ALMOST 700 villagers have pushed back against proposals for 300 new homes in Wellesbourne.

Land promotion company Richborough is seeking outline planning permission to build on land east of Kineton Road.

But between 17th June and 15th July, 689 residents lodged objections via Stratford District Council’s planning portal (Planning ref 25/01145/OUT).

They warn the village’s primary and secondary schools, dental and GP practices are already struggling to meet demand, and can’t cope with another 300 homes.

Children from Wellesbourne are travelling to schools in Loxley, Moreton Morrell and Hampton Lucy, due to a lack of places locally.

The other major bugbear is traffic congestion –300 new homes could mean up to 600 more cars on the local roads – already gridlocked on market days.

Another concern is whether the existing wastewater systems will be able to deal with hundreds more properties, while others question the need to build on what is prime agricultural land.

A large-scale housing development like this is also seen by locals as a flood risk to the rest of the village.