Plans submitted for 500 more homes on ex-green belt land in Keresley, Coventry - The Coventry Observer

Plans submitted for 500 more homes on ex-green belt land in Keresley, Coventry

Coventry Editorial 11th Mar, 2019   0

PLANS for up to 500 more homes in Keresley in Coventry have been submitted amid concerns from green belt campaigners.

Keresley is earmarked for several housing developments outlined in Coventry City Council’s Local Plan, amounting to more than 3,000 new homes.

An outline planning application for the homes has now been submitted by Lioncourt Strategic Land for Thompsons Farm, Thompsons Road, Keresley End.

The site – about the size of 30 football pitches – was protected green belt land but has now been declassified in the Local Plan, which claims to outline a need for 42,400 homes to be built in and around the city by 2031.




The plans would involve the demolition of Thompsons Cottage and the surrounding buildings.

They also include ‘green infrastructure’ – including landscaping and play spaces – as well as a network of pedestrian and cycle routes.


A design and access statement from the developer says: “The proposed development will create housing choice at Keresley in line with the (Keresley) masterplan and new amenity spaces for the existing and new community whilst improving public access across the site and to the wider pedestrian network.

“In this context, the development will respect the local character but also move the community towards a more sustainable future, through a significant increase in housing choice.

“Development will accord with the principles of high quality design and best practice to create a townscape that is varied and sympathetic to its environment.

“The aim must be to achieve a development with a strong identity and distinct sense of place whilst at the same time integrating with the existing community.”

A proposal for 550 homes in Keresley on nearby Tamworth Road and Fivefield Road has been objected to by the NHS, the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust – while Highways England has expressed some concerns.

Campaigner Peter Maddock says concerns about adding to the strain on the health service, traffic problems and environmental damage could be raised about the latest development which he describes as not having ‘adequate infrastructure planning’.

Fellow campaigner Sandra Camwell joined others including opposition Conservative councillors in calling for a review of housing plans in the area.

She said: “The developers are like vultures circling around a carcass.

“The council has got it totally wrong. We should have a review.

“The whole objection for Keresley is that the infrastructure is not in place.

“The roads are not adequate and they’re not equipped to take on more traffic.”

She also said the Victorian sewage pipework cannot support any more houses and fears lives will be lost due to the extra pressure all the developments will place on the NHS.

We have contacted Coventry City Council to comment.

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