Revised Development Strategy

Dear Mr Barber

I write on behalf of the members of the Parochial Church Council of St Chad's, Bishop's Tachbrook to respond to the proposals for our new Local Plan.

The PCC have considered the objective of building over a 15 year period some 12,000 houses, of which 70% are planned to be constructed south of Warwick and Leamington Spa and noted that:
* This level of development represents the equivalent of building a new Bishop's Tachbrook village every two years in the vicinity over the life of the Plan.
* The local need for new housing requires less than half this level of development (i.e. less than 6,000 houses).
* Little consideration appears to have been given to the difficulties in fostering community life on the recently completed Warwick Gates.
The PCC wholeheartedly objects to this Plan, because:
* This level of development will fundamentally change the rural character of the area, including the setting of Warwick, Leamington and the historic surrounding countryside. This is not just a question of aesthetics, our concerns is that communities in this Parish will loose identity and cohesion as they become subsumed within a wider conurbation.
* These proposals do not appear to be supported by local residents, who are still working to build a sustainable community on Warwick Gates. It takes time for an estate of this size to become a viable community, with vibrant groups and networks that help sustain a decent quality of life. To plan to build almost the same number of houses every two years adjacent to Warwick Gates, does not allow for normal community life to be nurtured.
* It is unfair. To lump so much development on the southern reaches of Warwick and Leamington is punitive. It places a significantly disproportionate amount of stress and dislocation on just one part of the District, on the supposed justification that this area is not part of the Green belt. While this solution may work politically, it unfairly burdens one area for the benefit of others.
It is easy to forget that each of the proposed houses, will need to become a home. That is not achieved by facilities alone, but many years of growing a shared spirit that engenders support and fellowship across all ages in a community. It is our considered view that this Plan fails to support this vital endeavour.