Peugeot plan for Browns Lane warehouse rejected

Councillors have thrown out Peugeot's plans for a 24-hour warehouse on the former Jaguar site in Browns Lane.

Proposals had been put forward by Peugeot to re-locate a distribution hub onto the Allesley site.

But residents objected to the plans saying the proposed building was too high and not suitable for the location.

They also accused the council’s planning officers of going back on the word of the committee in December 2009 when outline planning permission was granted on the grounds the site would never be used for warehousing and buildings would stay within a certain height requirement.

At yesterday’s planning meeting, a group of residents turned out to show their opposition to the plans.

And their views were supported by the planning committee which voted unanimously to refuse permission.

Coun John McNicholas (Lab, Lower Stoke), said: “In many ways this goes against the decision we took in 2009 and the only difference between the plans then and now is the pressure being put on planning committees by the Government to consider economic growth.

“Warehousing is not appropriate for this site. We want quality, high tech jobs in the area not more warehouses, especially not on this site.”

Other councillors agreed the site was not suitable and approval would only encourage other similar businesses to put in applications for more distribution centres.

At the meeting yesterday, Chris May, a representative for applicants Goodman and Peugeot, said he believed the application was fair.

“Peugeot is a local employer that wishes to relocate and can’t find another site in the city, and this will see a number of jobs retained in the city.

"They have done all they can within the boundaries and come up with what we believed to have been a reasonable scheme that respected the greenbelt and residents.”

Committee members refused the application because it departed from the promises made in 2009 not to bring a warehouse to the site and because of the visual impact it would have on the local environment.

Following the decision, Paul Liggins, vice chairman of the Allesley and Coundon Wedge Conservation Society, said: “We have won a battle.

"We haven’t won a war.

"Peugeot may have taken on board that they can’t win against us but I fear we will be here again.

“We didn’t expect a unanimous vote but the councillors made it clear that warehousing was not acceptable in this site.

“We want a science park type development here, which we were promised, not a warehouse.”