THOUSANDS JOIN HOMES PROTEST
PROTESTORS CLAIM HOUSING PLAN IS BASED ON FLAWED FIGURES
MORE than 6,500 people have backed a call to protect Coventry’s former green belt land from thousands of new homes it is claimed are not needed in the city.
Two separate petitions will be presented to Coventry City Council at full council on Tuesday, September 8, calling for a review of the authority’s Local Plan.
The Local Plan controversially removed chunks of land from the green belt in 2017 to build new homes, including 3,100 in Keresley and 3,495 at Eastern Green.
Coventry council believes it must accommodate
42,400 homes by 2031 based on Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures predicting a 31 per cent rise in population numbers.
But campaigners fiercely dispute the figures and say this fails to take into account departing students, meaning the homes are not needed.
More than 2,000 people have signed one petition, led by West Midlands
Mayor Andy Street and local councillor Gary Ridley, while around 4,500 have signed a further petition fronted by green belt campaigner Merle Gering. Cllr Ridley, who will present the petitions at council, said it is a call for “common sense and reasonable development”.
“The growth figures are ludicrous and everybody knows that,” he said. “Coventry currently builds around 1,000 to 2,000 homes each year - this plan is for 42,400 homes in 10 years. There is no way Coventry will develop that. “What will happen is developers will flock to green belt as it is cheaper to develop and market. Urban sprawl is not the way of developing this city.
“We need a brownfield first approach and it makes sense to develop this first before touching the green belt.” Mr Street added: “We now have a letter from the ONS which confirms the annual growth rate has slowed to just 1.3% - the lowest in a decade.
“We are deeply concerned that this is distorting local planning policy and leading to the unnecessary targeting of
The growth figures are ludicrous and everybody knows that. Cllr Ridley
the green belt for development.
“The fact that thousands of people have signed this petition in just a few weeks shows that Coventry people recognise there is something wrong with the way decisions are being made over building on the green belt.”
Campaigner Merle Gering said residents feel “ignored” on the issue.
He said: “In 2009 there were 13,000 signatures on a petition to protect our green belt. People really care about it.
“We have got world experts saying the ONS is wrong and using figures which are misleading. We feel we have been ignored and not listened to.
“The sensible and polite way is to say there is new evidence and more information and it is time for a review.”
The Local Plan is already set for a review in March 2021 but campaigners want immediate action while applications are still being considered.
There have also been calls for a review within Coventry Labour’s own party after Earlsdon members broke ranks to vote for a review in February.
Council leader George Duggins expressed “confidence” in the Local Plan at the time.
“If there are issues that come around the numbers we need to look at that. I do not believe we will and I still believe we are short of homes,” he said.
An ONS spokesman said Local Plans
are based on 2014 population projections which is considered the “most appropriate approach... in the short term” by the government.
They added: “The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has clearly stated that this decision does not mean that it doubts the methodological basis of ONS’S subsequent household projections and that they will be reviewing the local housing need formula over the next 18 months.
“We are continuing to have conversations with concerned residents and academics in Coventry and all of our methods have been explained to be fully transparent and helpful.”