Residents in 'absolute shock' after 1,000 bed student development in Westwood Business Park approved
Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:32 pm
They feel "defeated" at news the 1,000-bed scheme will go ahead
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."