Warwick Council and Coventry council planners have recommended approval of a £250m industrial logistics scheme in Coventry.
The proposals put forward by Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway, a joint venture of Roxhill Development and Rigby Family Holdings headed by Sir Peter Rigby, the owner of Coventry Airport, where the development is proposed, could employ up to 16,000.
The 4.4 million sq ft scheme known as Coventry Gateway is considered highly controversial not least because much of it is proposed on green belt land. In addition there could be a conflict of interest with Coventry Airport owner Sir Peter Rigby who is also the chairman of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The scheme is to the south of Coventry, close to the established Middlemarch Business Park, alongside the A45. This road with the A46 provides an instant dual carriageway connection to the M6 (J2) 6 miles to the north, the M40 (J15) 12 miles to the south west and the M45 8 miles to the east.
It is made up of two separate plots. The southern 180 acres is capable of providing 3.6 million sq ft of large B2/B8 warehousing, whilst the 67 acre plot facing the A45 has the potential for a variety of B1a) b) and c) configurations, along with hotel and other ancillary uses.
Councillors are expected to meet before Christmas to discuss the proposals.
