Keresley greenbelt homes plan submitted

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388 homes to go on former Coventry greenbelt as houses 'desperately needed' but locals 'fed up'



Hundreds of homes will be built on former Coventry green belt land as councillors say the city needs housing. But residents are said to be "fed up" with the level of development near them, a meeting heard.

Plans for a 388-home estate on farmland in Keresley were approved unanimously by the city's Planning Committee last Thursday (2 November.) Committee Member Cllr Kevin Maton (Lab) stressed homes are needed and urged people to watch recent documentaries on the UK housing crisis.

"We need these houses. The people of Coventry, the people who want to move to Coventry, the people who work in Coventry, need housing," he added.

Meeting chair Cllr Lindsley Harvard (Lab) agreed, saying Cllr Maton is "absolutely right, those houses are desperately needed."

He referred to 16 and a half thousand families on the housing waiting list and thousands of young people "desperate to get on the housing ladder."

"The housing, it looks quite nice and it's good to see a lot of green space left within the development," he added.

Councillor Ryan Simpson (Con), also on the committee, said he personally doesn't think it's a great site for housing as nearby Holyhead and Radford Roads are "already struggling."

"But that's been settled, it's in the local plan, it's been allocated and that's not up for debate today," he added.

Councillors voted to give the project planning permission, as had been recommended by council officers.

The scheme includes 388 homes, of which 97 will be affordable, six hectares of open space and over £9 million for local infrastructure and services.

The development is part of an 'urban extension' in Keresley involving 3,100 homes, a primary school and new link road set out in the 2017 'Local Plan.'

Controversially, the plan agreed some sites could be removed from green belt and built on as figures based on population estimates showed the city needed over 40,000 new homes in twenty years.

More than 2,400 of the planned homes in Keresley now have at least outline permission, according to a report for Thursday's meeting.

But the projects are affecting residents, with one saying he will be living "in the middle of a construction site," the meeting heard.

Other concerns had been raised over the scheme which was hit with 17 objections after being considered for three years by the council - though an earlier version for 444 homes got over 100 objections.

At the meeting on Thursday, ward councillor Steven Keough (Con) said local residents are "really fed up with the builds."

"This is going to have a lot of negative aspects on their housing, on their view that they have and also on the price of their houses," he claimed.

He also pointed to a "similar scenario" in Tamworth Road which had a "big impact" on access and traffic.

A local man told councillors they have a "duty of care to minimise the impact on local residents, the protection of the environment and its wildlife."

He called for a section of a planned link road to be built before more developments get the go ahead, adding: "We cannot allow this to become the equivalent of Coventry's HS2 Northern Section."

The resident also said local services should be built at the same time as housing.

"Nothing I say here today is going to stop the building of houses," he added.

"But I plead to you, the Planning Committee, to consider the time frame implications with all that is happening in Keresley and the impact on the mental health of residents.

"Certainly for the remainder of my lifetime, unless I move, I will be living in the midst of a construction site."

Others questioned the need for the scheme and highlighted the impact on the greenfield land.

"Tragically this plan is based [on] over estimated population growth calculations made and based on bad data and used to justify the development on green belt in Coventry," ward councillor Jandu (Con) told the meeting.

"The plan is the wrong proposal in the wrong place," he added, calling for a 'brownfield first' approach.

His colleague Cllr Birdi (Con) added in a statement the land is used by farmers, a parish council and ramblers.

Covering it in houses would "destroy the scenic greenfield land, never to be seen again in years," he said.

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Anger as plans for homes on former Coventry greenbelt set to go ahead



Plans for 40 homes on old Coventry greenbelt land could be approved despite objections from local councils and residents. The scheme involves knocking down a house and building on farmland at Hall Hill Cottage on Fivefield Road.

It is the latest part of a so-called "urban extension" for Keresley involving more than 3,000 homes being built on former greenbelt land. Plans for more than 2,500 houses in this area have been approved in the last six years.

Council officers say the 'outline' proposals for Fivefield Road should get permission at a meeting next week, May 23. But the bid is opposed by three local councils and was also hit with 26 letters of objection, council papers say.

Keresley Parish Council highlighted an increase in traffic, no access for people on foot or cycling, and a "lack of bus service." "No bus services and therefore unsustainable," added an objection by North Warwickshire Borough Council.

Warwickshire County Council claimed "it has not been shown that safe and suitable access can be achieved." Residents also raised further issues including the impact on nature and whether there was a need for the scheme.

People highlighted concerns over the impact on services like schools and doctors, highways, drainage and flooding, the report by council officers added. But it said the homes are "much-needed" and the site has been allocated for housing since 2017.

The report defended how traffic in the area has been modelled and said highways teams have no objections. Access to the site will be "acceptable" and it will be safe for emergency services to enter and exit, the report added.

Developers will pay towards extending a nearby bus service and city cycle routes, it said. The report did admit there are "potential negative impacts" on some animal species including badgers and great crested newts.

But it said woodland will be created on a field north of the housing, which will be a "net gain" for biodiversity. Officers did, however, raise another issue with the plans, which it described as an "adverse impact."

It will not bring as many Section 106 contributions as required under policy. This is money that is paid by developers to help reduce the impact of schemes on services for the area, like schools and doctors.

The council originally asked for £1.5 million plus 25% affordable housing, but a viability assessment by the developer found it could not provide this. After "extensive negotiations", around half of the money, some £790,000, will be paid and 10 of the 40 homes - the number asked for - will be affordable.

Most of the Section 106 funds will go on schools and highways, with some on healthcare and parks. But it does not include two major contributions originally asked for, including £300,000 for the planned Keresley Link Road and around £290,000 for primary schools, the report said.

But council officers said the contributions are "acceptable" and will reduce the impact of the homes "without putting too much pressure on statutory services." They said the benefits of the scheme would outweigh any negative impacts and recommend that it go ahead.

City councillors on the council's planning committee will have final say next Thursday, May 15.

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The area of Coventry 'like a warzone' as more housing plans approved



A rural part of Coventry has been called a "warzone" due to the level of development going on. Keresley residents also claim they are not seeing improvements needed as part of a planned expansion for the area.

They made the comments at a council meeting to decide on plans for more housing in the rural parish, which had just 840 residents at the last census. The area is set to gain more than 3,000 homes, a new road and school, and funding for services under plans agreed in 2017.

Coventry council voted to remove land from green belt in the parish to make way for the homes, despite opposition from campaigners. Since then, schemes for hundreds of homes in Keresley have had planning approval.

But many were hit by objections from locals - including the latest one, a so-called "reserved matters" application for 260 homes at Bennetts Road [pictured above]. This was considered by councillors at a meeting last week, on September 12.

Councillors heard a statement from resident Ann Evans, who said: "Keresley resembles a warzone. Every area in the parish is under attack. There does not appear to be a formula to finish one site before embarking on the next. Nine developers in the area are all following their own agenda."

She added: "Developers are clogging the roads and drains with run-off mud. Hedgerows, once fastidiously tended by landowners, are overgrown and dangerously reduce the width of the narrow footpath in the area."

She questioned the council's plans for a new primary school in the area, and pointed out that the nearest school is full with a large waiting list, as are two others a car journey away. The resident also asked "how and when" money from developers for services in Keresley will be spent by the council.

She claimed over a million pounds had been paid and allocated for a swimming pool in the area, but locals have now learned it will not be built at President Kennedy school. "This is just one item of a very long list of promises for facilities in Keresley," she concluded.

Another resident who raised flood risk concerns over the scheme told councillors they have a "responsibility" to make sure next-door housing schemes integrate into a "liveable" community. He added: "I applaud the road infrastructure at Eastern Green.

"Roads, street-lights, all in place, well done. But there's not one house been built there.

"In Keresley, two developments have already been completed and at least five are underway. Yet no road improvements to cope with that traffic have been forthcoming."

Councillors on the planning committee voted by seven to one to agree the detailed plans for the homes can go ahead.

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Homes on former Coventry greenbelt given the go-ahead despite objections



Homes will be built on former greenbelt land in Coventry. Just two days before Christmas Day, Coventry City Council posted a decision notice.

It was in relation to the outline planning application for Hall Hill Cottage in Fivefield Road. It said permission has been given for a house and building on farmland at Hall Hill Cottage to be demolished.

Up to 40 homes with parking can also be built. The outline planning permission means that a more detailed application, known as reserved matters, has to be submitted in regards to access to the site.

No works can be started until this is done. But the fact that the works will take place will anger some.

The application is the latest part of the "urban extension" for Keresley which will see more than 3,000 homes built on the former greenbelt land. But locals have long objected to the plans, including the most recent proposal.

This included the need for the scheme. Warwickshire County Council claimed "it has not been shown that safe and suitable access can be achieved." Keresley Parish Council also raised objections.

But outline planning permission has now been granted and, as long as planning conditions are met, the works can take place within the next three years.