Following a campaign by the Coventry Society and residents of Keresley, plans for building housing on the Keresley Jubilee Woods have been withdrawn by the Council.
Last month, the Coventry Society reported on two planning applications by the council for self-build housing on land they own that is part of the Queen’s Jubilee Woodland in Watery Lane, Keresley.
The wood on Watery Lane was created in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II – it has since been used as a spot to plant further memorial trees relating to the late Queen.
For many years Keresley Parish Council has helped to maintain the Jubilee Wood. In December 2023 two memorial trees were planted by the then Lord Mayor Cllr Birdi and the Lady Mayoress, commemorating the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III, in the meadow area proposed for housing.
The Coventry Society objected to the Council’s plans and local residents were in uproar, culminating in an online petition which attracted hundreds of signatures.
But the council has now revealed they’ve withdrawn the plans, saying they had not known the land they suggested in the application was part of the area.
A Council spokesman said, “The planning application related to the creation of self-build plots on grazing land off Watery Lane has now been withdrawn.
“The Council will always protect Jubilee Woods and at no point did we intend to allow building in the woodland. We have a pressing need in the city for self-build land and we had hoped this site next to the woods would work.
“When we submitted the planning application we were not informed that this grazing land was part of Jubilee Woods. If we had known this at the time we would not have submitted an application. We will not be progressing development of this site in any form.”