Concerns raised over impact of increased traffic as more homes are approved in the Warwick district

The councillor highlighted other developments, including in Warwick, and queried whether the county has been looking at the cumulative impacts of applications.
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A district councillor has questioned whether Warwickshire County Council is adequately assessing the traffic impacts of the region's growing volume of homes.

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Warwick District Council this week granted planning permission for a hotel in Kenilworth to be bulldozed to make way for nine new homes.

A district councillor has questioned whether Warwickshire County Council is adequately assessing the traffic impacts of the region's growing volume of homes.A district councillor has questioned whether Warwickshire County Council is adequately assessing the traffic impacts of the region's growing volume of homes.
A district councillor has questioned whether Warwickshire County Council is adequately assessing the traffic impacts of the region's growing volume of homes.
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The 32-bedroomed Peacock Hotel on Warwick Road, Kenilworth, and a neighbouring detached house are set to be replaced by four three-bedroom houses, one three-bedroom apartment and four two-bedroom apartments.

District councils decide on planning matters but the ability to reject on highways issues is stymied unless the county council raises objections when consulted, which it did not in this case.

Cllr Neale Murphy (Con, Warwick Myton and Heathcote) highlighted other developments and queried whether the county has been looking at the cumulative impacts of applications.

Referring to Nelson Lane in Warwick, he said: “It is very narrow. Has a full assessment been done with the new development on Montague Road, the new developments off Coventry Road and this additional housing, taking away employment land yet again.

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“There seems to be an awful lot of traffic going down a very narrow road. Can we say there has been a full assessment of that traffic?”

Sandip Sahota, a business manager in the council’s development services, replied: “We are led by the highways authority, they have raised no objections subject to conditions.”

Cllr Murphy continued: “This is where I have a slight problem, I have raised this before.

“We cannot do anything about it tonight but since next door’s development, there have been several applications going through. There were going to be questions tonight on highways, along the lines of everywhere.

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“It is alright saying what they have done, have they done it since Montague Road, since the Coventry Road developments, have they done it since this last lot? We don’t know.

“We always ask the parish councils to turn up and there is not even a full report on highways, is there? It is now becoming a very crowded area with a lot of vehicles.”

Mr Sahota replied: “From discussions with highways in general, not specifically about this, they say they are mindful of developments that have been approved and are underway in the local area, they do take a holistic approach and factor that in.

“Clearly, they are mindful of the development immediately next door. I can’t speak on their behalf but they didn’t object.”

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Permission had been granted in 2016 and 2019 to turn the hotel into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) – a giant shared house – but later plans to demolish it and create nine dwellings were refused by the council and a planning inspector on appeal back in 2020.

A proposal for 14 apartments and three further dwellings was submitted but later withdrawn last year.

These most recent plans were recommended for approval by the district’s planning professionals and given the rubber stamp by councillors on Tuesday.