Business group backs ‘new town’ for south Warwickshire

Members of the South warwickshire branch of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce were in unanimous agreement to back the plans put forward by the Commercial Estates Group for the new housing on land near Gaydon and Lighthorne.

But members also acknowledged that the scheme would the full support of Jaguar Land Rover, whose headquarters are in Gaydon.

Branch chairman Larry Coltman said: “It is abundantly clear the district is crying out for new homes and the proposed development would help to keep skilled people here and attract more talent to the area.

“The project would however need to have our biggest employer, Jaguar Land Rover, involved and with an infrastructure that would support the company’s own plans for future expansion.

“Jaguar Land Rover brings thousands of skilled people to the area and the development would support the housing needs of some of the workforce and help keep this talent here.”

Mr Coltman said the site’s benefits outweigh other locations earmarked for development.

He added: “This could be a hugely encouraging scheme to drive growth for the local supply chain supporting Jaguar Land Rover, but it would not be feasible from our perspective without the firm involved.”