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News
The Eco Village
Notes taken at meeting Tuesday 15th January 2008
In attendance approx. 150 people
No press identified as present at the meeting
No representatives of St Modwen or The Bird Group identified as in attendance.
Apologises received from:- Les Topham, Mike Brain
Councillors present:-
Councillor Saint, Councillor Phillip Secombe, Councillor Issy Secombe & Councillor Barnes
The meeting was opened by David Bliss, Estate Manager, for Felix Dennis, who welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained that Felix was committed to the campaign against the Eco-town, had voiced his objections to government and was willing to help the campaign in any way he could, but felt that the way forward was for Local People to be pro-active in voicing their concerns. David then introduced Mr Andy Murphy, Planning Consultant, Stansgate planning consultants.
Mr Andy Murphy summarised the proposed development and then outlined what he saw as the objections to the proposed Eco-Town @ Middle Quinton.
(It was noted that there was an objection to the fact that the site was being referred to as Middle Quinton)
Proposed Development:-
• 6000 New Houses with the infrastructure to support them, i.e. schools, shops etc. it was pointed out that 5,600 new houses were required by 2026 in the Stratford Area to meet the local regional targets, it was unclear whether the eco town would contribute to this target or it would be in addition to those proposed.
Objections outlined:-
• Local needs – The proposed Eco-town does not meet the needs of the local area, since south Warwickshire has minimal unemployment and there is no need to alleviate urban or rural deprivation. In addition there is no evidence in the plans that it would benefit the wider community.
• Transportation – it is very poorly served by road and rail and the new community of 13,000+ people would cause massive congestion on minor roads unsuited to such traffic.
• Sustainability – sustainability is at the heart of the eco-town’s proposal, and despite the suggestion that the development will meet zero carbon standards, most of the proposals are no more than the current building regulations require for new build. The poor road and rail links and sub-regional employment sites are incompatible with Zero-carbon aspirations.
Timescale:-
• 50 proposals have been submitted to government, there will be a shortlist of 10 announced sometime in February by Hazel Blears (date unknown, but one source suggests 9th February).
Suggested actions:-
• Take Hazel Blears out to lunch and protest
• Picket the Government ministry in London
• Write to government objecting to the proposal – copy of typical letter available by email.
• Picket / protest at the St Modwen / Bird Group presentation on 21st January 2008.
Councillor Saint then read a letter that had been sent from the district council (with input and support from 4 other local district councils) to government objecting to the Eco-town and asking for confirmation of the points below – no reply had yet been recieved:-
1. Would there be any local planning involvement?
2. Who would be funding the required infrastructure?
3. Was the eco-town in addition to their current housing targets?
4. On what criteria should the eco-town be judged (from a planning point of view).
The meeting was then open to questions from the floor,
concerns raised were as follows:-
• Would 6,000 houses be the limit or could the town grow into something bigger?
• Did Tony Bird realise that this Eco-town would not save Stratford from housing development and congestion – it would probably exacerbate the problem?
• The transport issue would begin as soon as the building started with lorries and deliveries etc.
• The campaign needed high media profile – local people must make their concerns heard.
• Does the fact that the site is near an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty not have an influence?
• St Modwen had proposed 3 other alternative developments for this site (the meeting did not discuss those) why were we just against the eco-town? – it was pointed out in answer to this that the other proposals had had to go through normal planning channels and people voiced their concerns in the usual manner – the Eco-town seemed to be bi-passing all the usual planning routes.
• Concern was expressed about the effect on Drainage and possible increased flooding risk in the Long Marston area from the development.
In conclusion
It was agreed that the best way forward for our protest was to:-
1. Write to Hazel Blears and government voicing our objection and concerns.
2. Form a committee, including a representative of each Parish Council and any other interested / enthusiastic person, which would lobby ministers and keep the campaign against the development in high public profile, nationally and locally. Anyone interested in joining this committee should email: hbliss@freenet.co.uk
3. Voice all objections to John Maples (MP) and invite him to join the debate about this issue.
An example of a short objection letter to use
19 January 2008
Hazel Blears MP
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
C/o Julie Bishop
Housing & Growth Programmes
Zone 2/H9
Eland House,
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU
Dear Mrs Blears,
PROPOSED ECO-TOWN, MIDDLE QUINTON, NEAR STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, WARWICKSHIRE
I wish to OBJECT to the proposed Eco-town, promoted by St Modwen and the Bird Group at the Long Marston Engineers Depot, Warwickshire.
The proposed Eco-town is located in a sparsely populated rural community. The nearby villages rely upon the agricultural economy and are prosperous, with full employment levels. There is no need for major housing or employment investment in this area, other than to meet small-scale local needs. The nearest towns to ‘Middle Quinton’ are Stratford-upon-Avon and Evesham, which have populations of 23,000 and 22,300 respectively. ‘Middle Quinton’ will have 6000+ households and a population of at least 13,800. The scale of the proposed Eco-town will be grossly disproportionate to the nearest villages and market towns.
‘Middle Quinton’ lacks major road connections. Instead, narrow minor roads radiate from the site. The nearest ‘A’ Class road to ‘Middle Quinton’ is 7km away. Motorways and trunk roads are further away. In all, the site will have inadequate and unsustainable links to the nearest towns and cities. Poor road links are not compatible with the government’s zero-carbon aspirations.
Traffic generated by a new community of 13,000+ people will cause massive congestion on the surrounding roads. Probable delays when travelling by road or bus between home and work will undermine any employment case in favour of the proposed Eco-town. Furthermore, the site lies within the ‘Vale of Evesham Control Zone’, which has a documented history of environmental problems caused by HGVs in the area. Yet any necessary engineering ’improvements’ to these minor roads will urbanise and damage the locally distinctive rural character of the area.
The ‘Middle Quinton’ landowners propose to reopen the rail connection from Long Marston to Stratford-upon-Avon. It is not within their power to re-open the railway line and considerable financial and practical problems await those who try. Moreover, reopening the railway line can offer only a limited service to Stratford-upon-Avon, given it is only single line.
A new railway to Stratford-upon-Avon will undermine the tranquil character of ‘The Greenway’, a popular pedestrian and cycle route on the route of the old line. Furthermore, two popular footpaths – The Heart-of-England-Way and the Monarchs Way - pass near the site. Their character will be harmed by extensive views of buildings and traffic associated with the proposed Eco-town.
Accordingly, I ask that you reject ‘Middle Quinton’ as a possible Eco-town.
Yours sincerely,
An example of a longer objection letter
19 January 2008
Hazel Blears MP
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
C/o Julie Bishop
Housing & Growth Programmes
Zone 2/H9
Eland House,
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU
Dear Mrs Blears,
PROPOSED ECO-TOWN, MIDDLE QUINTON, NEAR STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, WARWICKSHIRE
I wish to OBJECT to the proposed Eco-town, promoted by St Modwen and the Bird Group at the Long Marston Engineers Depot, Warwickshire.
Introduction
The proposed Eco-town is located in the South Warwickshire countryside, a sparsely populated rural community with no heritage of large-scale mining, declining industry or degradation. Indeed, the village and parish communities of South Warwickshire are prosperous and enjoy full employment levels. There is no demonstrable need for significant new infrastructure in this area, other than investment to meet small-scale local needs. The socio-economic context of South Warwickshire provides neither the opportunity nor justification for a New Growth Point focussed on Long Marston Engineers Depot – ‘Middle Quinton.’
Regional Spatial Strategy
Paragraph 27 of the Communities and Local Government Eco-towns Prospectus acknowledges the need to “look at the wider area of which [potential eco-town schemes] form a part, the pattern of clusters and networks of towns, the links between them and the best strategic options for growth for the larger area. These are issues for the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) or for a partial RSS review.”
According to Regional Spatial Strategy - Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands (RPG11), adopted in 2004, the villages and towns of South Warwickshire are not within the 50% of most deprived wards nationally. An Eco-town in this area will have no strategic role in alleviating urban or rural deprivation. On the contrary, ‘Middle Quinton’ and its environs is an unconvincing candidate as a New Growth Point, given its remoteness from those parts of the West Midlands identified by RSS as the main focus for development and investment; namely:
• the Major Urban Area
• Sub-regional foci for development beyond the MUA
• Other Large Settlement
• Regeneration Zone included in the Agenda for Action
• Local Regeneration Area outside of Regeneration Zones.
• Strategic Centre
A review of the RSS is underway and on 24 September 2007 RSS Phase 2 Revision: Draft Policies was published by the Regional Planning Partnership. Chapter 3 of the Draft RSS Revision examines the “Spatial Strategy for the Development of the West Midlands”. Paragraph 3.28 states that, with regard to the Coventry-Warwickshire sub-region, “Development will be planned and controlled to ensure that it maintains the RSS ‘step-change’ in the Sub-region; ie minimum 50% growth to Coventry & Solihull; focuses growth on the North-South Corridor & Rugby; with the necessary supporting infrastructure; but that growth in North Warwickshire and Stratford-on-Avon be limited to local needs…” (my emphasis). Table 1 attached to Draft Policy CF3 identifies 5,600 net additional dwellings in Stratford-on-Avon District 2006 – 2026.
The Eco-towns Prospectus is unclear whether an Eco-town with 5000 – 10,000 households will deliver houses in addition to the regional targets for the period 2006 - 2026 or will contribute to meeting those targets. Either way, a proposed Eco-town at ‘Middle Quinton’ will fail to address the strategic objectives of the emerging RSS Revision.
If provided in addition to RSS targets, the 6000+ dwellings associated with ‘Middle Quinton’ will more than double the likely housing target for Stratford-on-Avon district and fundamentally imbalance the delivery of homes, jobs, services and infrastructure across the district as a whole. Alternatively, as a contribution to RSS targets, in effect ‘Middle Quinton’ will meet and exceed the entire housing target for the district. Yet in doing so, the location of the proposed Eco-town will fail to meet local needs. The district is spread across a wide geographical area and includes several small towns and villages. Each settlement will have particular local needs that are best addressed at a local geographical level, for example by brownfield and greenfield development within and adjacent to those settlements. A proposed 6000+ dwelling new settlement at ‘Middle Quinton’ will not meet the needs of Main Rural Centres such as Alcester, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam. Nor will ‘Middle Quinton’ meet the very limited local needs of the adjacent rural and sparsely populated parishes.
Local Authority Involvement
Paragraph 30 of the Eco-towns Prospectus asks local authorities for their views on the scope for Eco-towns, taking into account housing market benefits; “It will be important for proposals for an eco-town to relate to housing market pressures in the wider area.” Similarly, a Communities and Local Government newsletter published on 7 March 2007, entitled “New eco-towns could help to tackle climate change”, states “The Government announced it would consider plans for eco-towns put forward by local authorities as part of the New Growth Points scheme.”
I am not aware that Stratford-on-Avon District Council has offered the Department for Communities and Local Government their views regarding the scope for Eco-towns within their district, nor the relationship of a potential Eco-town to housing market pressures in the wider area. In fact, according to the Council’s website, ‘Middle Quinton’ has not been “put forward” or even supported by Stratford-on-Avon District Council. Nor is there expressed support from any other regional, district or parish authority. The absence of involvement from local stakeholders counts against the ‘Middle Quinton’ proposal.
Support for the proposed Eco-town from the District Council is unlikely to be forthcoming. Planning permission was refused in 2006 for two applications (ref 06/01874/VARY and 06/01876/VARY) to extend the temporary planning permissions for employment use of Long Marston Engineers Depot. Reasons for refusal include:
• unsustainable location for office, industrial and storage/distribution development
• traffic impacts and inadequate Transport Assessment
• no local need
These objections apply with even greater force in relation to a proposed Eco-town at the Engineers Depot.
Sustainability credentials of ‘Middle Quinton’
Sustainability objectives are at the heart of the Eco-towns Prospectus. Page 18 requires “above all, sustainable locations, which relate well to the existing network of surrounding towns and villages.”
Paragraph 6 of the Eco-towns Prospectus states “There also need to be adequate and sustainable links to nearby larger towns and cities.” The nearest towns to ‘Middle Quinton’ are Stratford-upon-Avon and Evesham. According to the 2001 census, Stratford has about 9,800 households and a population of 23,000 and Evesham has about 9,500 households and a population of 22,300. ‘Middle Quinton’ will have 6000+ households and a population of at least 13,800 (at 2.3 persons per household). Hence the nearest towns to ‘Middle Quinton’ can barely be described as “larger.” Furthermore, ‘Middle Quinton’ will have inadequate and unsustainable links to the nearest cities - Birmingham, Worcester or Gloucester,
Page 15 of the Eco-towns prospectus requires:
• “high quality public transport links (and easy access to a wide range of sub-regional employment and leisure facilities) and to reduce car dependency including cycling and walking…..
• consideration of the impact on roads and congestion when siting the eco-town and the planning of infrastructure requirements.”
Stratford-upon-Avon and Evesham are located 6km and 9km away from ‘Middle Quinton by direct measurement. However, the “real” distance by road is much greater, given the narrow, convoluted nature of minor roads radiating from the site. The nearest ‘A’ Class road to ‘Middle Quinton’ is 7km away. Motorways and trunk roads are further away. In all, the site is poorly served by the local road network.
Traffic generated by a new community of 13,000+ people will cause massive congestion on the surrounding road network. Necessary road widening and straightening will urbanise and further damage the locally distinctive rural character of the area. Probable delays when travelling by road or bus between home and work will undermine any employment case in favour of the proposed Eco-town.
The harmful effects of urbanisation will not be confined to the roads. Two popular footpaths – The Heart-of-England-Way and the Monarchs Way pass adjacent to the north, east and south of the Engineers Depot. For several kilometres, the rural character of the footpaths will be depleted by new urban vistas of buildings and traffic.
According to the Eco-towns Prospectus, one of the essential requirements of an eco-town is that “the development as a whole should reach zero carbon standards, and each town should be an exemplar in at least one area of environmental sustainability.” The applicant’s ‘Middle Quinton’ prospectus does not identify which area of environmental sustainability ‘Middle Quinton’ will be an exemplar. Its poor road and rail links to neighbouring communities and sub-regional employment sites are incompatible with zero-carbon aspirations.
Local Economy
Part of the government’s justification for eco-towns is the opportunity to create new jobs. South Warwickshire benefits from relative prosperity and high employment levels, with little economic need for large-scale job creation or regeneration. Nevertheless, Page 17 of the Eco-towns Prospectus requires “a clear economic strategy for the town relating business potential in the settlement to nearby towns and economic clusters.”
The applicant’s prospectus is lacking an economic strategy for linkages between ‘Middle Quinton’ and nearby towns and economic clusters. Neither of the nearest towns to ‘Middle Quinton’ have significant regional economic importance. According to the RSS, Stratford-upon-Avon is a lower-tier ‘Strategic Centre’ and Evesham is without strategic designation in the settlement hierarchy. These towns and the countryside between do not include a:
• Urban Regeneration Zone
• High-technology Corridor
• Regional Investment Site
• Major Investment Site
• Regional Logistics Site
Consequently, any economic linkages between ‘Middle Quinton’ and nearby towns will not provide an important strategic focus for social, cultural, economic, commercial and regeneration activity.
The prospects for economic growth are unlikely to be welcomed by the local communities. The site lies within the Vale of Evesham Control Zone, where Policy COM.11A of the Stratford-upon-Avon District Local Plan seeks to control Class B1, B2 and B8 Uses. This control is exercised in the interests of neutralising or reducing the documented environmental problems caused by HGVs in the area.
The rail link
An important aspect of the applicant’s prospectus is reopening the rail connection from Long Marston to Stratford-upon-Avon. The rails were lifted in 1980 and the route is now a popular public footpath and cycle route – ‘The Greenway’. Reopening the railway line can offer only a limited service to Stratford-upon-Avon, given it is only single line. Furthermore, re-opening the line will undermine the tranquil character of The Greenway and make it highly unattractive for pedestrians and cyclists. Indeed, for lengthy, narrow sections it will be difficult for any future railway and The Greenway to physically co-exist, unless development encroaches into adjoining fields and hedgerows.
The feasibility of reopening the railway line requires scrutiny. Paragraph 19 of the Eco-towns Prospectus states “a large proportion of future investment in eco-towns is likely to be made by the private sector. It is important that both the house-building industry and investors in infrastructure and commercial development have confidence in the overall approach. They will need to be sure that there are good prospects for a strong partnership with the public sector and an effective local delivery organisation.”
It is unlikely the railway line to Stratford-upon-Avon will reopen before 2026 or at any time in the foreseeable future. This is largely because the cost of reopening will run into tens of millions of pounds. Yet it is not within the power of St Modwen or The Bird Group to facilitate this re-opening and nor does their prospectus suggest a timescale or mechanism for doing so. Public and private sector investors in ‘Middle Quinton’ cannot be confident in delivery of the rail-link. Little weight should be given to the slim probability the rail-link will reopen, at an unspecified time, for an unspecified cost and paid for by unspecified parties.
Conclusion
A proposed Eco-town in the heart of the prosperous, rural Warwickshire countryside is unsustainable, fails to meet local need and will not benefit the wider community. The strategic objectives of the adopted RSS and the emerging RSS Review are not a sound platform for the identification of the parishes south of Stratford-upon-Avon as a New Growth Point. There is no support for the scheme from the local authority or other local stakeholders. In particular, ‘Middle Quinton’ is poorly served by road and rail. A new community of 13,000+ people will cause massive congestion on minor roads unsuited to such traffic. Re-opening the railway to Stratford-upon-Avon is improbable and will be highly expensive.
I ask that you reject ‘Middle Quinton’ as a possible Eco-town.
Yours sincerely,
Open House
It the intention to add a forum section to this site for those who wish to express their views.
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