Residents fight against Middle Quinton eco-town plans
As plans for a 6,000-home new town in Warwickshire move a step closer, Environment Correspondent Patrice John joins passionate residents who are stepping up their fight to preserve Long Marston.
As you make your way along leaf-strewn roads to the heart of Long Marston, there is one shop where villagers congregate.
Staffed entirely by dedicated volunteers, it is a place where people willingly give their time to serve behind the counter.
This shop coupled with one Post Office are the lifeblood of a village whose residents are feeling increasingly dwarfed by plans for a new town, which will see 6,000 new homes built on their doorstep.
And yet local councillor Mike Brain continues to foster a spirit of defiance in the midst of what could easily seem insurmountable odds.
The ward member for Quinton, which includes the village of Long Marston – the site of the proposed eco-town – is not only part of the Better Accessible Responsible Development (BARD) campaign, set up to fight the Government plans, but his family have lived in nearby Stratford-upon-Avon for three generations.
And Coun Brain is prepared for the battle at hand.
“People just expect me to fix things,” he says. “They recognise me and so they think I might have some of the answers about what is going on and I’m pretty committed to my job. But this is not the same as the other issues I used to deal with. It’s much bigger.”
Mike, who has been a councillor for seven years, says his days used to be filled with tackling anti-social behaviour complaints, finding funding for village halls and attending parish council meetings. But since plans were announced for the eco-town his daily emails have increased five-fold and the issue consumes his time.
“There are five folders on my desk to do with the eco-town,” he says.
“It has taken over the lives of so many people, but it is because it is just wrong for this area. The real issue is there is no infrastructure for this town. We really don’t want wider roads to be built in rural locations.
“We are the custodians of a community that stands next to the Cotswolds – a place of outstanding natural beauty.
“That place has not changed for hundreds of years and it is our job to protect areas like this. People move here because they love rural communities and it will be difficult to keep that feel if an entirely new town is built.
“How will all of those people be able to integrate?”
The eco-town at Middle Quinton is one of ten planned by the Government to tackle the twin problems of housing shortages and climate change. They have to be carbon zero, to be an exemplar of environmental development and have 30 per cent affordable housing.
But residents fear the new town will generate more traffic to the area. Coun Brain and the team at BARD are now preparing themselves for the next stage of the battle.
They are seeking a date for a judicial review of the eco-towns process and they are also getting ready to respond to a Government sustainability report and draft planning proposal for the site.
“They have until February to make their objections heard, but Coun Brain is keen to maintain the community spirit of Quinton ward.
“People always have an attachment to a town or a village and people know each other,” he says. “Everybody local to the site accepts it will be developed, but we want this to happen in keeping with its rural surroundings.
“There is an acceptance that a development which had a few hundred houses and some leisure facilities would be the right kind of thing for the area.
“A balanced development could help other towns and we think a mix of facilities on site, maybe even lakeside lodges could be an improvement for the area. Anything bigger than that might ruin it.”
Coun Brain is just one part of the BARD campaign that are fighting against the new town.
Planning expert Andrew Murphy, a resident of Stratford, is also opposed to it and said location is a key concern.
He says: “Eco-towns must be well located and well linked to existing towns but the Middle Quinton site is not like that.
“The nearest settlements are Stratford and Evesham, both of which are quite small so having a new town so close is not right.
“The development is set to attract huge amounts of regeneration to the area, but South Warwickshire is already quite affluent and so we don’t need that level of investment.
“Large cities like Coventry and Birmingham should be targeted for this level of investment as they need it. Urban areas are in need of additional investment. People are also concerned this place will become a commuter town with high levels of car use.
“They is worry it will damage the local cultural distinctiveness and the tourism strategy of places like Stratford and the Cotswolds.
“The surrounding towns are quite, rural and attractive.
“People do not want to damage the sense of tranquillity that already exists.
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