Eureka moment to solve problem

There has been much debate about the number of houses needed in the WDC local plan during the consultation period. However, the persistently quoted figure of 12,300 homes has been challenged by several people now, and is deemed to be a significant over-estimate of what is actually needed.

As Mr Morris points out, and has been pointed out by several others, only around 5,400 houses are actually required. This is less than half the figure that WDC keeps telling us we need.

In the letter from Tim Griffiths, we find out that in Warwickshire as a whole, there are 6,305 empty houses, which is even more than the “required 5,400”. These are no doubt spread all over Warwickshire rather than concentrated in one place.

Bringing those back into use would cost relatively little, provide work for local builders, painters and decorators, tradesmen etc, and hence put money back into the local communities and economies.

There would be no need to build on open fields and farmland either north or south of Leamington/Warwick, there would be no massive change to infrastructure needed, and Warwick District Council and Warwickshire County Council could concentrate their time, effort and money, into improving the towns for the people who live here already, rather than promoting a plan that will cause us more grief in the future, and damage the character of the areas forever.

Surely this is a win/win situation? Unless of course you are developer with tonnes of brick on concrete waiting in the wings with which to bury parts of Warwickshire for the benefit of your own shareholders.

Steve McFadden, Whitnash