Residents living near one of the busiest roads in Coventry are trying to block the transformation of the London Taxis International factory into a retail warehouse.

Campaigners living in Spon End and Lower Coundon are urging planners to refuse permission to flatten the factory and sell the land off Holyhead Road.

LTI wants to move to a bigger site elsewhere in the city to allow growth. Part of their planned redevelopment of the current factory involves the planned building of a B&Q Warehouse.

This is the second attempt by LTI to gain permission for the land to be switched to retail use.

Residents have already successfully overturned a similar application made a year ago and they have resurrected their campaign by submitting another formal objection to Coventry City Council.

The Redbrick Residents Group have also written to over 1,000 households surrounding the site to explain why they are opposed to the plan.

A public meeting is to be held tomorrow at the Doe Bank Building, Doe Bank Lane, Spon End. It is being organised by the council’s planning department and starts at 7.30pm.

Sharron Warner, chair of the Redbrick Group, said there were a number of reasons why residents were so opposed to the development.

She said:

“It will create even greater congestion on an already overloaded  local road network. The Holyhead Road is already unable to support the loading of traffic created by the existing Alvis Retail Park.”

Other reasons highlighted by the group are:

• It will further undermine the Councils own retail policy and attempts to regenerate the City Centre.
• It is contrary to Government policy on out of town retail development and the City Council Unitary Development Plan.
• It will further undermine other local businesses in Spon End and Coundon.
• It will reduce the earning capacity of the site. The area has lost tens of thousands of jobs in the last two decades.
• It will promote shopping by car at a time when both central government and the City Council are trying to reduce car use. This will also disadvantage the considerable number of old and disadvantaged people in the area, many of whom do not have access to a car.
• It will cause serious inconvenience, noise, exhaust pollution and road danger to local residents.

As well as writing directly to 1,000 homes in Spon End and Lower Coundon, Redbrick have also contacted residents groups in Upper Coundon to warn them of the scheme.

London Taxis International argue that the move is needed to allow the company to prosper.