PLANS to build over 200 homes and a new primary school near ancient woodland in Cawston have been submitted.
L&Q Estates has submitted a planning application for up to 210 homes on land at Coventry Road.
The proposals include 30 per cent affordable homes along with a two-form entry primary school.
The plans also include a minimum 15m buffer zone around Fox Covert and Cawston Spinney – known locally as Cawston Woods – where no development will occur “to ensure the woodland is protected from potential adverse impacts”.
In a planning statement on behalf of L&Q Estates, Marrons Planning said: “The incorporation of a sizeable buffer between the development and the ancient woodland, and the implementation of a Woodland Management Plan to manage recreational access, will ensure no significant negative effects.
“Whilst there will be a loss of some hedgerow and trees to facilitate the access into the site and accommodate the requirement to widen Cawston Lane, the impact will be mitigated by extensive new planting within the site resulting in net gains in habitat and habitat connectivity.”
Last May, a campaigner said a proposal in Rugby Borough Council’s Local Plan to include the 15m buffer zone would ‘shrink-wrap’ the ancient woodland.
Launching a campaign to allocate an additional few hectares of land west of the wood as green space and connect it to Cawston Greenway, Lee Chase said the proposal would put birds, rabbits and other wildlife at risk from the consequences of new housing.
He said: “We have few enough green spaces in Rugby, relying on Draycote and Daventry to provide significant outdoor space.
“Expanding upon the ideas in the plan by adding footpaths and trees would create an effective country park for Rugby with three-plus miles of circular routes for walkers and cyclists.”
The 34-acre development is part of the first phase of the Local Plan’s South West Rugby Allocation, which aims to create over 5,000 homes.
L&Q Estates’ group planning director Glen Langham said the range of homes would be in keeping with the area.
He said: “The application has now been submitted for a combination of housing and a primary school which will ensure the early delivery of the school to meet the education needs of the wider proposed development in South West Rugby.”
He said the plans take into account feedback from local residents following a public exhibition at Cawston Grange Primary School last November.
“This is our third planning application in recent times in Rugby and our track record as master developers underlines our ability to deliver high-quality residential developments on time,” he said.
“We are hoping the application will be approved this Autumn and development work would then start in the middle of next year.”
