1 , 000 JOIN CALL TO SCRAP CITY HOMES PLAN
ALMOST 1,000 people have signed a call to scrap plans for thousands of new homes on former green belt land at Eastern Green in Coventry.
Campaigners have brushed off suggestions of NIMBYism and urged Coventry council to carry out a full review of its housebuilding policy.
The call comes in response to plans for up to 2,400 homes on land off the A45, submitted by developer Hallam Land Management in January.
In just under two weeks, 865 people have signed a petition against it while Highways England have objected stating there is not enough information to give it confidence it will not impact on the A45/A46 trunk road corridors.
The scheme is already larger than the 2,250 homes the site was allocated for in Coventry’s Local Plan in 2017, while the wider site could compromise of 3,495 houses - a 55 per cent increase on what was originally planned.
It is one of two instances in Coventry where land has been set aside for a certain amount of homes in the Local Plan, but developers are attempting to put in more houses than what was agreed.
The site of the old Whitley Pumping Station was also set aside for 200 dwellings in the Local Plan, but pre-application documents submitted to the council in January show Homes England is seeking to build double that.
Coventry City Council did not comment on the changes, but has previously said that housing allocations in the Local Plan are a “minimum”.
However, it has been accused of moving the goalposts as pressure mounts for a full review.
Cllr Gary Ridley, leader of the Conservative opposition, said: “What is the point of having a Local Plan if we are going to consider it as a minimum and accept developments in excess of that?
“At no point when this was agreed did the council say this was a minimum.
“It is very concerning they are doing this now.
“You would ask whether the Local Plan has any relevance if developers are going to cram more and more in on what was agreed.”
The Local Plan has come under fierce criticism from the Conservatives, green belt campaigners, and even by members of the ruling Labour group’s own party due to the loss of green land, the ‘climate emergency’ declared by the council last year, and the disputed Office for National Statistics figures housing numbers are based on.
ONS figures claim 42,400 homes are needed by 2031, but critics state this does not take into account departing students.
Only last month, council leader Cllr George Duggins said he was “confident” in the Local Plan and dismissed suggestions land identified for housing could be reviewed, but he did pledge to a smaller review to consider housing figures and air quality objectives.
Cllr Ridley said: “A review is more urgent now than ever before.
“Residents are concerned about the loss of green space which will be needlessly decimated for a demand which is not there.
“When people say this is NIMBYism, it is absolutely not NIMBYism, it is about doing the right thing for the city and we are not doing that if we neglect brownfield sites.”