The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets the spatial strategy for development to 2050. It prioritises previously developed urban land, concentrates greenfield growth into larger strategic areas so infrastructure can be delivered, favours locations near existing facilities based on 20-minute neighbourhood principles, requires efficient densities and promotes walking, cycling and public transport. It names two new communities, at Hatton and Long Marston Airfield, plus Strategic Growth Locations including Bidford-on-Avon, Bishop's Tachbrook, Henley-in-Arden, Kenilworth, three sites around Leamington Spa and land south of Coventry.
Long Marston
13 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full policy and justification for meeting development needs to 2050. Provision is made for a minimum of 54,925 homes between 2025 and 2050, with a total identified supply of 57,610, a headroom of about 4.9%. It also provides 129 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, 20 Travelling Showpeople plots and 35 boat dweller moorings. Each district will maintain its own five-year housing land supply, based on 1,112 homes a year in Stratford-on-Avon and 1,085 in Warwick, with detailed year-by-year delivery trajectories for every allocated site.
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 (DS.10) safeguards Major Investment Sites for future employment, research and investment. At Gaydon, the Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda sites are safeguarded for automotive research and manufacturing, with a further 124.5 hectares next to the JLR site and 7.5 hectares next to the Aston Martin site, and a possible Local Development Order to give certainty on future investment. The Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, the UK's only looped standard gauge test track, is safeguarded for rail-related employment along with its connection to the national rail network.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section details all eight Major Investment Sites under Policy DS.10. They are the Gaydon automotive hub, the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, land south of Coventry including the former Coventry Airport, where a gigafactory or wider advanced manufacturing is planned alongside a 90 hectare country park at Gateway South, Stoneleigh Park with around 5.4 hectares of extra employment land, 62 hectares at the University of Warwick Main Campus, the university's Wellesbourne Campus, Wellesbourne Airfield, where up to 65 hectares of employment land depends on relocating the runway, and Fen End for automotive and motorsport uses.
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 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 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 section covers the Long Marston Airfield New Community, a 697-hectare site for at least 10,300 homes, with a minimum of 4,500 built by 2050. It also provides 15 hectares of employment land, 21 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, four primary schools, a secondary school with land reserved for a second, a district centre, three local centres and a new country park. Early phases of 500 homes can start first, but wider development depends on the Stratford-upon-Avon Bypass opening, expected in 2035. Land is safeguarded for a railway station.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section lists the parishes designated as rural areas under the Housing (Right to Buy) (Designated Rural Areas and Designated Regions) (England) (No 2) Order 2004, as referenced in Policy HO.3. All the listed parishes, from Admington to Wootton Wawen, are in Stratford-on-Avon District. No parishes in Warwick District have this designation. The designation affects how certain affordable housing rules apply in these places.