Plans to build homes in Jubilee woodland criticised

Coventry City Council has proposed 18 self-build properties to be built in Jubilee Wood in Keresley

Plans to build homes in a woodland created to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee have received objections from a civic society.

Coventry City Council has submitted two planning applications which would see up to 18 self-build homes constructed in the meadows of Jubilee Wood in Keresley.

However, the chair of the Coventry Society, Trevor Cornfoot, said despite Keresley Parish Council previously being told by the city council "no more land would be taken from the parish for housing", it was now wanting to "grab even more land".

The BBC has approached the authority for comment.

The city council's plan also included upgrades to vehicle access off Watery Lane, as well as the creation of new roads and access points into the two proposed sites, the society said.

'It is protected land'

Coventry Society said the Keresley Urban Extension Design Guide 2019 showed that the woodland was "protected" as a greenfield site and had been "specifically detailed" within the city's Local Plan as "one of the protected woodlands within Coventry".

Mr Cornfoot added that it appeared the 3,100 houses already detailed in the 2019 Guide "were not enough", as the authority wanted to "sacrifice" 25% of the woodland for more housing.

The society said the parish council had worked alongside the city council at the site to plant saplings when the woodland was created in 2012. They also planted an oak tree in 2016 in honour of the late queen's 90th birthday.

Two memorial trees were also added to the woodland by Keresley Parish Council in December 2023 to commemorate the reign of the late queen and the accession of King Charles III.

The society claimed the council's proposal would see the new properties built where the trees were planted.

It added that it supported land being designated for self-build housing but felt the homes should be "built on allocated sites" in line with the city's Local Plan.

Mr Cornfoot said the society had called on the authority to withdraw the two applications and, if not, wanted the planning committee to "unanimously refuse them".