Rugby Borough Council Planning Committee approves officer recommendation to refuse permission for new homes on pub car park.

At the planning meeting on Wednesday the 19th of July, Officers recommended that an application to erect two three-bed semi-detached dwellings on land adjacent to the Crown Inn in Newbold be refused. Cllr Ish Mistry proposed refusal and Members of the Planning Committee voted unanimously to in favour of refusal, in accord with the officer’s recommendation.

Prior to the meeting, Labour Councillor Nooria Sayani had met with several residents and voiced their concerns in a letter of objection to the Council. Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Sayani said “permission was rightly refused on several grounds. Thank you to residents and businesses for engaging and the planning team for listening.”

The Leader of the Rugby Labour Group, Cllr Michael Moran, described the application as “ill-conceived”, adding, “the pub is a focal point and hosts many community events. The loss of 17 car parking spaces from the current 25 would have impacted on residents and businesses, with cars spilling out onto other roads in the village”. In addition to the inconvenience this would cause, there were concerns about public safety due to the busy junction nearby. Cllr Sayani said that “residents were concerned about road safety and accessibility for wheelchair users and pushchairs”.

It seems this application was never going to get off the ground. On hearing the outcome Cllr Sayani said, “the Officer did a great job in presenting an evidence-based case for refusal. Common sense has prevailed”. Cllr Michael Moran said “this proposal did not consider the impact the development would have on the existing community. Residents of Rugby and villages of the Borough can rely on Labour to ensure ‘housing is for the community, not developers’. It was a manifesto pledge for Labour in the May election, and we are keeping that promise”.