The “Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway” application was submitted by applicants the Coventry & Warwickshire Development Partnership in September 2012.  It is seeking permission to develop an area of 300 hectares (741 acres) to the north, east and south of Coventry airport of which 235 hectares is in Warwick District. The development will comprise 427,000 sq m of floorspace (4.6m sq ft) incorporating a major new Technology and Manufacturing / Distribution Park. The applicants consider that when completed, the Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway will provide up to 10,000 new jobs.

Leader of Warwick District Council Andrew Mobbs said:

“This is very disappointing news. The Council has spent a great deal of time very carefully considering the Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway proposal and we came to a balanced judgement on the economic advantages of the scheme weighed against the loss of Green Belt land in this part of our District. We do, however, welcome the Secretary of State’s conclusion that a strong case has been made for the development and that it would deliver economic benefits and environmental gains. This supports our view that this site could be a major boost for our local and the wider sub-regional economy. We will now need to very carefully study the reasons that the Secretary of State has given for his decision, and consider the implications of these as we move forward.”

FAQ's 

Q. What is the Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway development?

A: The Gateway development is on two sites. The northern site is land to the north of Coventry Airport and north and south of Rowley Road, to the east of Baginton village. This will be developed for a Technology Park (including 65,032 sq m of B1 (office/research & development/light industrial) floorspace which the applicant estimates will generate up to 4,000 new jobs. The southern site is land south of the airport and includes the Alvis Works Business Park and an area of sewerage settling lagoons. The land lies to the north east of Bubbenhall village. This will be developed for a Manufacturing / Distribution Park (343,740 sq m) estimated to create up to 6,000 new jobs.

Q. What has been the process so far?

A: The Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway development straddles land in both Warwick District and Coventry, and therefore two applications were submitted to the two planning authorities in September 2012. Having considered the applications, the Planning Committees of both authorities were minded to support the proposal, however there was a legal requirement for the application to be “referred” to the Secretary of State. This is because the site is a significant development including land within the Green Belt. In July 2013 the Secretary of State decided that the “proposal may conflict with national policies on important matters” and accordingly required that the application should be referred to him. He set up a public inquiry which was held between April and May 2014 to consider the proposal in detail. This decision by the Secretary of State is the outcome of that inquiry.

Q. What happens next?

A: The decision by the Secretary of State means planning permission for the Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway applications has now been refused.

Q. Where can I find out more?

A: All details and documents relating to the application can be viewed on the Council’s website. The application reference number for Warwick District is W/12/1143.