Local plan should be best for the district

Warwick District Council has now published its preferred options for the Local Plan indicating that one of its principal considerations was ‘to spread the pain’ and while this may seem admirable the essence of any decision making should be ‘what is best for the district’ with the pain falling where ever it does.

It appears that there is sufficient uncommitted ‘white land’ in the district on which to erect the required number of homes with little or no incursions into the precious green belt that surrounds the district and a most important consideration must be to prevent the absorbtion of the surrounding villages by developing the interveneing agricultural land.

Obvious green areas that must be retained are between Blackdown and Milverton,Whitnash and Bishops Tachbrook with perhaps the most urgent being that narrrow space between Whitnash and Radford Semele where only a moderate developemant would consolidate the area into Sydenham.

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Not being affected personally by the developement in northern areas of Leamington as far as Blackdown on the scale proposed this would upset any existing balance on the commercial activities in the town because this is where the industry, retailers and good access to the M40 are not.

Any developement on the scale proposed raises again the spectre of a northern relief link being introduced possibly running from Blackdown through Miverton towards Woodloes with a direct connection to Princes Drive and Europa Way, perhaps part of which would be dual carriage ways.

It does not require much imagination to realise that if such a road was proposed to see the opportunies to build a ‘new village’ abutting onto the A46 in the Gaveston Hill area although this could just as easily be at Old Milverton.

It does appear that much more talking and petitioning must take place within the next few weeks, - Derek Booth, via email.