Warwickshire councillors renew opposition to housing plans

Cala Homes wants to build on a piece of land near grade II listed Woodcote House

Councillors have stood by a decision to oppose plans for 83 homes near to Warwickshire Police's headquarters.

Developer Cala Homes owns a parcel of land on the site and said it had been working on plans. But concern has been raised about losing wildlife habitats.

Warwick District councillors previously opposed the application in June.

Now a public inquiry is set to decide whether the outline application will be granted after Cala appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.

Councillors' objections were based on "insufficient information" in relation to highway safety and flood risk concerns and "unacceptable" harm to protected species and the impact on heritage assets.

In May, people living nearby protested against the plans and said there were numerous protected species including otters, bats and badgers within the 35-acre site.

Councillors' objections went against the recommendations of planning officers who had proposed advocating what is essentially "in-principle" permission after the developer brought forward amendments to address concerns.

At a meeting on Wednesday, councillors felt the impact of the position, nature and scale of the proposed development did not outweigh the public benefits of the planned housing. 

A hearing to decide whether the development was to go ahead was originally planned for July but was postponed and a new date has not yet been agreed.

Update 14 September: This story has been amended as Cala Homes owns a parcel of land near Woodcote House and not the building itself and also to make clearer there has not yet been a vote to grant or reject outline planning permission.