The biggest Kenilworth planning stories from 2023
By James Smith
30th Dec 2023 | Local News
As ever, planning applications and council meetings have continued to be a rich source of stories in Kenilworth.
Over the past 12 months we have covered everything from the new Abbey Fields swimming pools, to HS2 and even holiday glamping pods which were built without permission.
Here is a look back at 10 of the most-read and interesting planning stories from 2023.
1. Woodside Hotel
Plans to redevelop the Woodside Hotel have continued to progress in 2023. Housing developer Vistry has now been given permission to demolish the site, despite locals saying the building should be saved.
District planners then said permission should be granted to flatten the site and turn it into 55 homes, including an apartment block.
But in December, councillors at Warwick District Council (WDC) planning committee decided to refuse planning permission and questioned the sustainability of the new homes.
Over the course of the year, Kenilworth Town Council (KTC) and local MP Sir Jeremy Wright have both objected to the application.
2. New Lounge Restaurant
Kenilworth is set to get a new restaurant in 2024 after plans to turn a former charity shop into an eatery were approved.
The district council has granted permission for the former Shakespeare's Charity Shop at Abbey End to be redeveloped - despite the town council objecting to the plans.
Works will see the building extended, as well as remodelled internally.
A licence application has also been approved.
And Lounge has revealed to Kenilworth Nub News that the restaurant will open in June 2024.
3. Peacock Hotel
The saga around the Peacock Hotel has continued in 2023, with planning permission to redevelop the site finally given.
The scheme was set to see four houses and five apartments built, but the owners revealed to Nub News shortly after that the business would remain open.
Another application has since been submitted to knock down just the neighbouring house to make way for two new homes.
4. Residents 'Marooned'
Town councillors have continued to raise concerns about residents being left "marooned" at a new housing estate in Kenilworth.
Speaking at the October KTC meeting, Cllr Andrew Milton said he has continued to push for better pedestrian access to the new Kenilworth Gate estate.
At present there is little pavement at the entrance to the Leamington Road development, meaning new residents effectively have to cross straight over or walk along the busy road if they want to head into town on foot.
None of the planned footpaths or cycle links for Kenilworth Gate have been built yet either, meaning residents at Charles Church's new development are effectively forced to only leave their homes by car.
But a Charles Church spokesperson said: "New residents to our Kenilworth Gate development will be able to access town by traveling along the Leamington Road via safe pedestrian crossings installed adjacent to the development."
5. HS2 Viaduct
In December Nub News reported on an application to build a 50-metre viaduct on the outskirts of Kenilworth.
HS2 has also put forward the designs for another 35 metre embankment around the viaduct, which will see the high speed rail line cross Finham Brook near Dalehouse Lane.
Plans also include a two metre high noise barrier and "acoustic parapet".
6. Wetherspoon
Having first broken the news in 2022 that Wetherspoon is coming to Kenilworth, Nub News has continued to report on the new opening.
Work to convert the former Poundland store at The Square into a pub is actually yet to start, but the scheme was given a major boost this year with planning permission eventually signed off.
Wetherspoon had to withdraw its original application following objections by KTC and other local bodies.
However, the updated plans - which included new designs for the beer garden - were given the green light.
A licence application was also approved, but Wetherspoon is now waiting on approval for a new licence having updated the internal designs for the development.
7. Local Plan
A further 12 sites for potential new housing developments around Kenilworth have been suggested to the local councils.
The plots have been put forward as part of the second 'call for sites' for the new South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP).
Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils had already asked locals to suggest areas for development in 2021.
Published in January 2022, the first set of results outlined some 555 possible sites for new housing across the region and included an initial 13 potential new housing around around Kenilworth.
But it could be years before locals see the new local plan, with a delayed timetable recently announced for the major planning document.
8. Cow Shed to Homes
Prior approval to turn a barn - which has been used to house cows for over 40 years - into five homes has been signed off by district planners.
Two objections had been made to the scheme to create two four-bed and three, two-bed homes at Crackley Farm, but planners said there was no reason to block the proposals.
The application says the Crackley Lane barn had been used to house a herd of cows during the winter since 1980, but has been out of use since the then farmer passed away in 2021.
9. Talisman Square Redevelopment
The developer behind controversial plans to build a five-storey block of flats on Talisman Square described councillors' decision to refuse permission as "disappointing" earlier this year.
Landowner Cobalt Estates put forward the application to build 43 flats and two shops last year, as the "third and final" step in the area's redevelopment.
A previous scheme to build student accommodation and retail units had already been granted permission but the build did not go ahead "due to the changing commercial landscape".
Planners at WDC had recommended that the fresh application be approved, but councillors at October's planning meeting refused to grant permission.
The community group Friends of Talisman Square has also worked throughout the year to generate support against the proposals and has also applied to have the land listed as an asset of community value.
KTC also objected to the planning application, and threw its support behind the bid to get the shopping area listed as an asset of community value.
10. Abbey Fields Swimming Pools
The new designs for the Abbey Fields swimming pools was signed off this December, meaning progress on site could start in the spring.
Work on the much-delayed project has been all but halted for much of 2023, as more and more archaelogical remains were found on the site.
A public meeting was held in September to keep locals informed on the latest progress on the scheme, with councillors unable to categorically say the project would definitely go ahead.
However, WDC agreed later in the year to press ahead with the project, and agree a new budget for the development.
Now the council will negotiate a new contract with developer Kier to get the project back on track.
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