Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

Nine new projects to transform the University of Warwick have been given approval, despite fears it will cause further traffic problems for residents.

Image source, University of Warwick

Full planning permission has been granted for the university to construct a new Faculty of Arts building and a £54.3m research centre.

Outline planning permission has also been granted for a new 1,000-bed student residence, cycle routes, a Degree Apprenticeship Centre, a new academic building, a public "Science Square", and a 650-space multi-storey car park.

At a planning committee on Thursday, fears were raised over the impact plans would have on surrounding roads, with opposition claiming suitable infrastructure was not in place.

James Breckon, a university representative, said the projects were essential to its continued development as one of the best universities in the country.

Three children and a woman believed to be their mother are receiving hospital treatment for burns.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

Huge £82m expansion plans at Coventry railway station will press ahead after they were approved by the council’s planning committee on Thursday.

Image source, Coventry City Council

Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration Councillor Jim O’Boyle said the plans would ensure Coventry had a train station “fit for purpose” ahead of taking over the City of Culture title in 2021.

“This is a significant investment,” he said at the meeting.

The station opened in 1962 and in that time there has been no real investment to the station.

“Passenger numbers have tripled since 2003 and now we are talking about 7.4 million passengers coming through a year," he said.

A count of rough sleepers in Coventry this week found 23 people sleeping on the streets, according to a city councillor.

Image source, PA

The number was up from eight, counted by the Salvation Army at the same time last year.

Labour councillor Ed Ruane called the rise "significant".

"Guess they've not heard that austerity is over", he tweeted., external

In a reply, the chief executive of YMCA Coventry and Warwickshire called the figures "shocking", but "sadly not surprising to those of us working on the front line".

Earlier this year, the government unveiled its £100m strategy to tackle rough sleeping on England's streets.

BBC News Travel

The problem of slippery rails is back, and now delaying rail services between Leamington Spa and Coventry, and also Birmingham Snow Hill and Leamington Spa.

Services may be delayed by up to 15 minutes, said West Midlands Railway.

Events are taking place across the West Midlands to help raise money for BBC's Children In Need.

Last year, a record £50m was raised on the night for good causes.

BBC presenters will be out and about, collecting for the charity including BBC Coventry and Warwickshire's Brody Swain.

A man has been arrested by police investigating a fire in Rugby that left a five-year-old boy critically injured.

A woman and two other children also suffered burns. Neighbours described her calling frantically for help.

The five-year-old is now reported to be in a stable condition in hospital.

A 21-year-old from Rugby is being questioned on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

Warwickshire Police is appealing for anyone with information to come forward and say officers are not ruling anything out at this stage.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

Early mist and fog should clear but it will stay cloudy today with the chance of a few bright spells and highs of 14C (57F).

Jasmine Thompson was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company 'to attract diverse audiences'.

It will be a mild and cloudy night with some fog in places and the odd spot of drizzle with lows of 10C (50F).

The Coventry Cross - said to possibly mark the spot at which a murderer is buried - is going to be moved after a decision by councillors earlier.

It is thought by some to be the resting place of Mary Ball, the last person to be publicly hanged in the city, in 1849.

A relative wanted the structure to be left alone, saying Mrs Ball had lived in fear of her husband whom she poisoned.

Image source, Google

It's set to move from its location at the rear of Holy Trinity Church to a spot on Ironmonger Row.

The move is being made to enable the redevelopment of that part of the city centre.

Leamington Observer

Here are some of the stories appearing on the Leamington Observer website this afternoon:

• Rugby house fire which left boy, 5, in critical condition being treated as suspicious by police, external
• HQ plans and car park closure pushed back due to report delays, external
• Rough sleepers to be offered free flu jabs, external

Three men accused of killing five people in a "massive explosion" were nearby at the time and did not help, a court has heard.

Image source, Matthew Cane/ Leicestershire Fire and Rescue

The blast in Leicester on 25 February destroyed a shop and the flat above it.

Hawkar Hassan, from Coventry, Aram Kurd of Leicester and Arkan Ali of Oldham, deny murder, manslaughter and conspiring to commit fraud.

David Herbert QC, prosecuting, said the men had planned the explosion and hoped to claim a £300,000 insurance payout for the supermarket on Hinckley Road.

A clinical anatomist from the University of Warwick who recognised the anatomical quirks of Michelangelo has helped confirm two sculptures as the only known surviving bronzes by the artist.

Image source, PA

A worldwide team confirmed the attribution after four years of research.

The 1m-high (3.2ft) works depict two muscular male nudes riding on panthers.

Scientists in Switzerland used neutron analysis to date the pieces to Michelangelo's era, while Prof Peter Abrahams, found they bore a number of the artist's anatomical hallmarks including toe-spacing, the eight-pack and bulging thigh and calf muscles.

Joshua Cook
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

A hand-written manuscript, detailing the Coventry Blitz, has been found at a car boot sale.

In it, Arthur Higgens, from the Stivichall area, detailed a devastating bombing raid on the city in November 1940.

The family of Arthur, who died in 1994, say the discovery is like a "bolt out of the blue".

Two other children and a woman believed to be their mother are also injured in the Rugby blaze.

Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent

Police and fire investigators are at the scene of a suspicious Rugby house fire, which has left a five-year-old boy with critical burn injuries.

The fire, at the house on Wentworth Road, appears to have started at the rear of the property, and swept through the house.

Three children have been taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital, and are being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

The woman, 28, is believed to be the children's mother, and her injuries are described as serious.

Neighbour, Gemma Osborne, said the woman was frantically calling for help to save her children.

There will be an increased police presence in the area over the next few days as officers investigate the fire and to provide reassurance to the community, said Warwickshire Police.

A fire in which a woman and three children were seriously injured is being treated as suspicious, police say.

The four were taken to hospital with one five-year-old boy suffering "critical" burn injuries after emergency services were called to the Wentworth Road fire at about 02:48.

The other two children, an eight-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, are being treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and burns.

The woman, 28, is being treated for burns in hospital.

Police are asking for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area at the time to come foward.

The tribute to Hilda Burkitt is made up of 3,724 photos of "inspiring women" submitted by the public.

Coventry Live

These are some of the headlining stories on the Coventry Live website today:

• Three children hurt, one critically, in house fire, external
• Wasps' accounts reveal uncertain future as losses double, external
• See the anti-bullying awareness video giving confidence to girls, external