David Bentley

Coventry City Council has ordered the unauthorised Butts Hand Car Wash on the former Butts Retreat pub car park in Spon End to permanently stop trading and remove its buildings, container, tanks, trailer, equipment and waste. The council says the change of use causes visual harm, noise and disturbance, pedestrian and highway safety problems, and risks polluting the River Sherbourne and increasing flood risk. The enforcement notice takes effect on 7 September 2026 unless appealed, with the operator given three months from its 7 August issue date to comply. A separate planning application for a formal car wash on the site was refused in May 2026.

Coventry City Council refused permission to convert a four-bedroom house in Brunton Close, Binley, into a children's home for up to four children. The application, submitted by Balraj Mann of LDH Trust, lacked clear information about the number of residents and staff, how the home would operate, and its regulatory arrangements, making it impossible to assess potential noise and disturbance. Although highways officers found no road-safety or parking problems, Children's Services said the city had no identified need for another children's home and the proposal would remove a family dwelling from the housing stock.

Coventry City Council unanimously approved revised plans to build two three-bedroom homes on part of the Auction House pub’s car park in Tile Hill. Residents objected over parking pressures, privacy and the development’s character, but planners said the revised access and layout resolved previous highways and design issues and met required separation distances. Conditions include approval of a noise assessment to protect neighbouring properties.

Plans for up to 400 purpose-built student bedrooms at a former builders’ yard off Westwood Heath Road, near the University of Warwick, have cleared a further planning hurdle after the required legal agreement was completed. Coventry City Council approved the scheme despite a 105-name petition citing an oversupply of student accommodation, concluding that the shortage affects the area around Warwick’s campus rather than Coventry city centre. The development must remain limited to 400 permanent residents, protect wildlife and significant trees, and provide 20 mainly Blue Badge and drop-off spaces as part of a largely car-free scheme.

Residents are petitioning Coventry City Council to reject Redford Developments' application to demolish E.ON's former nine-acre headquarters at Westwood Business Park and build up to 100 homes. They argue the housing is unnecessary because Coventry says it can meet its targets within its boundaries, and that converting designated employment land would weaken a strategically important business park. The proposal also includes a play area and public green space, but no decision has been made; the objections are likely to send the application to the council's planning committee.

Coventry City Council unanimously approved a partially constructed detached outbuilding in a Cannon Hill Road garden for use as a home gym and office. Residents and councillor Mattie Heaven feared it could become separate student accommodation or an HMO, adding to the area’s existing concentration of HMOs. The approval includes strict conditions requiring the building to remain ancillary to the main house and prohibiting its sale, letting, separate occupation, business use or conversion into independent residential accommodation without further planning permission.

Coventry taxi fares are expected to rise after Coventry City Council approved a proposal submitted by Unite, subject to a 14-day public-objection period and a final decision by Cabinet Member for City Services Patricia Hetherton on September 15. Starting fares would remain £3.80 during the day, £4.60 at night and £4.90 on public holidays, but the distance and waiting time covered by those fares would be reduced, causing 30p or 35p increments to apply sooner. Private hire fares are expected to align with the taxi tariffs, while the council says the changes are intended to support safe, accessible and reliable services.

Construction has begun on Coventry’s £450 million City Centre South regeneration project, which has shifted from a retail-led plan to a residential-led development with more than 1,500 homes, over 50 shops and restaurants, and a restored Coventry Market. Councillors have questioned whether the new retail space will attract businesses and how the project will affect council rental income. Coventry City Council says the smaller units will support niche local traders rather than major chains, that current vacancy rates remain low because properties were deliberately cleared over several years, and that increased city-centre population and footfall should raise the value of remaining council-owned retail units.