Kenilworth Town Council
Helping to make Kenilworth a great place to live, work and learn
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- The new Kenilworth School site continues to programme with an expected opening of the start of the academic school year in September 2023. The physical works will be completed a couple of months prior to that. The demolitions and ground work phases are complete. A lot of soil has had to be shifted around the site. The sports areas require the soil in certain areas to be sifted and tested to ensure the pitches are in good condition. Beneath some of these areas the ground attenuation crating for drainage is currently being put in place.In the next few months on site the steel frame structure will continue to rapidly progress – in recent weeks the sports hall and drama studio wing of the building has been particularly visible. There are some anticipated Highways works to create a temporary additional access point into the site programmed for the end of the year.
- The two existing secondary and sixth form schools upon becoming vacant will be released for redevelopment. WDC are the landowners for these sites having acquired the sites and granted Kenilworth School back lease interests to continue operating until they relocate to their new accommodation off Glasshouse Lane. WDC are progressing bringing forward these two sites for housing. I am involved with these projects and the pre-development works are underway to bring these sites forward.
- The Avant housing (adjacent to the new school) was granted outline planning permission and reserved matters have now been submitted for a detailed scheme. The case officer in Development Management (Dan Charles) has fed back comments from Highways and other statutory consultees as well as their own comments. A response has been received from the Applicant and is currently being reviewed. This is for 99 dwellings.
- The Barwood scheme (planning application reference W/20/2020) went to Planning Committee in September. This was a hybrid application i.e. part detail and part outline, for a mix of residential, retail and employment uses with supporting highways infrastructure, a community centre and primary school. The Judicial Review challenge period is still underway. Development Management aim to have completed the s106 Agreement within 3 months and draft documentation is circulating between WDC and Barwood. More should be understood regarding how the various development uses will be progressed in the coming months and whether this will be led by Barwood themselves. I will be engaging with colleagues in WDC regarding the detailed planning for the majority of this, as well as the delivery of the Community Centre and employment units in the coming months. I will also be engaging with WCC regarding the primary school and highways aspects.
- Application reference W/21/1811 has just been validated which relates to the largest parcel of land covered by the Land East of Kenilworth Development Brief (this was previously known as the Catesby site). There will be considerable work in the coming weeks reviewing the documentation and in engaging with the Applicant and various statutory consultees. This will be led by the case officer in Development Management (Dan Charles) but I will be involved with assisting in this. The initial part is reviewing the Application and asking for clarification on anything that is not fully understood either with the Applicant or, for example, with WCC Highways and requesting amendments where necessary and appropriate. Similar to the Barwood application this site includes a school and other uses although it is predominantly housing.
- I continue to work with the two sports clubs (Kenilworth Wardens and Kenilworth Rugby Club) to deliver new accommodation for them to release their three existing sites for housing as designated in the Local Plan at land adjacent to Castle Farm and adjacent to the Pavilions Housing Development off Warwick Road. These are complex projects and it is important for the town that their new accommodation is fit for purpose and will allow them to flourish in providing high quality sporting and social facilities for the town and neighbouring villages.
- The replacement Recreation Centre and Scouts facility at Castle Farm went to Planning Committee in September with an Officer recommendation for Approval. I am waiting for confirmation as to whether the Secretary of State has approved the Committee Approval without the need for a call in to review further given that this land sits within the green-belt. It is anticipated that the existing facility will close at Christmas 2021 with construction works commencing shortly thereafter.
- The replacement Leisure Centre at Abbey Fields likewise went to Planning Committee in September. I am not closely involved with this project but will assist if so required to enable the delivery of this new facility. The Judicial Review period is still on-going.
- There are two large scale residential developments at Crackley Triangle (Kenilworth Corner) and on the Warwick Road (The Pavilions). The Pavilions comprises of 125 dwellings and the front section of the site is either now occupied or the plots are “under offer”. Crackley Triangle comprises of 93 dwelling and now has only two plots available.
