Local Plan hits another setback - but council leader staying positive

The Local Plan which will shape the future of Warwick district has hit another setback, but the district's leader remains positive.

In a letter to Warwick District Council, planning inspector Kevin Ward considered the plan ‘not to be sound’, but that it could be made sound ‘with modifications’.

It is not known exactly what the changes will be yet, but leader of the council Cllr Andrew Mobbs believes they will be minor.

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He played down the letter, and was still confident the plan would be accepted in the summer.

Cllr Mobbs said: “My reaction to this is positive. The wording of the letter shows that we’re heading in the right direction.

“There will always be something minor that needs changing - this is not strange.”

The Local Plan aims to provide sites for new homes across the district, and should help to control future development.

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The current version of the plan proposed to build 17,000 new homes in the district by 2029.

That version of the plan revised the number of homes upwards from the original plan, which proposed 12,900 homes.

It was refused by Mr Ward last year as the 12,900 figure was not deemed high enough to address Coventry’s housing land shortfall.

The new plan identified sites all over the district to meet the extra demand.

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In addition to sites in the original plan, an area in King’s Hill to the north of Kenilworth, will include 1,800 houses - with a capacity for almost 4,000 beyond 2029.

Land at Westwood Heath, also north of the town, could include 425 houses to meet longer-term requirements.

Land adjacent to the Kenilworth Road to the north of Milverton could have 250 houses, while newer plans at The Asps and Gallows Hill to the south of Warwick and Leamington include 900 and 630 houses respectively.

Land off Crewe Lane in Kenilworth, to include 640 houses and a possible new site for Kenilworth School, has also been identified.

There will also be new houses in the district’s villages.

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These include 115 houses near the old Warwickshire Police HQ in Leek Wootton, 95 houses on land east of Cubbington, 45 houses on land north of Rosswood farm in Baginton, 75 houses on sites in Barford, 30 houses in Bishop’s Tachbrook and 30 houses in Burrow Hill Nursery, Red Lane, Burton Green.

Hampton Magna could get 115 and 30 houses on land south of Lloyd Close and south of Arras Boulevard, respectively. Hatton Park has land earmarked for 40 houses to the north of Birmingham Road and 55 for Brownley Green Lane.

And in Radford Semele, 60 houses have been planned for land at Spring Lane.

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