Warwick and Stratford on Avon District Councils have commenced a new consultation on the emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan and are looking for input from the community and stakeholders on the direction of the plan, and sites that may be considered for allocation.

The District Councils joined together to commence work on the emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan in 2021 and it is hoped that the plan will replace the Stratford-on-Avon Core Strategy and Warwick District Council Local Plan which are currently used in the determination of planning applications in the two districts. So far, they have undertaken a Scoping Consultation in 2021 and an Issues and Options Consultation in 2023. They have now developed a number of draft policies and policy directions that have been identified and analysed from these previous consultations.

The Preferred options document addresses a range of topics such as housing, economy, and climate change environments. The Preferred Options document includes a range of draft policies which set out details of the subject matter and the requirements of what the policy would achieve. It also includes Draft Policy directions which indicate the direction of travel the final policy will take and the broad aspirations of future policy.

24 potential Strategic Growth Locations are identified in the Preferred Options document, alongside 12 potential New settlement locations for large scale strategic growth areas. Smaller scale opportunities have been excluded from the document.

The growth locations would exceed the South Warwickshire’s identified housing and employment needs and is unlikely to allocate all the locations in the plan making process. The Growth locations and potential new settlements will be under further analysis by the SWLP Team to determine which locations and specific sites will be most suitable for the South Warwickshire’s growth strategy.

Alongside the Preferred Options consultation, a further targeted call for sites is being run for sites which meet the following criteria:

  • Falls within or adjacent to 12 proposed new settlement locations
  • Is a Gypsy and Traveler or a Travelling Show people site
  • Is a site for commercial or community-led renewable energy generation scheme

Successful sites will receive specific policy support in the emerging Local Plan which give them an advantage over speculative applications.

Both the Preferred Options Consultation and Call for Sites Consultation commenced on the 10th January 2025 and will end on the 7th March 2025.

Residents, businesses, and other stakeholders are invited to have their say on the Preferred Options version of the SWLP. Our team are perfectly positioned to represent you and your interests, offering uncompromisingly independently and easy to understand advice. We can also best present your site through the call for sites. Get in touch with our team now to make your voice heard.