Plans for new houses and a care home in Exhall set for go-ahead despite scores of objections. The proposals are for land at Hall Farm in Church Lane and will see up to 86 dwellings, and up to 70 bed care home including parking.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council received more than 50 objections to the plans. This included fears that ‘Bedworth Heath will merge with Coventry’ as well as traffic issues as well as the lack of new houses needed in the area.
A decision was due to be made on the planning application before Christmas. But members of the council’s planning committee deferred this so that they could carry out a site visit.
But now the proposal is due to be debated again at the Town Hall – on Tuesday, January 14 – and it continues to be recommended for approval. The agenda states that it is an outline application with access being considered at this stage.
It says that all other matters, including layout, scale and appearance, are reserved to be considered at a future stage should the outline application be approved. But it states that the proposal aligns with the objectives of the Borough Plan. The Borough Plan is a blueprint for all housing in the borough.
The report says that it provides affordable housing, and contributes ‘positively’ toward the borough’s affordable housing targets. “There is significant weight attached to the provision of affordable housing,” the report explains.
It says that the development is on rural urban interface as it would be built on agricultural land between the M6 motorway to the south and Bedworth’s edge to the north, bordered by Goodyers End Primary School and nearby residential properties along Goodyers End Lane.
The proposed development site
(Image: Planning application)
The agenda concludes: “The proposed development brings substantial public benefits, including the delivery of much needed housing (both market and affordable), enhancements to local biodiversity, and infrastructure contributions. While some localised impacts, such as changes to the visual landscape and increased activity levels, are acknowledged, these are not considered to significantly or demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the scheme.
“The proposal is considered to comply with the development plan when moderate weight is applied to the emerging Borough Plan Review, when read as a whole and accords with national planning policies. It is therefore recommended that planning permission be granted, subject to the imposition of appropriate conditions and the completion of a Section 106 agreement to secure the necessary obligations.”
But the final decision will be made by the planning applications committee when it meets at the Town Hall on January 14.