Sustainability is the key word

They have worked within the confines of planning rules that have put three quarters of the district’s area in green belt, the limits of local infrastructure and so on.

In future, getting fuel supplies will affect us more and more and this will influence our behaviour. The key word is ‘sustainability’. How will we get about? How close will we be to our jobs and services?

This and the congestion and pollution that Warwick and Leamington will experience until fuel prices make road transport prohibitive gives me great doubt over the numbers of houses planned for the south side of Warwick and Leamington. Large housing developments by Gaydon might well exacerbate these issues though you would hope that it would encourage people to live locally to their work. I do not see how widening Gallows Hill and Europa Way will relieve the river bridges into Warwick and Leamington.

The proposed developments are housing estates based around the car. They are a late 20th century solution to a 21st century problem. How can this have a future? The traffic will cause poorer air quality which will affect people across a wide area, including those in the green belt areas. Public transport can play its part but it has to be high quality.

In our district the railway lines to Solihull and Coventry (NUCKLE corridor) could provide such quality.I have written feedback on the local plan suggesting that development should take place at sites along the railway lines. Would this not greatly ease the traffic problems and avoid funneling traffic onto the few and ageing river bridges in Warwick and Leamington? Is this not an option? If not, why not?

I have seen no feedback in the local plan. Is it just the green belt that prevents it? If so, then I suggest that this legislation has had its time and needs to be amended to allow genuinely sustainable building while preventing the ribbon development as intended originally. WDC should be looking at this and quickly.

Kelvin Lambert, Touchstone Road, Heathcote, Warwick