One Barford house bulldozed but 60 to replace it

On Tuesday planning councsillors unanimously agreed to the proposals from Taylor Wimpey for a mixture of houses, bungalows and flats.

Access to a 2.75 hectare parcel of land, just off the Wellesbourne Road, will be achieved by the demolition of the former police house.

Members of Barford, Sherbourne and Wasperton Joint Parish Council had objected to the number of homes proposed.

They say they have reluctantly accepted that Bafford is expected to take a significant number of new homes and the sites identified offer the least harmful options.

In their submission, parish council members pointed to a 2009 Housing Needs Survey they commissioned with Warwickshire Rural Community Council which had concluded there was only a need for 11 affordable new homes within all three parishes.

The results of a more recent survey, still not completed, suggested this had only risen to 15 homes, both social and for sale at normal market prices.

Barford Residents’ Association also felt the new homes were in excess of local needs.

Cllr Michael Doody (Con, Radford Semele), who represents another of the vilages earmarked for growth, said while he regretted the demolition of its former police house, if this led to opening up the site to 60 new homes it was a definite planning gain.

Cllr Jerry Weber (Lab, Clarendon, Leamington) was concerned that the rented or less expensive homes would be grouped together.

But Cllr Alan Boad (Lib Dem, Leamington Crown) disagreed saying he believed the homes were fairly distributed.

A decommissioned BT telephone box in front of the site will be reconnected and relocated to another part of the village.

Although the new development will take up some horticultural land, it is not in the Green Belt.