CAMPAIGNERS fear a proposed new town of some 10,000 homes could dramatically worsen flooding across south Warwickshire.
The Bearley and Wilmcote Action Group (BWAG) has warned that the new development between Bearley, Wilmcote and Pathlow would be built in a flood basin.
The group says the proposed site lies behind a Victorian railway embankment that already traps surface water, draining into the River Alne and River Avon – two river systems that already threaten downstream communities such as Aston Cantlow, Alcester, and Stratford.
Janine Lee of BWAG said: “This development sits in the wrong place entirely. You can’t build a new town in a natural flood basin behind a Victorian railway embankment and expect it not to flood, no matter how much money you spend.”
BWAG is calling on Stratford District Council to remove the site from the South Warwickshire Local Plan until an independent, catchment-wide flood and infrastructure assessment is completed.
The development is one of several potential options laid out in the local plan, being drawn up by both Stratford and Warwick district councils, to increase housing in the area.
The proposed development would span some 329 hectares of green belt land – the size of some 460 football pitches – and include 6,762 homes for some 16,000 potential residents. It would also require a new secondary school and up to four new primary schools as all nearby schools are at capacity.
Residents say the plan would tear up precious green belt land, destroy the rural setting of Mary Arden’s historic home, and swamp the A3400 – Stratford’s northern gateway – with traffic chaos amounting to an extra 10,000 vehicles per day. The scale of the scheme would strain local infrastructure beyond breaking point.
SDC has previously stated not all the proposed locations within the plan would ultimately be needed to meet the area’s needs and the councils would be undertaking further analysis to conclude which locations should form part of south Warwickshire’s growth strategy.
Visit www.southwarwickshire.org.uk/swlp for further details.
