Land Ownership Questions Arise Over Housing Project Near Wilmcote

People in Wilmcote want answers from leaders. They wonder if council members profit from new houses, as the village could be part of a large housing project. This plan includes 6,700 new homes, impacting Wilmcote, Bearley, and Pathlow. Houses would straddle the A3400 Birmingham Road.

South Warwickshire needs 54,400 new homes by 2050. Stratford district requires 27,000 of these homes. Residents questioned the housing project’s impact and met near Mary Arden’s Farm. The discussion then shifted to land ownership questions.

One person specifically asked about council members’ interests, mentioning three members with potential conflicts .People wondered if those council members should recuse themselves. This speaker wanted unbiased members on the council, and the crowd applauded this suggestion.

Another man focused on representing local views, asking what position the parish council would take. Someone else emphasized knowing the council’s viewpoint and questioned how unbiased council members with land interests could be.

A woman asked about the council’s vote on the project and wanted to know how each member voted. A district councillor stated that the parish council’s view was one of many. He said individual views are crucial.

Someone said the council must voice residents’ opinions and asked why the council had not shared its actions. Meeting minutes were not yet available. One man directly asked if three council members had vested interests, and people demanded an immediate answer.

Council Chairman Colin Ray admitted to vested interests, with three members reporting such an interest. Someone sarcastically asked if they favored builders, and people wondered who owned the land in question. Another person claimed a conflict of interest existed.

Someone suggested excluding the interested members from discussions and votes. Chairman Ray confirmed this already happened; interested members do not participate in related topics. The council clerk then stated there are three interested members.

She mentioned that one member was absent. Two members claimed a non-financial interest. A woman jokingly asked if they would donate the land. The meeting concluded with advice from a district councillor, who suggested reporting concerns to the district council.

A non-pecuniary interest is a personal one, not financial in nature, but it might still affect official duties. People must declare such interests and manage them properly. The village council members’ names are publicly listed.

The meeting did not reveal which members had interests, but this information is available when meeting minutes get released. A former councilor is forming an action group to fight the housing project.

She said landowners made land available there, which pushed Wilmcote high onto potential locations to develop. She stated this fact made residents very angry. Road improvements could hinder the project, and Mary Arden’s Farm is a unique building already there.

Flooding is also a known risk factor, and clay soil is a common geographic feature. A district council leader stated that decisions are pending and warned of government intervention without progress this fall. Progress on the plan is under pressure.

Around 180 people attended the meeting. At the end, 145 opposed the project, and only one person was publicly in favor.