I am opposing Warwick District Council’s proposals to sell off their Riverside House site for exclusive use of private housing and build new offices on part of the Covent Garden site in Leamington alongside a new multi-storey car park. As a result, there will be no car parking available on the Covent Garden Car Park for at least 20 months.

The complete absence of affordable housing in their plans is scandalous. The cost of the project in a time of austerity makes it totally unjustifiable. 800 people rely on Covent Garden Car Park per day. Half of those who use it do so to shop in Leamington Town Centre, while up to 35% of shoppers are from Coventry. The loss of 800 people a day not coming to Leamington will seriously undermine the viability of many Leamington Town Centre businesses.