Conservationists have warned that a planned business park next to Jaguar’s Whitley plant would wreak havoc on the environment.

Birds such as skylarks and meadow pipits and insects including the white marbled butterfly would lose their habitat if the bulldozers were allowed to move in.

Environment charity Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is calling on a government planning inspector to reject the application to build on the grassland.

Coventry City Council is supporting the application by Jaguar to build on the land as it could create up to 2,500 jobs.

Andrew Thompson, conservation manager for WWT, said if the scheme was given the go-ahead it would be vital that other land was made available and managed well to support the area’s nature.

Currently Jaguar is offering two patches of land around nine hectares in size as an alternative to the current land, which is 30 hectares.

Mr Thompson was today meeting with the planning inspector and representatives of the applicants to discuss the options if the site should get the green light.

He said he was looking for a long-term commitment to the management and upkeep of any new site near the River Sowe to allow the nature there to flourish.

Mr Thompson said: 

"We consider that the whole of the grassland area affected by the development as a site of importance for nature conservation. It is one of the few grassland areas in and around Coventry.

"Quite a number of the companies that would be expected to move in to this business park were described in the inquiry as footloose. The specific location next to Jaguar is not important to them – having a high quality site is.

"There might be some grounds for the extension of the Jaguar plant to keep jobs in the city, but we think the other development should go elsewhere.

"Many of the jobs they create will be for people like scientists who will move into the area and will probably live in villages in Warwickshire rather than Coventry."