Site Address: Land at Warwickshire Police HQ, Woodcote Lane, Leek Wootton CV35 7QA
Description of development: Application for Outline Planning Permission for up to 83 dwellings ( including affordable housing), access, internal roads and footpaths, car parking, public openspace, landscaping, drainage and other associated works and infrastructure (all matters of details reserved except for the vehicular access to the site).
Application Reference: W/22/1877
Appellant's name: CALA Homes (Cotswolds) Ltd
Appeal reference: APP/T3725/W/23/3319752
Appeal start date: 28/04/2023

CALA Homes formally appealed to the Planning Inspectorate for a judgement by them on the matter of the above outline planning application lodged with Warwick District Council [WDC] at the end of November 2022.

Link to on-line application documents

The Inquiry was held on 31/10/2023 to 02/11/2023, 3, 4, 17 and 30/01/2024. Inquiry closed in writing on 13 February 2024. Accompanied site visit made on 03/11/2023. Unaccompanied site visits made on 30/10/2023 and 02/01/2024 by S J Lee BA(Hons) MA MRTPI, an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.

Leek Wootton Parish Council, with Leek Wootton Focus Group, formed a Rule 6 Party to present the community's case.

Inspector's Decisions:

Appeal: GRANTED | Costs to Rule 6 Party: GRANTED
(both decisions available below)

The statement made to Warwick District Council's Planning Committee by Chair, Cllr Richard Coates, is available to view here (a recording of the meeting is available to view here at timestamp 1:25:00):

The parish Council has submitted the following objection to the above planning application:

The following statement was presented to WDC Planning Committee prior to the meeting on 12 September (view the whole meeting here Planning Committee - 12 September 2023 - YouTube), when the CALA Homes outline planning application for up to 83 dwellings was considered:

On 23 August the Parish Council submitted the following objection to the 'Wheatcroft Amendments' to application W/22/1877:

Application No: W/23/1115
Description: Up to 83 dwellings (including affordable housing), access, internal roads and footpaths, car parking, public open space, landscaping, drainage and other associated works and infrastructure (all matters of detail reserved except for the vehicular access to the site).
Address: Land at Warwickshire Police HQ, Woodcote Lane, Leek Wootton, Warwick, CV35 7QB

LW&GC PC Comment: OBJECT (read submission)
WDC Decision: REFUSED

Link to on-line application documents

There will be a community update meeting on CALA’s latest proposals,
hosted jointly by the Parish Council and Leek Wootton Focus Group on

Sunday, 20 August at 3pm
in the Village Hall

APP/T3725/W/23/3319752 Planning Appeal on W/22/1877
Land at Warwickshire Police Headquarters, CV35 7QA

The Parish Council has received a notice of postponement from The Planning Inspector, which reads:

"The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has carefully considered the submissions relating to the request of the appellant dated 26 June 2023, including those made to the Inspector at the CMC.  As set out in the procedure guide, the appeal should not be used as an opportunity to evolve a scheme and if an amended scheme. However, in this case, it is recognised that there is limited time between the date of the Council’s committee and the publication of proofs. As such, it is acknowledged there may be insufficient time for the parties to fully consider and address technical evidence produced to try resolve or reduce the matters in dispute.  Attempting to do so may save Inquiry time and associated expense for all parties.  In the interests of avoiding wasted time and money it is reasonable to postpone in this case. In principle, therefore, PINS will agree to postponing the opening of the Inquiry to a date provisionally in October 2023."

Robert Wordsworth | Inquiries & Major Casework
The Planning Inspectorate
Wed 28/06/2023 12:45

The email goes on to explain the the Appellant (Warwick District Council), "should submit an anticipated timetable for the work that needs to be undertaken, an indicative start date for the Inquiry and potential sitting days. This should be agreed as far as possible with the main parties." The Parish Council and Focus Group will therefore continue to liaise with the District Council as necessary.

The above planning application (link to online documents) was put before the the District Council's Planning Committee on 20 June 2023. Members were not being asked to determine the application, because this is now in the hands of the Planning Inspectorate. The proposal in front of Members is for consideration of the decision that would likely have been made by the LPA if it had been in a position to formally determine the application.

The meeting can be viewed on YouTube at: (11) Planning Committee - 20 June 2023 - YouTube and the summary of decisions is now available to view here.

The Parish Council's statement, as delivered by Cllr Paul Eldridge, is as follows:

Thank you, Mr Chairman. I am Vice-Chairman of, and speak on behalf of LW&GC PC, and we object to this application for Outline Consent.

I thank the Officers for including in their report the full details of the PC objections to the application which your members can see are based on:

(A) the applicant’s failure to comply with a number of both Local and Neighbourhood Plan Policies and

(B) defects and errors in Cala’s submission.

In addition, to these the PC would like to draw to the particular attention of the Committee the following key factors:-

• There has been no consultation by Cala whatsoever with the Parish Council or the Community regarding this Outline Application. We believe this is contrary to National Planning Policy Framework recommendations and should therefore in its own right be sufficient grounds for refusal of this application. Otherwise, what is the purpose of having a NPPF guidance.
• Cala’s application documents have been both incorrect and misleading. There are several obvious errors on plans which indicate land (blue edged) under Cala’s ownership which is not the case.  Of most significance is that they say they have control over the woodland west of Waller Close which the Police have confirmed is incorrect.  They use this alleged control to indicate linkage to Leek Wotton Sports Ground which can then be used to offset their inability to provide open space within the boundaries of their true ownership for their proposed housing numbers as required by both National and Local Policies.
• Regarding numbers. Cala are requesting you to grant based on “up to 83 dwellings” for the site. In your officer’s report and indeed in the Cala application there is reference to 115 properties being related to Policy DS22 and hence by implication 83 appear acceptably lower. The 115 proposed and accepted in the Local Plan was for the whole of the Woodcote Estate when the Police were vacating. This is not the case now. The Draft Master plan produced by the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Parish Council’s own consultants clearly states that for the current Cala sites, total numbers of the order of 57 to 62 would be appropriate and in keeping with the requirements to preserve, Heritage, Landscaping and Ecology. Cala are proposing a maximum limit some 30% in excess of these independent and professional findings. The PC believes this is a significant overdevelopment of the site and is also grounds for refusal.

In summary Cala have acquired the sites totally at their own risk without any recourse to the Police and Crime Commissioner in the event of planning applications being rejected or curtailed.  The Community should not have to overcome their commercial gamble by having excessive or inappropriate housing on this site.

The PC requests that you reject the Outline Application on the grounds that your Officers have recommended and on the these additional factors. If Cala return with other proposals, then we are sure that these will be fully assessed on their own merits against policy DS22, Local Plan and the Leek Wootton and Guys Cliffe Neighbourhood Plan which the current application fails to achieve.

If you propose to attempt to resolve some or all the Councils current objections by Section 106 agreements, then given the characteristics of the site we would urge you to involve the community in these discussion as it is we who must live with any of these resolutions.

On 23 May the Parish Council wrote to the Planning Inspectorate to request an extension to the Appeal timetable. It also wrote a similar letter to Sir Jeremy Wright MP to ask for his assistance. Please see these letters and the response from the Planning Inspectorate below:

CORRESPONDENT	OUTGOING LETTER	REPSPONSE
The Planning Inspectorate	Letter from LW&GC PC	Reply from Planning Inspectorate
Sir Jeremy Wright MP	Letter from LW&GC PC