Residents fight to stop homes being built north of Warwick

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Everyone living on the Woodloes Estate will be affected by the extra traffic generated by new homes proposed for a strip of green belt land between Warwick and Leek Wootton, say a newly formed group of protesters.



Residents believe the 180 homes being proposed for Loes Farm, opposite the Saxon Mill, is in contradiction of the Government’s national planning policy framework and can only lead to urban sprawl and a dangerous build-up of extra traffic on the estate.

But at one of the packed public consultation meetings at Hill Close Gardens earlier this week, deputy district council leader Les Caborn, who has led work on the local plan to develop a total of 10,800 homes over the next 14 years, stressed that all national regulations would be complied with as both pocket developments and whole new communities - suburban garden towns - would be created alongside new schools and other associated infrastructure.

Cllr Caborn (Con, Bishops Tachbrook) said: “More homes are needed. This local plan is about the future of the district as a whole and the legacy we leave behind for our children.”

The last of the public consultation meetings was expected to be held at Ridgeway School last night (Thursday).

On Tuesday, Mr George and some of his Woodloes Park neighbours met at Hinton’s Nursery on Coventry Road to discuss their collective and individual objections to the Loes Farm proposals.

The meeting was chaired by Sarah Ridgeway, who owns the nursery, and said straight away than even though the homes would undoubtedly generate new business for her, she was against the development of nearly half the 90-acre site because of the long-term ecological costs.

Mike George, who lives in Drayton Court, said: “Who gave Warwick District Council the right to pick and choose which parts of the national planning policy to comply with? When I spoke to my neighbours so many were still unaware of these proposals even though objections must be lodged before next Friday (July 27).”

He added: “Loes Farm provides a land break between Warwick and Leek Wootton and has ridge and furrow dating back to the Middle Ages. The council’s own habbitat assessment of 2008 stated that this parcel of land was not favourable for development because of the dominating grassland which is of ecological significance due to the numbers of mature trees, old pasture and rich hedgerows, some dating back to the 1700s.

“Apart from anything else the geography of the land basically hides Woodloes and gives the impression to anyone travelling into Warwick via the A429 that it is still ‘historic Warwick’ and not just another concrete town.”

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Legal threat over plan for 12,000 new Warwickshire homes

Campaigners against plans for 12,000 new homes across Warwickshire are threatening legal action if they are given the go-ahead.

Protestors fear the development plans by the district council would result in a "suburban sprawl on rural land".

Councillors say the plans would help meet housing needs and provide jobs.

Half of the homes will be built on farmland that already has planning consent in Warwick, Leamington, Whitnash and Bishops Tachbrook.

Land for the remaining 6,000 homes has not yet been identified, the council said.

James Mackay, chairman of the Warwick Society, a voluntary group working to preserve the county's heritage, said: "So many people are opposed to this, if the district council does not accept the residents' views then a legal challenge may be the only way to prevent harm being done by these proposals."

A public consultation finished last week. More than 200 people have objected to the proposals.