New student flats plan for old Indian restaurant in Kenilworth objected to again

The old Zaika Lounge, on the corner of Warwick Road and Clarendon Road, is planned to be converted into six flats with 23 bedrooms in total across four floors. It will also have eight car parking spaces for residents.

This is a decrease in bedrooms and an increase in parking from the original plan. To begin with, the building was set to have 27 bedrooms with five parking spaces.

Kenilworth Town Council was unhappy with these plans in October due to the lack of spaces for car parking. But the increase in spaces is not enough according to the council, who said 12 spaces should be the minimum.

Town clerk Maggie Field said: “Whereas they appreciated improvements to the design and remove their objection, members reiterated their previous comments regarding car parking.

"They considered car parking to be inadequate for such a building outside the town centre, and noted the absence of on street parking in this vicinity. Members noted that Kenilworth tends to attract post graduate students, who were more likely to have cars.”

However, Warwickshire County Council’s highways department has not objected to the new plans, despite objecting to the original version.

The entrance to the car park on Warwick Road will now be further away from the nearby pedestrian crossing, while the entrance on Clarendon Road will be further away from the junction with Warwick Road.

The department also felt eight parking spaces was enough because the flats would be in a ‘sustainable location’, which means land that has been developed previously.