A CAMPAIGN to create a Country Park around ancient woodland at Cawston Spinney has been launched.
Lee Chase, who stood for the Liberal Democrats in the Admirals and Cawston ward at the local elections earlier this month, wants an additional few hectares of land west of the wood to be allocated as green space, connecting it to Cawston Greenway.
He said proposals in Rugby Borough Council’s as-yet-unadopted Local Plan would ‘shrink-wrap’ the Spinney with a 15m buffer – which he says would put birds, rabbits and other wildlife at risk from the consequences of new housing.
He said: “We have few enough green spaces in Rugby, relying on Draycote and Daventry to provide significant outdoor space.
“Expanding upon the ideas in the plan by adding footpaths and trees would create an effective country park for Rugby with three-plus miles of circular routes for walkers and cyclists.
“The connection to Cawston Greenway, the old Leamington rail line, offers the opportunity to continue that journey almost exclusively off-road to Draycote and Leamington.”
He said green spaces add value to people’s lives and save money for the tax payer, citing Fields in Trust research showing UK parks and green spaces generate over £34billion of health and well-being benefits.
He also called for Rugby Borough Council to resist attempts by developers to challenge the Local Plan on the grounds that standards for green spaces in Rugby are too high.
In March, housebuilder McCarthy and Stone submitted a planning application to build a retirement village on Oakfield Park, which relies on challenging the council’s policies on open spaces.
The park was fenced off by its owners, the Heart of England Co-operative Society, after its plan to build 50 new homes there was rejected by the council in 2016 on the grounds it should remain a community park.
McCarthy and Stone now argue the park should not be considered a public open space because it has been fenced off.
And a consultant employed by the Co-op has challenged the Local Plan on the grounds there is too much green space in Rugby.
Lee said: “Rugby’s Local Plan should resist any attempt to reduce Rugby’s green space standards by those that wish to build on Oakfield and elsewhere but have a grander vision.”
