INDEX

INTRODUCTION TO THE HOUSING DEBATE IN STRATFORD

The District Council - our local Planning Authority - is coming to the end of a long process of drawing up a Local Plan Review. This document will set the planning scene for the District for years to come.

The Local Plan Review is highly controversial because of the proposals for house building being put forward. The ruling Conservative Group* are pressing for the inclusion of three greenfield sites on the edge of Stratford for new housing estates.

In September 2005 this was put to the vote at a Council Meeting and the Council voted to exclude the sites from the Plan. The Conservatives were not prepared to accept this and at the next Council Meeting insisted on another vote. This time they won and put the sites back in to the Plan.

(Please see 'why the Lib Dems don't want to build on Stratford's greenfield sites'). .

At the same time the Liberal Democrats are worried about the rate at which new houses are being built in Stratford and the affect that this will have on the infrastructure and services of the Town. The Government has laid down targets for house building, but we believe that these will be significantly exceeded, despite Government intentions that the target for South Warwickshire is a maximum that should not be exceeded.

Please see also pages covering:

The Liberal Democrats are pressing the Conservatives to introduce what is known as Supplementary Planning Guidance, to control the number of new houses and flats being built. Warwick District Council and Bromsgrove District Council, both of which border the Stratford district, have done just that. Please see pages headed:

* Stratford District Council make up is 30 Con, 20 Lib Dem, 3 Ind (no Labour).

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Why the Liberal Democrats do not want to build on Greenfield sites in Stratford

- there is no need to. The Council's own numbers show that the housing targets set by the Government for the period to 2011 will be significantly exceeded without these sites.

- the local need is for affordable housing so that local people can stay in the area. There is no proven need for further housing estates of the type that are typically most profitable for developers.

- the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy is changing the emphasis for future development. It now seeks development to be in major urban centres, where development is more sustainable. The RSS even goes so far as to state that the target for housing for this District is a maximum number, not a minimum. Despite this, the local Conservatives are not taking the action needed to restrain building numbers.

- the Town's infrastructure and services are stretched at the moment. Another 1000 flats and houses are in the pipeline, which will place enormous pressure on traffic, schools and medical services. To add development on Greenfield sites on top of that will make a bad situation even worse.

- making the Greenfield sites a 'strategic reserve' as intended by the Conservatives will not solve the problem. It will blight the land around the areas so designated and is likely to lead to development in the near future. Even the Council's own 'Modification Report' foresees this land coming forward for housing in the period 2011 to 2016.

- Government Policy is currently fluid. It is wrong to make long-term decisions in such a climate. The reaction to the Barker Report may well significantly increase housing requirements, but it looks likely that the emphasis for development will be in the South East. To commit Greenfield sites whilst policy is still being decided is wrong.

- the ongoing developments around the Town are changing the nature of Stratford. From being a market / tourist town, it is in danger of becoming merely another suburban sprawl. Stratford should be seeking to become a heritage site, maintaining the features that encourage millions of tourists to visit each year. It is unlikely that they come to see and visit housing estates.

- particularly under threat is the character of Anne Hathaway's Cottage, currently in a semi rural setting. The proposed Shottery development would significantly change this.

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Warwick Supplementary Planning Guidance

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Bromsgrove Supplementary Planning Guidance

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Estimate of Housing Numbers in Stratford District

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Rate of Windfall Development

Stratford District

Windfalls - history and forecast

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Regional Spacial Policy

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