Concerned villagers must wait and see if homes on Warwick district green belt land are approved

Concerned villagers must wait and see if extra affordable homes on green belt land are given the thumbs up - by two different councils.

Neighbours of the site off Curlieu Lane, in Norton Lindsey, have objected to the plans put forward by Claverdon Community Land Trust saying that the development will lead to extra traffic and a local councillor said it was unlikely that the homes would benefit anyone living in the village.

Planning officer Lucy Hammond explained to members of this week’s Warwick District Council planning committee that the only part of the development they could vote on was the road junction with the vast majority of the site lying in Stratford district.

She said: “The planning application relates to ten affordable homes but we are looking at a very small percentage of the site - it is only the existing access on Warwick District Council land.

“The material considerations are therefore only in relation to highway safety and whether the access is safe and suitable for the proposed development and also green belt considerations.”

She added that the access already served 12 properties in Brick Kiln Close and the only work required on Warwick district land was some clearance works to the verge and hedgerows.

Cllr Neil Brown, from Norton Lindsey Parish Council, acknowledged that district councillors could only consider the access but explained that this week’s meeting was the only opportunity for the parish to have its say with the village split between two district councils and three different parishes.

He said: “These unfortunate boundaries are leading to planning applications such as this which arguably seek to exploit the fragmented nature of the village’s planning regime to the likely detriment of the wider community.

“Norton Lindsey faces being a growth village by stealth and, even worse, a growth village without the infrastructure changes and facilities to support such developments.”

Cllr Terry Morris informed fellow councillors that their Stratford district counterparts had deferred making a decision and suggested Warwick’s planning committee did the same.

The matter was deferred so that a member of the county council’s highways team could be present to answer questions.