Delays for 121-acre Leamington Spa country park 'disappointing'

Warwick District Council wants to turn the existing site into an "accessible and sustainable green space"

Councillors have expressed disappointment that planning permission for a 121-acre country park has taken "longer than anticipated".

In March 2022, Warwick District Council submitted a planning application for Tachbrook Country Park in Leamington Spa.

The council wants the park to include play areas, allotments, public access paths and habitats for wildlife.

It said "a number of complex legal agreements" have led to the delays.

Councillor Alan Rhead, Warwick District Council's portfolio holder for climate change, said: "It is important that we take considerable care to balance the wide-ranging requirements of all stakeholders".

He added they need to "ensure the land is in the right condition for the successful development of an accessible and sustainable green space for our growing communities".

The council want to include allotments for the community

Currently, there is no official public access to any part of the country park.

The council said that to allow for safe access for people of all ages and abilities, a network of paths connected to existing routes would be implemented.

Currently, there are no public access paths into the park

Sean Deeley, chair of the country park steering board and parish councillor, added: "The steering board is grateful to the key stakeholders, county council, land owners, developers and utility providers, for their continued mutual co-operation".

The county park, which is surrounded by a new housing development, will also be designed to be beneficial to a range of different wildlife.

This was decided due to the inevitable loss of wildlife habitat from the new housing development to the south of Harbury Lane.

The park will include wildlife habitats including a pond and wet meadow

Later this year, detailed plans of the park will be considered by the council's planning committee and if successful, it will be operated by Warwick District Council under an "in perpetuity" land use agreement, to be granted by Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council.