PEOPLE power has won the day after the scrapping of plans for some 10,000 new homes near Stratford.
The proposed development – which formed part of Stratford District Council’s South Warwickshire Local Plan – would have spanned some 329 hectares of green belt land – the size of some 460 football pitches – and include homes for some 16,000 potential residents next to the villages of Bearley and Wilmcote.
It would also have required a new secondary school and up to four new primary schools as all nearby schools are at capacity.
Bearley/Wilmcote Action Group (BWAG) has been fighting a fierce campaign against the proposed development, which it believes would have changed the face of the south Warwickshire countryside forever.
But now it says commonsense has prevailed following a public consultation on preferred locations, with council chiefs proposing a new settlement of 4,500 homes at Long Marston instead.
Co-leaders of the group, Janine Lee and Guy Esnouf, continued: “Focusing development at Long Marston helps relieve traffic and infrastructure pressure on Stratford itself, while protecting some of the area’s most valued heritage and environmental assets – including Mary Arden’s Farm at Wilmcote.
“It also safeguards the important green belt to the north of Stratford and avoids the significant cost and disruption of major upgrades to the A46 that the development at Bearley Wilmcote would have required.
“We’re grateful to everyone in the community who has contributed their time, energy and voice throughout this process.”
Residents previously said the new town 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 Long Marston Garden Village includes plans for 4,500 new homes on the former airfield and surrounding land, with the potential to scale beyond 10,000 dwellings in the long term.
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.
