Irate councillors call for answers over the lack of road capacity to support Rugby's housing plans

Rugby Borough Council’s planning committee this week approved the development of 108 new ‘affordable’ homes on the site of a former office block off Projects Drive to the north-east of the town.

It received unanimous backing but the bulk of the debate surrounded wider traffic concerns in the area.

While planning decisions are taken by the borough council, all highways matters are the domain of Warwickshire County Council.

Concern was raised over current congestion levels on and around Boughton Road added to the cumulative impact of 6,000 homes at Houlton, permission for which was granted a decade ago.

The county’s highways professionals raised no objections, partly because the existing permission for employment use on this site – even though the site has been inactive since 2023 – generated more trips than is expected from the new homes.

Councillor Richard Harrington (Lab, Benn) was unhappy that the committee could not question a highways professional and had been left with no scope to object over highways concerns.

“We need these houses but the biggest concern is the roads, the infrastructure is not there,” he said.

“I am really stuck. How are we going to fit 6,000 properties and the possibility of extra vehicles generated through there? Also the safety.

“Yet again, Warwickshire County Council hasn’t sent anyone from highways so we can’t scrutinise or ask anyone for information. We’re relying on (borough council) officers in relation to what is going on.

“I think we need to say to Warwickshire County Council that they need to be here, I don’t think it is fair on the officers trying to get the information. They are the experts, we need the experts here.

“What is going to happen in six, 12 or 18 months when we get more houses at Houlton? That road is a bottleneck at the moment and we are not addressing it. I am really, really concerned about this.”

Councillor Neil Sandison (Lib Dem, Eastlands) took it a step further, questioning why more capacity had not flowed from the Houlton plans.

“The county council had loads of dosh from the development of Houlton. It should be investing some of that money into the upgrade of local transport infrastructure,” he said.

“County councillors for that area need to be asking some very serious questions at Shire Hall. Where has the money gone? Why hasn’t it improved the road infrastructure?”

Planning chair Councillor Tony Gillias (Con, Revel & Binley Woods) sought to offer some context.

“We have identified the A426 Leicester Road as the bottleneck, traffic isn’t flowing up and down it as it should,” he said.

“The Magna Park development has already provided money to do with improvements to the Gibbett Hill roundabout junction. That is on the cards, the A5 partnership committee sits regularly and has identified that is a priority to get sorted.

“At the moment, that committee is lobbying all of our local MPs to get some money to get that sorted and get the traffic flowing.”