Part of Coundon Wedge to be Destroyed by Council

The City Council has launched a consultation on its plans to build over part of the Coundon Wedge. The Coventry Society is opposed to this untimely development.

The site is approximately 18 hectares (45 acres) bordered by Browns Lane, Coundon Wedge Drive and Wall Hill and Hawkes Mill Roads and is currently used for agriculture. It is owned by Coventry City Council and the Coventry Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd.

Within the next few months, the Council plan to submit an outline planning application for the development of up to 350 new homes, including some affordable homes at Browns Lane. The application will also include plans for a two hectare (5 acre) site that will be reserved for the development of a residential/nursing care home and housing with care apartments. Alongside will be associated infrastructure including access roads to residential areas, drainage, landscape improvements and play space.

The illustrative masterplan drawing, shown above shows an indicative layout and access points. It is likely that the residential development and residential/nursing care home and housing with care apartments will be delivered in two phases.

Should outline planning permission be granted, the selected developers will be required to submit a Reserved Matters application seeking approval for the detail including appearance, scale, layout and landscaping. This will be subject to further consultation and you will have another opportunity to comment.

The site was originally green belt but was taken out of the green belt in 1975 to allow it to be used for the potential expansion of the Jaguar factory. When the company departed the site the CIty Council re-allocated the land for residential developlment, a decision that was ratified in the approved Coventry Development Plan where is it now identified for 475 houses (Policy H2:6).

This consultation is for 350 houses and the Council argues that the developer will not be able to build more than this, but experience in Eastern Green demonstrates that once approved, housing numbers can increase considerably as developers seek to maximise the return on their investment once the principal of development is confirmed.

The current consultation runs until Sunday 10^th October. You can access the online consultation and make online comments at:

https://letstalk.coventry.gov.uk/brownslane

There is more information that can be downloaded from:

https://letstalk.coventry.gov.uk/6555/widgets/28015/documents/14915

If you have any questions, you can book a slot to talk to a council officer in person at the XJ Suite at the Jaguar Club on Thursday 23 September between 3pm and 7pm. To book a slot you should email [email protected] or call 024 7697 1979.

Consultees should note that any comments or objections made will not be considered by Planning Committee when they consider the outline planning application and will need to be re-submitted when the application is made.

The Coventry Society is disappointed that the City Council is bringing this land forward for development at this time. There is more than adequate land for development in the North West of the city, with 3200 houses already planned and being built in Keresley and Eastern Green. Coundon Wedge is a sacred place for the city and should be untouchable. This land was only released from the Green Belt to allow the expansion of Jaguar and it is sheer opportunism of the Council to try to sell this beautiful site for housing now.

The Coventry Local Plan is due to be reviewed next year and it is well known that the population projections for the city are flawed. It is cynical in the extreme to try to slip this development under the bar to secure the development value of the land before the plan is reviewed. We know that the council is desperate to raise funds but this is one development too far!