Green light given for plans to build 120 new homes in Cubbington

Councillors at this week’s Planning Committee meeting raised concerns over the number of houses being a 20 per cent increase on that laid down in the Warwick District Local Plan. There was also a question over the positioning of affordable housing around the site which is flanked by Rugby Road and Coventry Road.

But following a series of questions to officers and after hearing an objection from Cubbington Parish Council’s Cllr Peter Delow, councillors voted to grant permission to Bellway Homes as long as an section 106 agreement was put in place - this would allow for a series of financial contributions for items ranging from biodiversity schemes to highways improvements and sports provision.

The development site covers two plots of land to the north of the village just outside the Green Belt. The smaller of the two currently houses allotments while the other is agricultural land. Part of the allotment site will be retained but another area just to the north of the housing development has been earmarked for 67 new allotments.

Cllr John Barrott (Lab Sydenham) raised the matter of why there was an increase in the number of homes suggested in the local plan.

He said: “How did we agree to this 20 per cent increase over what was allocated in the local plan?”

But Warwick District Council’s head of development and planning Dave Barber explained that when the local plan was drawn up more housing had been identified and that it was considered that Cubbington could grow by 195 homes.

He added: “These two sites were put forward along with another to the east of Cubbington. The [planning] inspector considered that the site to the east was not a suitable site leaving these sites which were allocated for 100 houses - but it was considered that 120 homes would be a reasonable and sustainable development.”

Cllr Felicity Bunker (Con Park Hill) questioned the positioning of the affordable housing across the site asking whether they could be a better spread but officers explained that housing associations preferred to group some of the properties together to make it easier to carry out maintenance.

Councillors voted 6-2 in favour of approving planning permission.