCs and Neighbourhood Plan teams will respond positively to close working with WDC Planning.

Object

Revised Development Strategy

Bishop's Tachbrook

Representation ID: 60171

Received: 02/08/2013

Respondent: Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council

Representation Summary:

Reject the proposal that Bishop's Tachbrook has to have 100-150 new houses.

No clear reasons are set out why PSV's should have 100-150 new houses and SSVs 70-90. If it is based on population it could as well be argued that smaller and medium sized villages should be allowed to grow more in order to balance up with larger villages. There is no intrinsic merit in large villages getting much bigger whether absolutely or in proportion to their existing size.

It cannot be the intention that large villages become the size of small towns.

Bishop's Tachbrook village consists of about 750 houses, so that the additional number would represent a 13 - 20% increase. Such incremental growth would be excessive and dilute the village atmosphere.

Residents have stressed that their reason for choosing to live in BT is that they wish to enjoy village life. In Parish Plan survey residents emphasised that they are passionate to retain the rural setting of the village; and in this regard consider the agricultural land that currently separates village from the southern edge of Leamington and Whitnash as critical.

(Happily people living in Warwick Gates and Whitnash share the same view!)

Illustrative photo (submitted) shows clearly the compact form of the village. There are no obvious spaces to accommodate 100 plus new houses. New residents living on a periphery estate would feel remote form the village centres and may find it difficult to integrate with existing residents.

The school, shop, club and pub do not require sustaining by population growth - and unlikely to benefit given propensity of estate dwellers to jump into their cars.

The Housing Needs Survey conducted in 2008 resulted in 14 new dwellings being required to meet local needs - on the basis that 10 of these were affordable and using the 40% norm that infers a top line figure for new housing of 25.

This figure broadly confirmed in June as part of Parish Neighbourhood Plan engagement. 68% of respondents felt that the village need was for 0-14 houses, with the balance of respondents suggesting higher figures, but declining markedly over 100.

Urges WDC to trust this community via its on-going Neighbourhood Plan process to arrive at a realistic figure; and to continue its discussions with owners of property both within the village boundary and adjacent to the envelope.

This less rigid approach is essential if the Council's Strategic Vision "to make Warwick District a great place to live, work and visit" is to be achieved.

Object

Revised Development Strategy

RDS3: The Council's Preferred Option for the broad location of development is to:

Representation ID: 60172

Received: 02/08/2013

Respondent: Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council

Representation Summary:

The representation sets out the key context to sustainable development as set out in the NPPF:

* The purpose of the planning system is to contribute to sustainable development and the representation sets out the five guiding principles of sustainable development. Also:

* Local planning authorities should seek opportunities to achieve each of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, and net gains across all three. Significant adverse impacts on any of these dimensions should be avoided and, wherever possible, alternative options which reduce or eliminate such impacts should be pursued (para 152).

* Local Plans are the key to delivering sustainable development that reflects the vision and aspirations of local communities (para 150)
Comment:
* So, is the consultation plan sustainable in the terms laid down by the NPPF?
* Is the assessed housing need at 12,300 assessed objectively for the District?
* Are the sites selected for development acceptable in principle and compliant with the NPPF?
* Is the effect on the environment, taken as a whole, of enlarging the population by another 20% in 15 years necessary and acceptable?
* Does the development require associated infrastructure other than provided in the housing development and are the costs of their provision covered by the proposed developments?
* Are there any significant adverse impacts from the development?
* What are the social impacts of the plan?

BTPC consider that none of these requirements pass the test of the NPPF and that the plan is non-compliant.

An additional 30,000 population if they were to arrive as planned would change the District dramatically and reverse the strategic vision promoted by the Council.

Alternatives:
The single most effective way to take all the communities forward together, without splitting north from south, green belters from rural folk and making happy people sad to see the place destroyed, would be to adopt the objectively assessed number of new homes as 5,400 as it would:

* be achievable within the terms of the NPPF and so get an examiners approval rather than rejection;

* use sites that are uncontroversial and fit in from the outset;

* provide all the housing requirements needed by the people in the locality and give a reasonable margin to allow trend based migration to occur;

* Provides a good set of affordable homes more quickly into urban locations with existing services and communities giving organic growth of the towns;

* Reduce car travel miles by using urban locations closer to facilities;

* allow a 5year housing land supply to be established forthwith and remove the impediment of developers usurping the local Plan process

* Be economically viable for all the public bodies that would otherwise be left with having to find the costs of additional infrastructure from the 12,300 plan;

* Retain rural area policies intact into the new local plan, retaining agricultural land and high visual quality landscapes;

* Retain Green Belt which is so valuable in differentiating the character of Warwick district from the surrounding conurbations;

* Retain the attractiveness of the district that is basis of our thriving tourism industry;

* Retain the existing good jobs homes balance, despite the continuing economic situation;

* Be aspirational but also realistic because 5,400 homes still produces 10,000 employees that will need employers, which, short of a miracle will be hard to find;

* Be better to grow more slowly and controllably than rashly and erratically: and

* Regain the trust in our elected representatives

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