Traffic concerns should delay works

RE: ‘Motorists face traffic problems over HS2 work’ (Apr 12). It is worth noting that during the recent examination of Coventry’s new Local Plan in 2016, residents groups from Westwood Heath, Burton Green and Cromwell Lane urged city planners and the inspector to defer any large building development in this area until after the HS2 works were complete, or at least until they were well advanced and construction traffic disruption was understood.

This was a not unreasonable request as Coventry City Council itself along with Warwick District Council and the University of Warwick had themselves petitioned the House of Commons select committee over their concerns about construction traffic in this area. The response from HS2 in December 2015 confirmed that a wide area from the A46 through Westwood Heath to Burton Green and Cromwell Lane would be affected by construction and general traffic. At the time of the examination, council officers insisted that they did not have sufficient information about the HS2 works even though the council has an HS2 liaison officer who supplied residents with information about projected construction traffic schedules. Why, then, has Coventry recently approved an outline planning application for 240 homes in Cromwell Lane and Warwick District Council is about to consider (with a recommendation to approve) an application for a further 425 homes on Westwood Heath Road? These sites are a few hundred metres apart, both in the middle of the HS2 affected area.

There is no reason why these two developments could not be phased back further in the plan period as indeed the inspector made provision for in her final report.

Or could it just be Coventry and Warwick don’t care about residents and road users in the rush to get more building on green belt land?

Paul McDonald Tile Hill