Liberal Democrats attack Tory plans for Rugby urban sprawl

Rugby Liberal Democrats are concerned that the Borough Council is being asked to "rubber stamp" proposals to build an extra 12,400 houses over the next fifteen years.

In September tory planning chief Cllr Heather Timms met with her opposite numbers in Warwickshire and agreed that Rugby should accept a further 2,800 dwellings to accommodate "Coventry Overspill". This Tuesday (27 October 2015) the Council is being asked to endorse her decision.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Jerry Roodhouse said "Rugby has made major allocations of land on the Radio Masts site, in Coton and in Cawston that could meet our own needs for housing for many years to come. There is a real danger if we just accept extra housing numbers without a proper vision to meet them we could see Rugby becoming a featureless urban sprawl. At the radio masts site we were able to insist on a proper planning process with full provision made for primary and secondary schools and also for new primary health care facilities".

Cllr Neil Sandison, the Liberal Democrats' sustainable development spokesperson, added "Much of the overspill coming from Coventry is because the City Council is not prepared to redevelop new sites within its own boundaries".

Rather than scattering housing across the borough a few hundred units at a time the Liberal Democrats are calling for a new vision for how extra houses should be provided in Warwickshire. Cllr Roodhouse said "Warwickshire's planning advisors G L Hearn have identified strong advantages in developing new sites on the edge of Coventry. Rugby should work with the other Warwickshire districts to turn this vision into reality. Rather than urban sprawl we could have high quality, low carbon garden settlements which are planned to incorporate the necessary schools, leisure and health care facilities".

Rugby Liberal Democrats will not be supporting the call for extra housing as agreed by others behind closed doors and then reported to Council.