MP brands Nuneaton and Bedworth development plan 'a mess'

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A document which offers to shape the future development of Nuneaton and Bedworth has been labelled “a complete mess”.


Residents stand outside Nuneaton Town Hall to protest against the proposed Borough Plan

Town MP Marcus Jones was among a number of critics of the Borough Plan when it was officially presented for public consultation in front of a packed Town Hall gallery.

The Tory politician addressed the Labour-controlled cabinet meeting and said: “I welcome the chance to have dialogue after three long years of waiting. But this has not been based on sound evidence. It is nothing more than a political fix.

“The last consultation in 2009 has been pretty much ignored. The infrastructure is woolly.

“What is being proposed will absolutely destroy communities. It is a complete mess and a muddle.”

The plan has been drawn up by a working party and includes sites for 7,900 future homes, with more than half of them controversially designated in the north-eastern part of Nuneaton.

Coun Keith Kondakor, the Green Party councillor for Weddington, who stood with a large group of protesters before the start of the meeting, said: “This plan is a sham and will fail at an enquiry.

“It is lopsided. The placing of the majority of houses in Nuneaton comes from a Fortress Bedworth policy.”

His wife Michelle, a fellow Green campaigner, added: “There are many things in the document which do not add up.

“It is not sustainable, cannot be justified and is simply not evidence-based.”

St Nicolas councillor Jim Foster called the plan “seriously faulted before it starts,” while the ward’s county councillor Jeff Clarke said the road infrastructure would cause big problems.

Independent councillor Bill Sheppard hit out at the inclusion of homes in Gipsy Lane, “which is in the Green Belt and is an area of historical heritage” and Tory councillor Kris Wilson said the proposal for a new relief road down Golf Drive would create a “nightmare” for residents.

Council leader Dennis Harvey told the meeting: “This is a report to go out for public consultation. It is not the final agreement.”

Coun Danny Aldington, the cabinet member for planning and development, proposed that the “preferred options of the plan” be approved to begin an eight-week consultation process on July 1.

His report said this “would enable stakeholders to provide feedback on the emerging plan, prior to reparing the submission version of the document.”

The recommendation was unanimously agreed on a show of hands, to cries of “disgrace” from the public gallery.

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Anger as public barred from speaking at Nuneaton council debate on 7,000 new homes

A debate on the Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Plan will be confined to councillors – with members of the public barred from speaking.

The extraordinary meeting takes place in the Town Hall chamber on Monday at 6pm, following a motion from the council’s Tory group which called for a “fairer” distribution of future development.

The plan, designed as an overall strategic planning vision for the borough up to 2028, has been drawn up by members of the Labour-controlled cabinet.

Draft suggestions have been agreed at full council and are due to go out for public consultation next month.

But criticism has been voiced by local residents’ groups and opposition councillors, because more than half of the 7,000 proposed new homes are designated to be built in just two wards in Nuneaton – Weddington and St Nicolas.

Green Party councillor Keith Kondakor has already called the plan “lop-sided” and blames a biased input from Labour members he has labelled as “the Bedworth mafia”.

He has also hit out at the refusal to allow public comments during Monday’s debate.He said: “This should be all about open consultation.

“Residents deserve to have their views heard.

“Labour are trying to play the whole issue surrounding the Borough Plan as low key as possible.

“They have been dragging their heels over this plan for three years and now will not even tell us the dates of the forthcoming consultation meetings.”

A council spokesman said: “The constitution does not allow the public to speak at extraordinary meetings, although the mayor, as chairman of the meeting, does have the discretion to waive this ruling, should he feel it is appropriate to do so.”

The only item on the agenda is the Tory motion that “the officers shall produce a consultation that has all evidence-based options, including those rejected” and that “no recommendations for additional Green Belt shall be included within the Draft Borough Plan unles they can be fully justified against the criteria in the National Planning Policy Framework.”

Labour have a strong majority in the chamber – with 24 seats against 10 in opposition – and it is expected that the proposal will be convincingly rejected.

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Nuneaton Labour group's outrage over 'mafia' slur during angry exchanges over borough plan


Council leader Dennis Harvey

Councillors exchanged angry words across the Nuneaton Town Hall chamber during a debate over the controversial Borough Plan.

Accusations that the document had been compiled by “the Bedworth Mafia” were aimed at Labour members of the cabinet, while claims were also made that the process had been “corrupt”.

Council leader Dennis Harvey said: “This is the first time that I have known people to be slated for where they live and I am very sorry to hear words such as Bedworth Mafia being bandied about. I find this appalling.”

The Labour stalwart went on to point out that three members of the six-strong cabinet represented Nuneaton wards, even though they live in Bedworth, and that all councillors had the chance to have their say on the Borough Plan when it was discussed at the May 22 cabinet meeting.”

An extraordinary meeting of the full council was called by the Tory group with a motion that the draft Borough Plan should include all evidence-based options, with no recommendations for additional green belt to be included.

The proposal was put by Coun Kris Wilson, who said: “If this plan gets passed it will be a disaster. It is being put out for public consultation with only one option. Where are the alternatives?

“Our own officers, who are qualified in planning matters, do not feel they can substantiate the document, which will costs this council hundreds of thousands of pounds when it fails at inspector level.”

Party colleague Matt Grant said the plan was “Labour’s omnishambles.”

He added: “It has been decided by the Bedworth-dominated cabinet, who have been referred to as the Bedworth Mafia, a description I tend to agree with. It will cause undue damage to the borough.”

One of the local representatives, Keith Kondakor, from the Green Party, said it was not a fair process.

“They are dumping 3,000 homes in the north of Nuneaton. It’s gerrymandering. The whole process – and the 2009 consultation before it – has been corrupt. The Bedworth Mafia should be reasonable and spread the proposed homes around the borough. This plan has horrendous prospects.”

Labour councillor Ian Lloyd demanded an apology over the “Mafia” comment.

He fumed: “I find this abusive. I am not Italian. And if they (the Tories) think that I am corrupt, then let them take me to the Standards Committee.”

The Tory motion was defeated 20-8 on a recorded vote and the draft Borough Plan will now go forward for public consultation, with a series of meetings due to start next month.