Letter to the Shadow Cabinet

As member of Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet, I feel I must inform you about the critical importance of the timescales of the Examination in Public of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) Phase 2 Revision for the 'Middle Quinton' eco-town proposal at Long Marston Depot, i.e. a 240 hectare site largely in Warwickshire but also including a part of Worcestershire. This is a proposal that we firmly oppose.

Between the months of April to June 2009, an Examination in Public (EiP) will be examining the Middle Quinton proposal. The independent panel of two planning experts are expected to report in September or October 2009 and the Secretary of State is then expected to propose modifications and finally decide on the Regional Spatial Strategy Phase 2 revision around this time next year.

The final announcements of the panel are likely to be published in early autumn. This however will be after the current expected announcement on final eco-town sites scheduled for the end of June. I am concerned that if the announcement precedes the EiP published findings, the value and authority of the EiP panel would be negated. The alternative could be that the DCLG decision is held until after the EiP findings, prolonging the uncertainty for all eco-town sites. Alternatively the DCLG may announce its proposals with a ‘hold’ against the decision on Middle Quinton pending the EiP. This may give rise to queries over equality of decision-making.

The EiP Panel's assessment of the Middle Quinton proposal will have a significant, if not overriding, influence on whether the proposal goes forward or not. If a favourable or ambiguous recommendation (as opposed to a firm objection) is established through the EiP report, the Middle Quinton eco-town could be irreversibly located within the Regional Spatial Strategy framework. It is unlikely that a change in government could reverse this placement if a decision to progress the site is taken at this early stage.

The financial viability of this eco-town and the other proposals has been examined for government by PricewaterhouseCoopers (which may remove the Middle Quinton site as an option) who are due shortly to publish some of their findings. However the issue of viability has not hitherto been a subject on which government is prepared to consult the public. Consequently the Eco-Town Working Group, a councillor body made-up from the six local authorities involved, commissioned a report from CB Richard Ellis which has exposed a shortfall of £373m and the aforementioned PwC report, expected imminently, should return a similar conclusion - though the PwC results may be fudged for political purposes.

If, as it seems likely, the Government cannot provide funding towards the essential local services required by a new development, the local authority will be compelled to meet these costs, a situation that is economically impossible. I believe that we are facing not only a very large shortfall in capital to provide the required infrastructure and support services for a town of this size, but also a very considerable revenue shortfall to meet the funding of services as required to be put in place before the town is fully populated.According to the developer, the likelihood of fully populating this town may run up to ten years.

More broadly, the eco-town proposal runs contrary to Warwickshire County Council’s agenda to narrow the gaps between our most deprived and more affluent communities, initiating regeneration and stimulating employment in the north of the County. The proposed site at Middle Quinton does not fulfil WCC’s objectives. We believe there would be areas that would welcome and benefit from the sort of investment that would come from development and regeneration, and the likely investment that would stimulate business and employment and develop some of our most deprived communities and the schools and colleges that serve them. The development strategy for the Coventry Solihull Warwickshire Subregion, agreed by all eight authorities covered and WM Regional Assembly and Regional Development Agency, focuses growth on the north-south corridor running from Nuneaton through Coventry to Warwick/Leamington and Rugby as a Sub-regional gateway. Long Marston is located well away from this focus and the Middle Quinton proposal is likely to be, at best, a distraction from our strategy and, at worst, could completely undermine it.

All six local authorities immediately affected by the Middle Quinton proposal - Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire County councils and Stratford-on-Avon, Wychavon and Cotswold district councils - have consistently opposed the proposal, in addition to over fifteen Parish Councils in the vicinity. Forty-five plus professional groups have also concluded to oppose the site. A report from Shelter is the only example, that we’re aware of, offering a degree of support for the proposal. However, as the Government provided funding for the Shelter report, we therefore have concerns over its validity.

In conclusion, I hope you appreciate the critical role to be played by the EiP timescales in determining the future of the Middle Quinton eco-town, a proposal we have consistently opposed and will continue to oppose. Your own support and influence in this matter would be enormously appreciated.

Kind regards,

Cllr Izzi Seccombe – Cabinet Member and Member for Stour and The Vale

Download the letter from the related media box on the right of this page