Alternative Sites Consultation

Thank you for consulting Advantage West Midlands with respect to the above. Advantage West Midlands (the Agency) is the Regional Development Agency for the West Midlands. Our role is to work with partners to help deliver sustainable economic development in the region. The rationale for this work is through the delivery of the West Midlands Economic Strategy (WMES) with regional priorities being further refined by the work of the Joint Investment and Strategy Board to focus on 20 Impact Investment Locations, where public funding can make the most difference. The Agency is also statutory consultee for Local Development Framework documents. The Agency would not wish to raise any specific representations with respect to the proposed alternative housing sites at this stage. It is noted that Site 6 relates to Land at Baginton, where the representations state that the master planning would allow for flexible aviation use and enhanced aviation facilities at Coventry airport as well as raising the scale and profile of the commercial / employment areas. Coventry airport does operate as a business and leisure airport for the Coventry and Warwickshire sub-region, with the adjacent commercial areas providing an employment resource for the wider area. The Agency would ask for the economic importance of these facilities to be taken into account if the wider site is chosen for future housing development.