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The council has run a consultation to seek the views of local people on where new development should go in the district up to 2026.
Warwick district is likely to see significant levels of growth in new homes and jobs over the next few years. It has been estimated that the district will need to find 90 hectares of land for new employment uses and land for 10,800 new homes to meet the growing need for homes and jobs up to 2026. Some of this land has already been found (including from existing planning permissions and from land already allocated for development). However, the council estimates that that we still will need to find
- green field land for approximately 2,700 new homes.
- 15 hectares of green field land for new jobs
The public consultation considered where this development may go. The council put forward 5 broad options for people to consider. It also suggested 15 more specific 'possible directions of growth'.
The 5 broad options
- Option 1: Focus growth in and around Warwick, Leamington and Whitnash
- Option 2: Focus growth along the A46 corridor
- Option 3: Balance growth in and around the four towns (Warwick, Leamington, Whitnash and Kenilworth)
- Option 4: Disperse growth across the district including within villages
- Option 5: Direct growth immediately to the south of Coventry
We have also considered two further options but have ruled these out. These are (1) concentrating development further within our towns, and (2) building a new settlement in the countryside.
Launching the public consultation, John Hammon (Development Portfolio Holder) said: "Warwick District Council is likely to have to make some very difficult decisions in the next few months over how we can accommodate these significant levels of growth. This consultation puts forward a number of options for people to think about. I would wish to make it clear that the council does not support any of these options at the present time. We are, however, required to look at all possible options that are open to us and this public consultation is very important to this process. I would strongly urge everybody in the district to get involved and to let us know what you think."
The public consultation ran from 15th May to 10th July and will be supported by exhibitions across the district and leaflets which are being sent out to local libraries and other council offices. Visit the core strategy page for full details of the consultation.
Exhibition dates
- 16th May (10:00 - 16:00) - Warwick Town Centre (Warwickshire Direct - Warwick)
- 17th May (10:00 - 16:00) - Leamington Town Centre (Royal Priors)
- 22nd May (10:00 - 16:00) - Whitnash (Warwickshire Direct - Whitnash)
- 29th May (10:00 - 16:00) - Kenilworth Town Centre (Warwickshire Direct - Kenilworth)
- 6th June (10:00 - 19:00) - Tesco, Emscote Road, Warwick
- 20th June (10:00 - 19:00) - Cannon Park Shopping Centre, Coventry
(Please note that one of the exhibitions was in Coventry. This is because two of the options propose development which would directly affect residents in the south of the city.)
Options papers and how to have your say
This consultation ended on 10th July 2008. To support the consultation, the following documents have been produced
Background information
The Government has set ambitious targets for new house building across the country over the next few years. It wants to see 3 million new homes by 2020. It is expecting many of these to be provided through the regional plans (called 'Regional Spatial Strategies') which are prepared for each of the English regions.
The level of growth that councils in the West Midlands will need to take is set by the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy prepared by the West Midlands Regional Assembly. The Regional Assembly is currently reviewing its Regional Spatial Strategy and is consulting on new figures that will set the level of growth up to 2026. It is these figures which form the basis of the our consultation.
The public consultation considers a number of green field sites on the edge of the district’s towns (and Coventry) and areas adjacent to some of the larger villages. Some of these areas are within the Green Belt. The council has made it clear, however, that if it was to ever consider releasing Green Belt land, it would not wish to see the merging of any towns that are currently separated by Green Belt.
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