Housing development plan for Coventry revealed

Detailed development plans for 2,400 new homes in Coventry have been revealed. 

On 14 December, Coventry City Council approved the specific details of the development plan for Eastern Green, a residential suburb in west Coventry. 

There will be ‘extra-care’ accommodation, highway and drainage connections on land south of the A45, and a new vehicle access from the A45 via Pickford Green Lane.

The plan also includes 15 hectares of employment land, a district centre consisting of around 10,000 sq metres of retail space, a local centre of about 1000 sq metres for shops and community facilities, a new primary school, open spaces, substantial landscaping, green infrastructure, and sports facilities. 

Coventry City Council have made the decision in a positive way to foster the delivery of sustainable development

Coventry City Council

On top of the plan, the City Council will require the developers to remove any works from the temporary haul route from phase one to the school by 1 November 2029 and submit the details of the hedgerow replanting scheme on the Haul Road route. 

The developer has asked for permission to remove the topsoil at the location to build the school and erect a permanent substation to serve the development site. 

The decision note of the development plan explained: “In determining the application Coventry City Council have made the decision in a positive way to foster the delivery of sustainable development, working proactively with applicants to secure developments that improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area.”

7,000 people signed petitions calling for a review of the development plan

The Council believes that it must accommodate 42,400 homes around Coventry by 2031. 

The area of land in Eastern Green was removed from the green belt and allocated for over 2,000 homes in 2017 under the Coventry Local Plan.

The development plan for up to 2,400 homes on the land was passed in November 2020.

When the plan was passed, 7,000 people signed petitions calling for a review of the development plan and the Office for National Statistics demographic figures it is based on.

The initial plan also received opposition from Highways England over its impact on roads, the Environment Agency due to suggested flood risk, and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust due to concerns surrounding insufficient medical resources. 

The development programme is expected to be completed in 2039.