Three more flats have been added to the Meriden redevelopment plans and other changes have been made due to overhead electric wires.

Developer Mulalley and Company Limited were given planning permission for a large project involving the redevelopment of 133 new homes in the central part of the Meriden estate.

The development is being constructed in phases. Seven blocks of bungalows, houses and flats are currently under construction, including a new parade of shops.

But a revised design was brought to the planning committee yesterday evening (July 29) because the original plans for block D and E1 could not be followed through due to overhead powerlines. National Grid has said there needs to be increased distance from the buildings and the cables.

The number of homes within the block has also increased slightly.

In the original plans, the two blocks would provide 59 homes altogether – consisting of 50 extra care flats, nine general flats, a hairdresser, a community hub and a café.

The number of homes for both blocks has increased to 62 meaning there are now 136 homes in the whole redevelopment.

Block D which was provided extracare flats has now been changed to 51 flexicare flats , which allow elderly people to live independently but with available services if needed, and a hairdresser.

Block E will now provide 11 general flats and a community hub, but due to the reduction in the ground floor space the café has been removed from the design.

The new design was recommended for approval and eight out of nine committee members voted in favour of it.

During the meeting, Cllr Richard Smith said: “The power lines have been there for a long time, I would have assumed when the development was put towards the committee for the first time, the relevant distances would have been taken into account.

Cllr Jennifer Pattinson who was not in favour for the new plans said the design was a “downgrade” and that it was disappointing to see the café being removed from the Flexicare scheme.

“This may have changed since the applicant put in their application but it just seems odd that something like a powerline , which has been there for a while, seems to be rising its head as a problem for the development.”