More details revealed of mini village

MORE details have emerged on the first phase of a new 72-acre mini village proposed in Bedworth.

Last month plans were submitted to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council for the canal village scheme at the former Hawkesbury Golf Club.

Plans for 212 homes and community facilities were submitted by Solihull-based Terra Strategic.

It is the first phase of a project which the company says will be worth £115m and could see up to 500 homes eventually built.

The entire length of the development area is bounded by Coventry Canal, with vehicular access provided from Stockley Road and Sephton Drive - both off Blackhorse Road.

Terra Strategic bought the land just north of Hawkesbury village in 2018.

The company has since secured its allocation for at least 380 residential units, infrastructure and community facilities in the Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Plan, which was adopted last year.

The site used to be a golf course between 1990 and 2006, but historically had been used for mining activity.

Terra Strategic has given more details about the first phase of the scheme and released new CGI images of what some of the new homes being proposed will look like.

The planning application lodged is for 212 dwellings, including a 25 per cent provision of affordable homes.

The application proposes a wide range of accommodation incorporating one-bedroom maisonettes, two-bedroom apartments and bungalows, and two, three and four-bedroom family homes.

The homes have been designed with a mixture of red brick and render.

There are four ponds/ pools across the site, including Hawkesbury Farm Pool, which will all be retained and will form a key part of the ecology strategy for the scheme.

Across the 32 acres covered by the application, there is also the provision of extensive public open space, foot and cycle paths (including a new Sustrans link), landscaping, habitat enhancement, a children’s play area, allotments and an orchard.

There will also be a 2,000 sq ft community building with a car park for 18 cars.

The masterplan for the whole 72 acres has been carried out by Hampshire-based Thrive Architects, with Birmingham-based Malcolm Payne Design Group responsible for the detailed design for the first phase.

James O’shea, managing director of Terra Strategic, said: “This site has huge potential to create a vibrant new community, which is only a five-mile canalside walk or cycle ride into Coventry city centre.

“It will have a transformative effect on the local area, and we are especially keen for work to be able to commence as soon as possible, in order to create enhancements to the public realm in time for the 2021 City of Culture initiative.”

The site is traversed by three public footpaths, which provide links with Hawkesbury Village to the south, Bayton Road Industrial Estate and Bedworth town centre to the west and along Coventry Canal and beyond to Coventry Way to the north and south.

The planning application proposes retaining these footpaths, with new links to be created northsouth and east-west through the centre of the site.

New cycle ways will also be created.

The application also proposes creating two acres of allotment gardens with timber storage sheds and a community orchard.