Further to our article earlier in September, the Coventry Society has now submitted its response to the consultation on the Issues and Options paper.
The Coventry Society – the city’s civic society – recognises the importance of the Local Plan. For over fifty years we have campaigned for a quality environment, better amenities, recognition of the importance of our heritage, and support for the diversity and distinctiveness of the city.
We recognise that the policies and proposals of the Local Plan will set the pattern for the development of the city for the next two decades. So, the content of the reviewed Plan is important to us and the city.
The Coventry Society has participated in the consultation on the Issues and Options Report through eliciting the views of our members, attendance at some of the drop-in consultations at local libraries, assisting Coventry NW Member of Parliament Taiwo Owetami at one of her drop-in sessions, and partnering with the Coventry Green New Deal team to organise an evening community engagement event. The latter two events have enabled us to understand the often strongly-held views of local residents and helped in formulating the detailed views now submitted.
In summary, within the Issue and Options consultation documents we welcome and support several of the proposals including:
• Protection of the green belt and local green spaces, but we would like to see much more emphasis on improving these areas.
• Rejection of the government’s policy of boosting housebuilding by an extra 35% over and above agreed local needs
• Focus on affordable housing provision especially social rent (which is approximately 50% of market rent) as well as alternative forms of provision e.g. co-living, and self-build & custom build housing.
• Transport strategy with its emphasis on public transport improvements (but this depends on the actions of other organisations such as the West Midlands Combined Authority).
There are a number of issues where we believe there should be much stronger emphasis:
• Tackling climate change e.g., improving green and blue infrastructure. We would like to see the Council develop a specific strategy for the Rivers Sherbourne and Sowe that permits sympathetic development that provides for better public access to these waterways.
• We would like to see the council make a firm commitment to community engagement and liveable neighbourhoods in both existing and new housing areas. A liveable neighbourhood would have open space, local facilities and services, better built environment, and more green spaces, all within walking distance.
• Conserving and improving our heritage e.g. our city centre and the post-war housing estates.
• Design policies that reflect the distinctiveness and uniqueness of the built environment of our city.
Finally, there are two issues where we believe a new direction is required:
• New student housing: We believe that there should be a moratorium on new schemes until there is an agreement over future requirements. Evidence that we have seen suggests that there is an excess of student housing in the city and city council failure in other housing areas suggests that there should be a re-focus of housing priorities.
• We think that the council should develop policy and an investment strategy that is targeted at the north of the city and on former-council estates. We feel that, unwittingly, there is too much emphasis on the more affluent parts of the city.
We hope that the above key points and attached detailed comments will be seriously considered in the coming weeks as the draft Local Plan Review is formulated. We are willing to engage in further discussions to explain or expand on the issues that concern us and, with the Coventry Green New Deal, will be prepared to facilitate further community engagement events at the time of the formal consultation on the draft Local Plan.
You can download our detailed comments here. That document needs to be read in conjunction with Coventry Local Plan Review: Regulation 18: Issues and Options Consultation. July 2023, and Coventry Local Plan 2011 – 2031