A Kenilworth Green party councillor has criticised Warwick District Council's cabinet for its handling of the proposed A46 link road, which he describes as "unfit for the future".

The link could see a dual carriageway built across greenbelt land from the A46 Stoneleigh Junction to Kenilworth Road.

The cabinet agreed at last week's meeting to continue to work with Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council on delivering the plans, but voted to remove their outright support of the proposals.

Green councillors highlighted the fact that the district council voted unanimously in February to re-evaluate the actual need for the road. They also pointed to the WDC climate emergency, which was declared in 2019, and the contrasting potential environmental impact of the new road.

Cllr James Kennedy (Ken Park Hill, Grn) has voiced his concerns over the new link road. He said: "Building a new dual carriageway will concrete over the greenbelt near Crackley Woods and make Kenilworth a suburb of Coventry.

"It will only increase traffic and further reduce air quality. We can deal with the increases in commuting through accelerated investment in new public transport like the Very Light Rail scheme being developed in Coventry, the new mainline station and in walking and cycling infrastructure."

Cllr Kennedy has also said that WCC needs to take residents' views into account.

He added: "Warwickshire County Council need to act on the climate emergency, follow Department of Transport policy on prioritising active travel, heed their own consultation in which most respondents rejected this proposed new road, and deliver a transport structure that is fit for the future."

More Kenilworth news stories:

- Latest update on A46 Stoneleigh Island roadworks

- Kenilworth cleaning company brings a shine to Oaks Precinct

The cabinet voted against a proposal that WDC should ask the county council to further consider the environmental impact of the scheme and cost an active travel plan that did not include road building.

Speaking at week's meeting Cllr Ian Davidson (Leam Brunswick, Grn) said: "Our group were a bit incensed by the University of Warwick's EcoPark stuff and the thoughts that all the new traffic was going to go along a new road - that seemed close to hypocrisy or at best tokenism.

"There is no point in having a nice EcoPark if you then just get traffic going around the edges of it."

A recording of last week's cabinet discussion on the new road can be seen at the top of this page.