The Leamington Society is in favour of many of Warwick District Council's proposals for the redevelopment of land either side of the tracks to help create a 'gateway' to Leamington.

Building affordable housing south of Avenue Road, creating a northern entrance to the station and erecting a multi-storey car park all have the thumbs-up.

But a proposal for a hotel on the station forecourt at the junction of Tachbrook Road, Old Warwick Road and Lower Avenue has not.

Group chairman Archie Pitts said: "We strongly welcome and support the general direction of the proposals.

"But the hotel would be a grave intrusion into the setting of the listed station and destroy the terraced slopes of the award-winning station garden.

"The land north of the railway is a classic brown field site for redevelopment and we think what is suggested would provide good family houses with gardens, with 40 per cent being affordable under the district council planning policy."

A public consultation was held on the planning brief - which was prepared by consultants GVA Grimley for Warwick District Council - and ended on July 25.

The former Ford foundry site, a swathe of land from the old Quicks garage to the bus depot and the station itself are included in the scheme.

Members of the society and Central Leamington Residents' Association think that planners' ideas for reorganising the station forecourt are "confusing".

Instead, they think it should be kept "much as it is now", but reorganised so it is easier to get in and out.

The suggestion of creating a 'technology park' of modern industries on Old Warwick Road has been opposed by the groups, which think the builders' merchants currently based there would be unlikely to relocate.

They believe a better site for this would be the former Ford foundry, which has been earmarked for offices, a hotel and flats.

The groups are also calling on Warwickshire County Council to get involved to make sure any new developments do not increase congestion in the area.

A final station brief will be published in September. Planning officers and councillors will use this when considering planning applications for the area.