2.5 Development Strategy

the first instance. 2.5 Development Strategy Policies within this section contribute to achieving all of the Strategic Objectives (SO) 2.5.1 The Development Strategy sets out in broad terms the locations to which large scale and strategic growth should be directed; and conversely, those areas in which growth should be more controlled. In practical terms, the Development Strategy will help deliver the SWLP’s five overarching principles, determine where land is allocated for homes and employment uses, and the infrastructure and open space that supports this growth. In the SWLP , sustainability is achieved by: • utilising available urban brownfield land • building at densities that make efficient use of land • using locations which are within reach of existing facilities, or providing new facilities on site • allowing for smaller-scale growth outside of strategic areas 2.5.2 The Development Strategy will accommodate South Warwickshire’s housing and employment needs for the period to 2050. Figure 11 shows the priority areas that were identified to inform the preparation of the Development Strategy. The background to the development of the Priority Areas and subsequent selection of sites is set out in the accompanying Growth Strategy Topic Paper. The starting point for was the initial Scoping and Call for Sites consultation in 2021 that listed 7 spatial options, which were then refined through public consultation into 5 options before the hybrid strategy of sustainable travel and economy was agreed as the most appropriate approach for South Warwickshire. • Option A: Rail Corridors. • Option B: Main Bus Corridors. • Option C: Main Road Corridors. • Option D: Enterprise Hubs • Option E: Socio-economic • Option F: Main Urban Areas • Option G: Dispersed 2.5.3 This preferred option was further refined into preferred locations informed by accessibility and connectivity technical work and the development of a spatial tool that combines sustainable travel and economic factors to identify the most suitable locations for development. This tool utilises buffer-informed proximity to the following characteristics: • Urban land ~ prioritised in accordance with NPPF and the substantial weight given to the use of brownfield land. • Sustainable Transport ~ Proximity to rail and bus stops is considered to be a key indicator of locations for growth, providing residents with sustainable options by shifting trips away from the private car. • Economic Co-location ~ locating growth near existing employment sites allows for sustainable commuting opportunities by placing homes in proximity to potential places of work. • Socioeconomic Improvements ~ This reflects the aspiration to leverage development to deliver community infrastructure that improves access to potential places of work. 2.5.3 As a result of this exercise, as shown in Figure 11, three priority areas have been developed as an overarching spatial tool for site selection, with Priority Area 1 typically indicating more sustainable locations and Priority Area 3 indicating less sustainable locations. Figure 11: Spatial Growth Strategy Priority Areas 2.5.4 The approach takes account of the spatial drivers of development. Internally, these include the urban areas within South Warwickshire. Externally, South Warwickshire faces various directions but is most strongly aligned with Coventry as well as Birmingham and Solihull (far less so the Black Country). South Warwickshire is also influenced by London. The stronger interrelationships are therefore to the north and this is reflected in the Development Strategy which is summarised in the SWLP Key Diagram (Figure 12 overpage). A particular focus of the SWLP is on growing and diversifying the local economy which is an integral component of the wider Coventry and Warwickshire sub-region, with particular focus on automotive, advanced manufacturing and engineering and research and development. Again, the Development Strategy aligns with this ambition and seeks to couple locations of new homes and jobs into a core area that reflects the identified priority areas. Broadly speaking the SWLP follows the wider A46 corridor - a key national route that runs southwest-northeast and ultimately connects Bristol, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Worcester, Evesham, Stratford- upon-Avon, Warwick/Leamington, Kenilworth, Coventry and Leicester. 2.55 The Development Strategy has flowed from the earliest iterations of the SWLP and reflects its vision of achieving sustainable development whilst strengthening local communities and responding to the climate emergency. It does this by locating the majority of development in places that can be accessed by means other than the private car. Growth is focused on a small number of strategic allocations, including new settlements, so as to ensure that the necessary infrastructure can also be provided, benefitting both new and existing residents alike. The new settlements also provide the foundation for sustainable growth beyond 2050, providing certainty to communities in the long-term as well as enabling a continuation of housing delivery across South Warwickshire. The strategic locations also provide for employment and jobs, with many co-located to again reduce the need to travel and achieve balanced sustainable communities. Key employment sites are also safeguarded to help further grow the South Warwickshire economy. The focus on strategic growth locations also helps to preserve the wider rural character and landscapes of South Warwickshire, by rightly limiting growth in these more sensitive and inaccessible locations. The SWLP does however seek to strike a balance by allowing some growth to maintain the vitality of rural villages and support the rural economy. 2.5.6 Parts of South Warwickshire fall within the West Midlands Green Belt, the fundamental aim of which is to prevent the sprawl of the West Midlands conurbation, by keeping land permanently open. Notwithstanding this, some of South Warwickshire’s most sustainable locations fall within the Green Belt. For example, all of our train stations are either in or close to the Green Belt. The SWLP has therefore had to strike a careful balance between maintaining the Green Belt and carefully releasing land from the Green Belt to meet our development needs in the most appropriate locations. The justification for releasing la