Anger after appeal upheld for 84 new houses in Bishops Itchington

Stratford District Council’s planning committee had refused permission for the houses to be built on privately owned fields off Knightcote Road but the inspector upheld Gladman’s appeal.

Villager Jenny Smedley has written to Goverment planning inspector Richard Schofield to voice her frustrations.

She said: “According to the Interim Core Strategy, as of July 2015, Bishops Itchington had already exceeded its allotted quota of 112 new houses to be built between 2012 and 2031 - there a currently 122 new houses with more in the pipeline.

“In addition to that, no village should take more than 25 per cent of the total proposed 450 number of houses - Bishops Itchington has currently taken over 27 per cent and that is before factoring in the 280 houses that are to be built at the Harbury Cement works - some of which will also be in the Bishops Itchington area.

“Our local primary and secondary schools are full to bursting , even before the children of the housing developments currently being built are included.

“Ditto for the doctor’s surgery, which is currently operating at over 25 per cent capacity, yet you claim there will be no future problems.

“You say the infrastructure will be able to cope , yet all local groups like scouts and brownies have long waiting lists , not to mention our narrow Victorian streets which cannot cope with current traffic levels, never mind the proposed future ones.”

Other villagers have expressed their concerns on the community Facebook group.

Their concerns include the loss of the view across the fields from their homes and the loss of green land around the village.

The appeal, referenced PP/J3720/W/15/313331, can be found on the planning inspectorate’s website