Concerns over £250 million Coventry Airport masterplan

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Residents have raised concerns over traffic plans for the £250 million Coventry Gateway masterplan.

The huge development around Coventry Airport could involve road changes that impact on both Cheylesmore and Styvechale areas.

Residents met representatives of developers at Cheylesmore Ward Forum on Tuesday at the community centre in Arundel Road.

Plans include creating new access to the Whitley Jaguar site via a new bridge over the Cheylesmore-Styvechale A444 bypass, near the junction with Black Prince Avenue.

Access to Leaf Lane would then be closed off from Festival Roundabout.

Nigel Warren, 40, lives in Crediton Close, Syvechale, said: “All my family use Leaf Lane. This means emergency service vehicles won’t be able to get down there. We feel there are going to be a lot of problems. When they build this bridge over the by-pass school kids could end up messing around and putting their lives at risk up there.

“The schools around here should have a say in this process because they may have safety concerns, but they’re off on holiday at the moment.”

The proposal would see the building of a new logistics park near the airport, a technology park on fields south of the A45 and the completing of a business park development in Whitley.

Mr Warren continued: “This is all about the airport, but why should we all have to suffer?”

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Protest over plans for major road changes around Coventry Airport



A PUBLIC protest is under way against proposed major road changes as part of a £250million scheme to create up to 14,000 jobs around Coventry Airport.

A petition signed by 800 residents living in and around Cheylesmore objects to plans for changes to a major roundabout, and a new access road to the development via the nearby Jaguar Whitley plant.

Airport tycoon owner Sir Peter Rigby and Rugby-based joint venture partners Roxhill Developments Ltd have pledged to relieve congestion with a privately-financed access road, and improvements to several existing road junctions, including the A45/A46 Festival roundabout.

But the petitioners are calling on them to abandon plans for alternations to Leaf Lane, Cheylesmore, and road building on green belt land west of the A444.

Sir Peter’s joint venture company wants to create up to 10,000 jobs on land around the airport, including green belt, by building a manufacturing and distribution park.

It claims improvements to roundabouts including Festival island could unlock investment for 4,000 more jobs near to the nearly Jaguar Whitley site, a development which has stalled for years.

Cheylesmore Conservative opposition councillors Hazel Noonan and Kevin Foster received the petition yesterday outside Coventry City Council, which is expected to receive a planning application next month.

The council’s Labour leaders are backing the airport jobs plan called Coventry Gateway, mainly on council-owned land across the border into Warwickshire.

Different options have so far been presented for changes to Leaf Lane.

But Jane McGaffney, landlady of the Festival pub off Leaf Lane, said under current proposals the road would become a “cul-de-sac” with access to and from the island cut off.

She said: “It would have a huge impact on the community, not just businesses, and will create a rat run through Baginton Road, Fenside Avenue and into Cheylesmore.”

Coun Foster said residents wanted a clear assurance land west of the A444 will be left untouched by new highways developments.

He said: “The Coventry Gateway development could have a massive impact on the Cheylesmore and Styvechale area if the plans as originally proposed by the developers went ahead.

“The proposal to allow Black Prince Avenue and Leaf Lane to act as a major access to their site could see large amounts of rat running traffic brought through local streets. In addition, local greenbelt could have a new road built on it, despite recent claims from the council to be protecting it (from housebuiding).”