AN APPEAL for a controversial thrown-out planning application for up to 690 flats for land off Abbotts Lane and Upper Hill Street is under way.
The appeal got under way on Tuesday (June 6) and is programmed to have eight sitting days.
The developer, Complex Development Projects, has appealed the decision made by Coventry City Council’s planning committee to reject the hybrid application.
A previous application for outline permission for 731 residential units was refused on the site in January 2021.
Campaigners against the development have raised their concerns regarding the height, scale and mass of the proposed buildings.
They also have concerns the flats would look incongruous when set against the rest of the area.
They have also expressed worry over the privacy of children at nearby St Osburg’s school, claiming at least one of the blocks would look directly over the playground.
Campaigners also feel the 239 parking spaces earmarked in the planning application would be insufficient.
Other worries include increased pollution and traffic due to the potential rise in vehicles on the road, with some residents believing this to be a health and safety concern for youngsters attending St Osburgs in particular.
A campaigner spokesperson said: “This is already a high-traffic area, so a large number of extra vehicles will only cause more problems.
“There are also concerns about the layout of the site and the potential for criminal activity if it was to be developed as planned, as there would be easy access to the block of flats and multiple escape routes.
“We’re more than happy for a development on the land providing it’s of a reasonable size but these plans would do more harm than good.”
Protesters argued while they supported development on the site, the land was allocated for 100 homes in the Coventry Local Plan as opposed to almost 700 flats.
The appellants have said the allocation was in line with government policy which encouraged the best use of land and that national guidance dictated housing numbers should be seen as a minimum.
A Complex development projects spokesperson said it had huge support from West Midlands Mayor Andy Street the Council’s Cabinet Member, two of the three local ward councillors and the Coventry Society.
“There is a very real shortage of housing for singles and couples in the city and this is the perfect location right next to the city centre, reducing car use, boosting retail spend and saving green fields.
“The new residents will get the advantage of city centre living but also in a green landscape, with our new central feature, the Linear Park, already completed and proving very popular with existing residents.
“We heard at the inquiry on Tuesday that 45 per cent of the land will be high-quality landscape.
“We have worked very closely with council officers over several years and have fully taken on board residents concerns.
“In accordance with council policy, we have made the best use of the former derelict gas site.
“But some residents want a suburban housing estate for families and neither we nor council officers think that is appropriate here – it would be a huge lost opportunity.”
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