"Plans for 350 homes in Coventry approved despite complaints from residents and councillors"

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It is argued the plans will make London Road and the Asda roundabout even more congested



Coventry City Council has given the go-ahead for three separate plans which will mean nearly 350 homes will be built in Whitley - despite protests from residents and councillors.

A council planning meeting heard concerns over a rise in air pollution, fears about road safety and the risk of further congestion on an already over-used road.

It is feared the latest homes plan could attract more than 700 cars onto a road some believe cannot take any more traffic.

Despite the concerns, the council has given the plans the nod to go-ahead.

A spokesman for Coventry City Council said: "" Items 6,7 and 8 on Thursday's committee agenda all went with officer recommendation and got a resolution to grant."

At Thursday's meeting before the decision was reached, Cllr Roger Bailey said: "The accumulative impact on traffic volumes, air quality and quality of life in general is huge.

"It's not to be underestimated. We've got 349 places to live about to be developed roughly at the same time on a road system that's already overwhelmed: a system that has very little safe cycling facilities and limited pedestrian safety. So one can only imagine the quality of life, how it will greatly decrease as this continues.

"It is important to listen to the ward councillors and it is important you listen to the residents because they're impacted directly."

He said he agrees with "refurbishing" the area at the pumping station, but is worried by the impact on London Road and the surrounding area.

Doug Lowe, from the Whitley Residents and Focus Group, said: "There are many issues with these applications that council officers may try to dismiss by saying that they have plans for changes, including at the Asda roundabout.

"Please be very clear that residents have been asking the council for many years to bring these plans forward, even in the absence of further developments. Also the council has known throughout this period that the Asda roundabout and London Road in Whitley are very dangerous, yet they have done nothing to alleviate matters.

"Councillors, please fulfil your role by rejecting these applications, the development of which would severely threaten health and well-being in our locality."

Also making their voice heard at the meeting was Whitley resident Keith Whitehead, who said: "Developers are only interested in getting their developments done. They're not interested in the well-being of current or future residents or traffic congestion that their development may cause."

Fellow resident Sarah Maycott added: "The cumulative effect of increasing traffic volumes on air quality, which incidentally includes large numbers of HGVs, which are unlikely to go electric any time soon, is a matter of significant concern, and has the potential to seriously impact the health of local residents, particularly those daring to go on foot or by bike.

"How can residents be assured that the World Health Organisation's air quality limits, which are set to become more stringent, will be adhered to if this and the other housing developments proceed? The case officer's conclusion that there will be no impact, perhaps on neighbourhood amenity, is highly questionable if not wrong."

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Plans for almost 150 homes at old Coventry pumping station



Almost 150 homes could be built on the site of an abandoned Victorian pumping station in Coventry. Councillors will soon vote on plans for the former greenbelt land at London Road.

It comes three years after outline plans for up to 195 homes on the Whitley site first got the go-ahead despite local concerns. This bid is for so-called "reserved matters" which must be agreed before building starts.

These include details of the 149 planned homes' look, layout and landscaping. Officers are recommending councillors approve the plans next week, 17 October.

Developers Homes England and Morris Homes lodged the bid last year, months after a Section 106 agreement was finally agreed. Two locally listed buildings dating from the 1890s on the site will be restored and converted into homes.

It includes a building where water was pumped from the River Sowe to a reservoir for the city, according to the Coventry Society. Known as the Pump House, this will be extended and its surroundings turned into a public space with parking.

It will become flats, while a fire-damaged Lodge House at the site will be turned into a four-bedroom house. The rest of the derelict site is rough grassland, scrub and trees though it also includes a covered reservoir and underground pipes.

Developers claim nearly half of the nine-acre site will be public open space, and almost all trees and hedges will be kept. Most of the new homes will be two-storey houses, planning documents state.

Two people have objected to the reserved matters bid, raising questions including how much green space it would provide. A petition signed by 167 people in early 2022 also called for the council to preserve trees on the whole site.

But officers assessing the scheme say it is in line with council policies and will not negatively affect neighbours, road safety or ecology. More details of the plans can be found on the council's planning portal via reference: PL/2023/0002359/RESM.