CONTROVERSIAL plans for a large housing development in Leamington are back on the agenda.
Warwick District Council planning committee is next week expected to grant outline planning permission for a revised proposal from developer AC Lloyd to build 190 homes on land between Whitnash and Sydenham.
Previous plans for 200 homes on the currently agricultural land off Chesterton Gardens near Asda had been the subject of fierce debate for a number of years, with WDC refusing permission a number of times.
The plans prompted a raft of objections, including from Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western, district ward councillor Will Roberts, Leamington Town Council, Whitnash Town Council, Radford Semele Parish Council, together with many residents.
Mr Western argued the original plans were not sustainable and were contrary to the council’s own local plan.
But in 2021 a government planning inspector said there was no reason to withhold planning permission.
AC Lloyd withdrew its application last summer after the Government called in the plans following the granting of outline permission by WDC the previous December.
The revised plans have also been met by a flood of objections, including many of the previous arguments – increased traffic, concerns about the environmental impact to the lack of a separate access road.
An AC Loyd spokesperson, in support of the revised application, stated: “This proposal is a renewal of an extant outline planning approval granted at appeal,
where the Inspector previously concluded there were considerable planning
benefits of the application and no reasons whatsoever to warrant refusal.
“There have been no material changes to the proposal since that approval and the
site remains allocated in both the Local Plan and the Neighbourhood Plan.”
AC Lloyd would still need to apply for full planning permission to actually build the homes, a number of which would be affordable.
