The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the South Warwickshire Local Plan, prepared jointly by Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick District Councils to guide where and how new homes, jobs and infrastructure are built up to 2050. It describes an area of 488 square miles, mostly open countryside, containing towns such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa. Nearly a third of the area lies in the West Midlands Green Belt and 8% falls within the Cotswolds National Landscape. The area is a gateway to the West Midlands, with its strongest links to Coventry.
OpenConsult / South Warwickshire Plan Explorer
Alcester
17 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section describes South Warwickshire today. The area covers 488 square miles of mainly open countryside across the two districts, including towns such as Alcester, Kenilworth, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick. It has good motorway and rail links between London and Birmingham, and 8% of it lies within the Cotswolds National Landscape. Nearly a third sits in the West Midlands Green Belt, which is designed to prevent urban sprawl. The area's strongest ties are with Coventry, as part of the Coventry and Warwickshire sub-region.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy carries forward employment allocations from earlier plans. They include 4.5 hectares at Gaydon and Lighthorne Heath for Aston Martin Lagonda's expansion, land at Thickthorn in Kenilworth, 8 hectares at the Long Marston New Settlement, 1.58 hectares west of Banbury Road in Southam, and a 25 hectare employment site south of Alcester Road, Stratford-upon-Avon. The Stratford site requires a new roundabout onto the A46 at Drayton Manor Drive and a wildlife and nature area.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section repeats the carried-forward employment allocations under Policy DS.5, covering sites at Gaydon and Lighthorne Heath, Thickthorn in Kenilworth, Long Marston, Southam and south of Alcester Road in Stratford-upon-Avon. It adds 19 hectares at Atherstone Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon, where development must provide suitable access and active travel links, protect important views of the Registered Park and Garden and nearby listed buildings, enhance ecology and include boundary landscaping, supported by a detailed transport assessment.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy allocates housing sites at local growth locations, each with an indicative minimum capacity and site-specific requirements. The extract covers Alcester and Barford: 286 homes south of Allimore Lane, avoiding Flood Zones 2 and 3; 79 homes north of Captains Hill on grey belt land (lower-performing Green Belt land that national policy may allow for development); 34 homes south of Westham Lane; and 122 homes east of Wellesbourne Road, where nearby minerals workings require a sensitive layout.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full housing allocation schedule under Policy DS.7, covering dozens of settlements from Alcester to Whitnash with indicative minimum capacities and requirements on flood risk, landscape, heritage and access. It also lists custom and self-build sites, allocations carried forward from adopted local and neighbourhood plans, and a Traveller site at Harbury Lane providing permanent pitches, transit bays and a support hub once Leamington Football Club relocates. The justification explains proposals including the Stratford-upon-Avon Gateway, Studley regeneration, Chandos Street, Warwick's cafe quarter, St Mary's Lands and Myton Community Stadium.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces support for development on land the plan has not specifically allocated, using a settlement hierarchy. Development is supported in principle within the built-up boundaries of the four Main Urban Areas: Kenilworth, Royal Leamington Spa and Whitnash, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick. Small and medium schemes are supported in eight Main Service Centres, including Alcester, Southam and Wellesbourne, while only small-scale proposals are supported in a longer list of Local Service Centres such as Barford and Harbury.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets a settlement hierarchy for proposals on unallocated land. Development is supported in principle within the built-up boundaries of four Main Urban Areas: Kenilworth, Royal Leamington Spa and Whitnash, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick. Small and medium-scale schemes are supported in eight Main Service Centres, including Alcester, Bidford-on-Avon, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam. Small-scale development only is supported in a long list of Local Service Centres, from Alderminster to Tredington.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section gives the full Policy DS.8 and its justification. Beyond the urban areas and service centres, Rural Service Centres, villages within the Green Belt or Cotswolds National Landscape, are limited to infilling only, and in the wider countryside proposals are judged against Policies DS.9 to DS.12. The plan relies on a small amount of windfall development, meaning schemes on sites it has not identified, and this policy provides the flexibility to handle them. Developers are expected to engage with the local community before submitting applications.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets out where the Green Belt boundary will change to make room for the plan's proposals. Six villages, including Bubbenhall, Claverdon and Snitterfield, are taken out of the Green Belt. Land is also removed for new settlements and major growth sites at places such as Hatton, Kenilworth South, Leamington Spa North, South of Coventry and Coventry Airport, plus smaller sites at Alcester, Hampton Magna, Kenilworth, Studley and Stoneleigh. A boundary error at Leek Wootton is also corrected.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the Green Belt changes in full. It allows neighbourhood plans to release small Green Belt sites for local needs where strict conditions are met. National policy applies to proposals both in and out of the Green Belt, and the Golden Rules on affordable housing do not apply to land released under the older 2016 and 2017 local plans. A Green Belt Review found exceptional circumstances justify the changes, because many of the most sustainable growth locations sit within the Green Belt.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects land needed for future transport schemes from development that could block their delivery. Protected projects include reopening the Stratford to Honeybourne railway, a new station at Long Marston Airfield, and double-tracking the Coventry to Leamington line with a second platform at Kenilworth. It also safeguards land for a multi-modal transport interchange near the University of Warwick, park and ride sites serving Leamington and Stratford-upon-Avon, disused railway lines earmarked as future walking and cycling routes, and improvements to key A46, M40 and M42 junctions.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section lists the full set of protected transport schemes and explains the approach. Alongside rail, park and ride and strategic road junction schemes, it safeguards major link roads tied to specific development sites, including routes at Stratford-upon-Avon, Wellesbourne, Henley-in-Arden, Kenilworth, Warwick, Stoneleigh and Bidford, and a new consolidated M40 junction to replace Junctions 13 and 14. Development in these areas is only permitted where it would not hinder a scheme's design, delivery or operation, or is temporary or reversible. The aim is to prevent prejudicial development without needlessly sterilising land.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains why the Stratford-upon-Avon bypass corridor is protected. Traffic modelling shows there is not enough highway capacity for further significant development south of the town, with constraints including the historic Clopton Bridge. A bypass would add capacity and bring environmental and public realm benefits to the historic town centre. Because the scheme is at an early stage, the corridor is a broad area of search rather than a fixed route, protecting delivery without unnecessarily sterilising land.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects a corridor of land for a proposed western bypass of Stratford-upon-Avon, running between the A3400 Shipston Road and the A46 Alcester Road. The bypass is needed to deliver the new community at Long Marston Airfield and development south of the town. The route would cross the B439 Evesham Road, join the B3462 Campden Road south of Clifford Chambers, and cross the Stratford greenway at a height that keeps open its possible future reinstatement as a railway. Development in the corridor must not hinder the scheme.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains how the town centre policy will be applied. In the main urban centres, at least 50% of units in Primary Shopping Areas should remain in retail use. It sets out the hierarchy of centres, with Leamington Spa and Stratford the most significant, Warwick and Kenilworth serving more local needs, and smaller rural towns such as Alcester and Southam acting as Local Centres. Evidence shows a need for 7.1 hectares of office land, about 57,900 square metres, up to 2050, to be met mainly through conversions rather than new site allocations.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section lists every site allocated in the plan, organised by settlement. For each allocation it gives the local planning authority, settlement category, allocation type, related policy, site reference and name, the number of homes, hectares of employment land and any Gypsy and Traveller pitches. The list runs from Alcester through to Wellesbourne and beyond, covering both large strategic sites such as the new communities and small local sites of only a few homes.