Plans could mean 50 per cent increase in number of houses in Radford Semele

Radford Semele residents are the latest group of villagers to throw their hat into the ring in opposition to the Local Plan for Warwick district.
PlanningPlanning
Planning

They fear if all forthcoming applications in Radford gain approval that the village, which currently has about 800 houses, could increase in size by up to 50 per cent. That means its primary school and nearby doctors’ surgeries and dentists will struggle to cope with the growing demand and that traffic on the A425 through the village will grind to a standstill at busy times.

A large crowd of residents are planning to protest outside Leamington Town Hall on Monday where applications for 150 houses and 25 houses to the south of Offchurch Lane and the west side of Southam Road, respectively, will be put before Warwick District Council’s planning committee.

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Villager Oliver Aries said that these proposals, on top of the 60 and 65-house developments in the village which have already been approved and plans for another 100 houses near the Ricardo site, would not be sustainable.

He said: “There is a feeling of dismay in the village.

“Nobody wants these extra houses because we feel we have given enough of the village up already and that’s more than is sustainable.

“We’ve always said we understand the pressing need for housing in this country and that we can accommodate some houses here.

“But we feel the council is running out of options and forcing these things through.”

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Mr Aries is concerned that if the primary school reaches capacity parents would not be prepared to allow younger children to travel elsewhere by bus and would instead take them by car, thus adding further congestion to roads.

Mr Aries said: “If you look at the numbers compared to the infrastructure in the village, we would just be swamped.

“When the houses were announced for the south of Leamington traffic surveys showed delays on the A425 could increase by 50 per cent .

“Add the proposed developments here into the equation and there has to come a point where it doesn’t work.”