Feelings run high over ‘bonkers’ Local Plan

With most district council leaders and officers declining invitations to attend the meeting at Warwick School on Monday, it was left to county councillor Angela Warner to chair the meeting and James Mackay, chairman of the Warwick Society, to explain why Warwick, south Leamington and Whitnash have been earmarked to absorb such a large proportion of the 12,300 homes being proposed for the district over the next 15 years.

If the plan is approved at least half the land land needed across the district has already been identified and has planning consent.

But that still leaves sites for 6,630 homes to be allocated. And so far 4,500 of the houses are being proposed just south of Warwick, Leamington and Whitnash.

Mr Mackay said it was because areas like Gallows Hill and Europa Way had more green fields rather than protected Green Belt land which has led to previous proposals for two large scale developments in Milverton and Blackdown being ruled out of the revised development strategy.

But town and district councillor Michael Kinson was adamant that there was a “bad smell” about the whole Revised Strategy consultation - not least from the ever-worsening air pollution that would arise from 7,000 extra vehicles using Warwick’s roads.

Cllr Kinson won a round of applause when he said: “These proposals are totally unfair and will completely ruin our wonderful town.

“There are 46 of us district councillors but this Local Plan was decided by nine members of the executive committee, only two of whom are also Warwick town councillors.”

Angrily he added: “Nobody on the district council had the guts to come along despite the fact the town was being dumped on.”

In fact, executive committee member Cllr Moira-Ann Grainger was at the 180-strong meeting but did not get a chance to speak. She had been consistently outvoted on the nine-strong executive although last week did formally side with fellow town councillors in opposing the revised plan.

With just a week left (now three days) for people to make their views known on the revised plan, the meeting was formally organised by Warwick and Whitnash town councils in conjunction with Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council and the Warwick Society.

The idea was that any submitted objections would be more informed if the full facts were known in advance, such as the effect of the major road infrastructure needed along with more schools and extra capacity at the hospital.

And with the latest report on the poor air quality in the town about to be produced, Cllr Elizabeth Higgins was able to point out that recent surveys already showed that 76 per cent of vehicles contributing to exhaust fumes were simply passing through the town.

Many at the meeting expressed their mistrust of the fact that so several town and district councillors were also trustees of the King Henry Vlll charity or the Oken charity which meant they had stood back from taking part in discussions of the Local Plan because both charities had land interests at the rear of Warwick School and would be applying for outline planning consent ahead of any sale.

Angelo Cugini of the Myton Action Group won cheers when he declared: “This Local Plan is bonkers Each of these new homes will equate to two extra cars leading to 7,000 vehicles on our roads by 2029 - what about the increase in asthma and the proved link of pollution leading to lung cancer?”

Whitnash councillor Cllr Judy Falp said she believed the loss of three senior planning officers three years ago had left the district short on expertise which had led to the Developers’ Charter aspect of Local Plan.

All observations on the Revised Local Plan must be with Warwick District Council by Monday (July 29). Email: 
[email protected] or write to the Development Policy manager, Development Services, Warwick District Council, Riverside House, Milverton Hill, Leamington, CV32 5QH.