Coventry approves 344-home redevelopment of former Little Heath factory

The plans for the 40 acre site will see the construction of up to 344 new homes, of which 20% will be affordable, as well as a 10 acre car processing centre which is expected to employ around 180 people.

The Council and Acetate will enter into a section 106 agreement under which Acetate will be required to contribute £2.7 million towards education, on and off-site sports facilities and a parking scheme.

"The application site has now been vacant for 5-6 years since 2007 and it would clearly be beneficial to see this sizeable site redeveloped to assist the urban regeneration of this relatively deprived area of the City and to enhance the character and appearance of the recently designated Coventry Canal corridor Conservation Area," said the Council's planning officers in their report to the committee (65-page / 14MB PDF).

The officers said that the employment use element of the scheme could be "processed quickly" and would provide a "substantial number of new jobs to a deprived area of the city".

The Council refused a previous application for a redevelopment of the site in 2011 because it said that the proportion of employment use proposed was too low and in conflict with local policies. In the revised application the proportion of employment use has been increased from 8% to 25% which exceeds the 20% minimum requirement set out in local policies.

“This is the first step towards regeneration of the site but a very important one," said Patrick Shanley of Acetate Products Ltd according to local reports. “The scheme will bring economic life once again to the site, while at the same time lay the foundations for the creation of a new community, which will bring vitality to the area,” he said.

Construction is likely to start in the summer and the scheme is expected to be delivered in seven phases over six years, with the car processing centre planned for opening in the spring 2014.