Category Archives: Updates

There was a Council Planning Meeting on 4th March 2021. This meeting recommended approval for the development of 550 houses in Fivefield Road/Tamworth Road in Keresley.

There were eight Planning Committee Councillors present – three Conservative ward councillors and five Labour councillors.

The presentation did not include photographs of the area showing the landscape and Ancient Woods or the congested, dangerous country roads which will be expected to accommodate high volumes of traffic. There was no site inspection. Councillors were being asked to vote on this application, an area they were not familiar with.

A Planning Officer appraising the traffic situation stated “I am clutching at straws given my lack of geographical knowledge of the area”. A Coventry Council Ecologist in his report, objected to the application unless a survey of the Ancient Woods was forthcoming. Traffic surveys were conducted in 2016 prior to the opening of the Amazon site (2018) and subsequent developments in Lyons Park which has generated a huge amount of traffic in the area.

This was a complicated and extensive application. Four of the Planning Committee members did not ask one single question. The voting was 5 for and 3 against.

A petition was handed to the Council objecting to this development and further Keresley developments, totalling 7,000 signatures and endorsed by Andy Street who has long advocated a Brownfield First policy in his approach to housebuilding.

What has happened to our Democratic Society and the Council’s pledge to its residents of transparency? Clearly not in evidence concerning matters of Planning.

The Planning Application OUT/2019/0022 for Tamworth Road/Fivefield Road is going to the Planning Committee on 4th March. Details can be accessed from here by downloading the agenda reports PDF. The Recommendation put forward by the Council is to grant planning permission subject to conditions.

The meeting is by Zoom and residents can register to speak if they have previously sent an objection to this application to CCC.

To indicate your interest in attending the event please register.

Clicking on the register link will take you to the ZOOM registration page.

Tree Wardens have launched this petition to challenge the Council’s plans to allow building on really important green land between London Road and Allard Way. The wildlife, plants and trees there are fantastic, photos below. Not just veteran Oak trees, but wonderful wildflowers and a woodland actually planted by the Council’s tree officer. Increased traffic and pollution would be awful.

Please help us by signing and sharing this petition.

CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) Warwickshire started their “Brownfield first” campaign on social media this week. Please find their Facebook page here. You might recognise the photographs, both aerial and ground based, for they are of sites around Coventry.

Coventry City Council and other local authority planning areas – Warwick, Solihull, Stratford, Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth along with North Warwickshire – must be made stop trashing our countryside and instead build on the masses of brownfield sites that exist in their districts, cities and boroughs. It is absolutely criminal that they ignore this available land and prefer instead to take the easy route of allowing developers to bulldoze and concrete over of our green fields.

What would be great is if you would look at the link, then like it and comment on it. And then even better, forward it to your contacts list. The more people that get to understand what is being done to our countryside and object to it, the more likely Councils and their councillors will start being a bit more wary – you might vote them out of office!

Yet more coverage of the mounting pressure to review the numbers.

Can all residents please raise their objections to Coventry Council objecting to the development in Sandpits lane – most council staff are working from home therefore send a message on the Planning Comments page or e-mail direct to planning@coventry.gov.uk.

The closing date for objections is 30th November and be sure to include TAMWORTH/BENNETTS ROAD DEVELOPMENT ref. RM/2020/2399

Some points are provided below. As always, it is best if you can adapt the bullets and use at least some of your own words and experience. Attached is the excellent Planning Objection prepared by Keresley Parish Council.

Continue reading →

The Guardian covered the ongoing fight against unnecessary development this weekend.