Residents in 'absolute shock' after 1,000 bed student development in Westwood Business Park approved

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Residents in 'absolute shock' after 1,000 bed student development in Westwood Business Park approved

Postby dutchman » Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:32 pm

They feel "defeated" at news the 1,000-bed scheme will go ahead

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Coventry residents were left in "absolute shock" after plans for a massive student development got approval without being voted on by councillors. Blocks providing more than 1,000 student beds, plus co-living and commercial space, will replace old Barclays offices and a car park in Westwood Business Park.

The huge scheme got the green light from Coventry City Council officers last month as less than six people had objected and it wasn't called in to the planning committee. But people living in nearby Westwood Heath say they should have been told directly about the scheme and councillors given the chance to vote on it due to its size.

A member of the local residents' group said they felt the plans had been "rushed through the back door" by the council.

They said: "We weren't aware of it. Somebody went for a walk and spotted the [planning notice] but it was too late. This is a major, major building. That surely should be warranting a different criteria for the council to be engaging with the community.

"We now have thousands of [student] beds, that's a phenomenal footfall of students here. Really, delegated authority was inappropriate."

46 people signed a petition against the plans but the scheme was approved a day after the signatures were sent to the council. Coventry council said officers had decided to accept the plans before they got the petition, which came in after the official consultation period had ended.

When locals found out plans had gone through it was "like somebody just hurled a bucket of cold water over us", the resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS.) "It was that kind of defeat really, shock, lots of angry messages in the group."

People aren't happy about the extra cars and noise the blocks will bring, the resident said. They fear the area will be turned into a student village as accommodation for over 1,000 students is already being built in the business park.

"Where are they shopping? How are they travelling?" said the resident. "It's a nightmare for anybody living here. We are being squeezed, every square inch is being completely developed.

"You can't get out of the side roads in the morning - it's very problematic."

Westwood councillor Marcus Lapsa supported the residents' petition and said he'd been led to believe residents were being consulted on the scheme. The development should have gone in front of the planning committee irrespective of the objections.

He said: "A lot of people feel this way. It's the size (of the plans). A lot of residents feel they didn't have a consultation period. I think it's a failure of the council to be honest."

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Re: Residents in 'absolute shock' after 1,000 bed student development in Westwood Business Park approved

Postby rebbonk » Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:54 pm

I knew about this last week.

Unfortunately, if you buy on the edge of a Uni' campus you can expect this. CCC will bow and scrape to the Uni' despite the Uni' having nowhere else to move to.
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
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Re: Residents in 'absolute shock' after 1,000 bed student development in Westwood Business Park approved

Postby dutchman » Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:20 pm

Controversial plan for Coventry student block pushed back after local campaign

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A campaign by Coventry residents against "overbearing" student accommodation has led to plans being pulled at the eleventh hour - for now. Almost 70 people wrote to the council objecting to the 544-bed block which was set to replace disused office building Progress House in Westwood Heath.

Hundreds also signed petitions against the controversial plans which were due to go before Coventry's planning committee tomorrow (March 23). But despite a recommendation from council officers to approve the block, developers Gilltown withdrew the application today, Wednesday, March 22 - for the time being, at least.

In the past few weeks, people living in Westwood Heath have voiced their concerns. People have dubbed the building "overbearing" as it will be six storeys high at its tallest point - twice the height of the office block it will replace.

Yet even though the scheme has been withdrawn for now, concerns will remain that this is not the end of the matter. Indeed, the developer Gilltown has said it will be resubmitting the scheme.

Long term resident Yasmina Gainer, whose garden borders Progress House, said she and her family could be forced to leave if the block is ever built. "I think we would have to [sell.]

"The privacy would just be gone," she said. "It will overshadow people's gardens."

Her neighbours are even closer to the boundary, she added. Residents are also fed up with the sheer number of purpose-built student accommodation schemes in Westwood Business Park.

Three of these buildings have got the green light since 2020 and the area will get over 2,000 extra students if all the beds are filled. It has led locals to fear they will effectively be living in a student village.

A letter with their objections stated it would "create a concentration of students that far exceeds the current population of lower Westwood Heath, thereby changing the whole balance of the community and putting extra strain on local amenities and services." The letter also says they are not convinced by a student demand analysis showing need for the block which was done by consultants and based on Warwick's figures for 2020/21.

It calls for a review done by the council and universities instead. One resident said: "It's like, when is enough enough?

"Nobody seems to be listening to us. I am a pensioner and I have spoken to a lot of residents that are the same way - just devastated and really upset."

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Re: Residents in 'absolute shock' after 1,000 bed student development in Westwood Business Park approved

Postby dutchman » Thu Jul 20, 2023 9:51 pm

Plans to knock down office and build student accommodation set for green light - but neighbours aren't happy

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A controversial bid to build more student accommodation in a Coventry business park will be decided on by councillors today, 20 July. Developers want permission to knock down office building Progress House on Westwood Way for a 544-bed block, six storeys high at its tallest point.

Council officers say the scheme should get the green light as there are no "material reasons" it should be turned down.

But people living in neighbouring Westwood Heath are "more determined than ever" to encourage councillors to reject it, a campaigner said.

Developer Gilltown's original plans were withdrawn in March after almost 70 letters of objection were lodged with the council. Local councillors also submitted three petitions, which each got some 175 signatures, highlighting concerns including noise, anti-social behaviour and the impact on the residential area.

Residents also fear the area will become oversaturated with students, and worry about the effect on local services. In the last five years planning permission for accommodation blocks with 2,000 beds by other developers in Westwood Business Park, albeit further away from the residential area, have been granted.

Since they pulled plans in March, Gilltown have re-submitted the scheme with updates to key documents and more images showing how the building would relate to its surroundings. But many residents are still unhappy and petitions have more than doubled the previous number of signatures, with letters of objection now totalling 86.

Yasmina Gainer, whose garden borders the office block set to be knocked down, said there had been an increase in community support against the plans.

Speaking on behalf of residents, she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "Westwood Heath residents are more determined than ever to encourage the Coventry City Council Planning Committee to reject the proposed development of Progress House, Westwood Business Park."

The development's scale would be "completely disproportionate to any other building adjacent to the residential estate," she claimed. Unless rejected, at 6 storeys high, it would tower above the nearby domestic homes (and all other buildings on that road) and impact significantly in terms of noise, privacy and the environment.

"The scale of the development will fundamentally and adversely change the residential area of Westwood Heath."

She and others objecting to the re-submitted plans also claimed the scheme hadn't changed substantially since it was withdrawn in March.

"Although the Residents’ Association has contributed positively to the consultation process, not a single meaningful recommendation has been incorporated into the developer’s revised proposal," said Yasmina. "The community still feel that the residential side of the business park is suitable for redevelopment, but there needs to be greater consideration of the proximity to the residential properties for a building of this size and scale.

"The community harbours further concerns about the number of students being accommodated in this area and the strain on local amenities and infrastructure."

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Re: Residents in 'absolute shock' after 1,000 bed student development in Westwood Business Park approved

Postby dutchman » Fri Jul 21, 2023 11:15 pm

Coventry student flats plan rejected amid outcry from residents

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An aerial view of how the building looks now (left) and how the site would have looked if the plans had gone ahead (right)

Plans to build student accommodation have been rejected following opposition from nearby residents.

Developers had submitted proposals to demolish a two-storey office building in Westwood Way, Coventry and replace it with flats up to six storeys high.

Hundreds of people signed a petition against the scheme and 86 objections were lodged with the council.

Councillors shared concerns over the development's size and its impact on residents, at a meeting on Thursday.

The project would have created accommodation for 544 students and featured purpose built flats.

The city council's lead planning officer initially said proposals should be approved as the block would "respect the scale and character of the surrounding area".

However, residents deemed it an "eyesore" that would "dominate the skyline".

James Gillespie, of developers Gilltown, said 20 evergreen trees would be planted at the back of the block and would reach the size of a two-storey building by the time students move in.

After a lengthy debate, Coventry councillors voted to reject the scheme by five to two.

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