Controversial Coleshill Car Park Plans Hang In Balance

Controversial plans to sell off the municipal Car park in Controversial plans to sell off the municipal Car park in Coleshill now hang in the balance.

At the North Warwickshire Planning Committee meeting on Monday 18th October the outline planning application to sell the car park to a supermarket developer squeaked through on the Chairman’s casting vote. At one point it looked like it might be defeated and only when Coleshill Councillor Gordon Sharratt decided to abstain, rather than voting against the proposal, was it thrown to the Chairman’s casting vote. The Chairman voted for the sell off. The issue will now be referred to a full Council meeting for a vote which could go either way.

Cllr Mick Stanley (Polesworth), who opposed the sell off, said, “If Cllr Sharratt had voted against the sell off as predicted, the car park would have been saved and many shop keepers and residents would have breathed a sigh of relief. We expected Cllr Sharratt to vote against because he had promised to listen to concerns of the people of Coleshill. Local opposition is clear. Instead Cllr Sharratt abstained, so the application went through.”

The outline planning application will now have to go to a vote of all the Councillors at the full Council meeting in November. Labour Councillors made it clear they would take up the issue at the meeting reflecting the concerns of Coleshill residents.

If all the Labour Councillors vote to keep the Car Park and the Coleshill Conservative Councillors join them, then the Car Park could stay open. It all hangs on the votes of Coleshill Councillors Gordon Sharratt, Peter Fowler, Theresa Welby and Derek Gordon who are now under considerable pressure to support the campaign by Coleshill people to oppose the sell off.

Cllr Mick Stanley (Polesworth) said, “The application might be defeated if the four Coleshill Councillors vote against it at the full Council meeting. The final decision is in their hands. Peter Fowler attended the Planning Meeting on Monday and seemed to tell us he opposed it, but he is not a committee member, so did not vote. He will be expected to vote to keep the car park at the full Council meeting. The pressure is now on.”

Local MP Mike O’Brien called a public meeting in Coleshill Town Hall earlier in the year to enable local people to have their say. About two hundred attended and the vote to keep the Car Park was almost unanimous except for one resident. Cllr Sharratt and other Coleshill Councillors said they would listen to the views of Coleshill residents, therefore many hoped they would therefore oppose the plan. On Monday the only Coleshill based member of the planning committee was Cllr Sharratt, who abstained.

Mike O’Brien MP said, “At the public meeting Coleshill people said they did not want the municipal car park replaced by another supermarket. The shops in the High Street would lose trade and the cars currently parked on the municipal car park during the day would end up clogging side streets. I hope Coleshill people will take the chance now to contact their Councillors and let them know their views. This thing is not a done deal yet. People power might still win it.” now hang in the balance.

At the North Warwickshire Planning Committee meeting on Monday 18th October the outline planning application to sell the car park to a supermarket developer squeaked through on the Chairman’s casting vote. At one point it looked like it might be defeated and only when Coleshill Councillor Gordon Sharratt decided to abstain, rather than voting against the proposal, was it thrown to the Chairman’s casting vote. The Chairman voted for the sell off. The issue will now be referred to a full Council meeting for a vote which could go either way.

Cllr Mick Stanley (Polesworth), who opposed the sell off, said, “If Cllr Sharratt had voted against the sell off as predicted, the car park would have been saved and many shop keepers and residents would have breathed a sigh of relief. We expected Cllr Sharratt to vote against because he had promised to listen to concerns of the people of Coleshill. Local opposition is clear. Instead Cllr Sharratt abstained, so the application went through.”

The outline planning application will now have to go to a vote of all the Councillors at the full Council meeting in November. Labour Councillors made it clear they would take up the issue at the meeting reflecting the concerns of Coleshill residents.

If all the Labour Councillors vote to keep the Car Park and the Coleshill Conservative Councillors join them, then the Car Park could stay open. It all hangs on the votes of Coleshill Councillors Gordon Sharratt, Peter Fowler, Theresa Welby and Derek Gordon who are now under considerable pressure to support the campaign by Coleshill people to oppose the sell off.

Cllr Mick Stanley (Polesworth) said, “The application might be defeated if the four Coleshill Councillors vote against it at the full Council meeting. The final decision is in their hands. Peter Fowler attended the Planning Meeting on Monday and seemed to tell us he opposed it, but he is not a committee member, so did not vote. He will be expected to vote to keep the car park at the full Council meeting. The pressure is now on.”

Local MP Mike O’Brien called a public meeting in Coleshill Town Hall earlier in the year to enable local people to have their say. About two hundred attended and the vote to keep the Car Park was almost unanimous except for one resident. Cllr Sharratt and other Coleshill Councillors said they would listen to the views of Coleshill residents, therefore many hoped they would therefore oppose the plan. On Monday the only Coleshill based member of the planning committee was Cllr Sharratt, who abstained.

Mike O’Brien MP said, “At the public meeting Coleshill people said they did not want the municipal car park replaced by another supermarket. The shops in the High Street would lose trade and the cars currently parked on the municipal car park during the day would end up clogging side streets. I hope Coleshill people will take the chance now to contact their Councillors and let them know their views. This thing is not a done deal yet. People power might still win it.”