The Coventry Society is concerned about a recent planning decision which we feel has not given adequate protection to the River Sherbourne. We would like to see the protection of the river strengthened in the review of the Coventry Local plan.
The Charterhouse is a wonderful asset for the city, but one of its disadvantages is that it is somewhat isolated from the city centre.
The Historic Coventry Trust and the City Council are trying to address this in two ways. One way is the development of a cycleway and footpath along the old railway line from Stoke Green.
The second way is to safeguard the route along the Sherbourne from Gulson Road to the Charterhouse. The plan envisages the redevelopment of the Harper Road area to create a riverside environment open to the public.
The Coventry Society would like to see the new local plan go further than this. We would like to see an area on both sides of the river protected and a wide safeguarding strip protected from development.
It may have been acceptable in the past to build factories right up to and backing onto our water courses, but surely this is not acceptable in the twenty-first century in a climate crisis.
In October 2024 the City Council approved a planning application for a student block on Charterhouse Road, adjoining the River Sherbourne.
This six-storey block of 130 student rooms will be built right next to the river, creating a cavern effect, with the river “enclosed” by tall buildings.
The Coventry Society has no objection to tall buildings, in the right place. But we feel that the area surrounding the river should be more open and inviting. The river isn’t a canal! There is another reason not to be building close to rivers. With the climate crisis the City Council needs to mitigate the likely effects of climate change. This includes the increased risk of flooding. It is perhaps too late to protect the flood plains that have already been built on, but we could ensure that in any redevelopment there is a wide space left around the river.
The Society calls upon the City Council to review the protections afforded to the River Sherbourne in the Local Plan review.