HUNDREDS of protesters against swathes of green belt land being bulldozed over for housing will be walking through the city centre on the anniversary of the Blitz.
The rally is taking place on Saturday November 14 as residents across Coventry are uniting to battle plans for 33,000 new homes in and around the city.
It is part of the government’s Regional Spatial Strategy that states 82,000 new homes need to be built across Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull by 2026.
Around 33,000 homes are earmarked for Coventry and its surrounding green fields.
The rally has been organised by Keresley residents, who might see a 3,300-home “eco-town” built on nearby green belt land.
Sandra Camwell, vice-chairman of Keresley Parish Council, said that holding the rally on the anniversary of the Blitz is poignant because mass house building plans are a modern-day attack on Coventry.
She said: “We feel it’s quite poignant to have our rally on the 14th as Coventry was bombed by the Germans and now we are being attacked by the council.
“The Germans thought they could do us down but we survived that attack. Now the council thinks they can do us down but Coventry will survive this attack too.
“We will be holding a peaceful protest, but we want to get our message across, our green belt land is sacred and it shouldn’t be built over.”
Members of the rally will meet outside Central Methodist Hall, in Warwick Lane, at 11.15am. People will then walk to Speaker’s Corner outside the New Council House, in Earl Street, to arrive for the rally by noon.
They will be joined by protesters from Finham, who are opposing a Warwick District Council proposal to build 3,000 new homes near Finham.
Bob Fryer, chairman of the Finham Residents Association, said: “We urge as many residents as possible to join us in this campaign – it’s green belt land being grabbed all over the place.”
An examination of the sites by government inspectors began on Tuesday this week and will go on until Friday December
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