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.
Design & placemaking
Design quality, design codes, character of new development, space standards and residential amenity.
144 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out a 342.1-hectare site next to Cheddington, near Leighton Buzzard, for a minimum of 5,090 homes, with 3,650 expected in the plan period, plus 12 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 3,500 sqm of town centre uses. Requirements include three primary schools, a secondary school, the Horton Bypass and a new railway bridge at Station Road. Development must protect the setting of Mentmore Towers and the Grand Union Canal, reuse the former railway line as a green corridor, and follow a site-wide masterplan.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects the district's landscapes, especially the 546 hectares of the Chilterns National Landscape. There is a presumption against major development there, normally 10 or more homes or sites over 0.5 hectares, unless exceptional circumstances apply and it is in the public interest. Permission requires conserving the area's special qualities, following the Chilterns Management Plan and Buildings Design Guide, avoiding harm to important views, and submitting a Landscape Visual Impact Assessment. Elsewhere, proposals must respond to the character and sensitivities of their landscape area as set out in the Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessments.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers a 293.6-hectare site adjoining Haddenham for a minimum of 6,610 homes, with around 3,545 in the plan period, plus 7 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 3,500 sqm of town centre uses. It requires three primary schools, a secondary school, improved access to Haddenham and Thame Parkway station and better bus services. Development must integrate Snakemoor Nature Reserve, protect Haddenham Conservation Area, and manage odour and other impacts from the nearby wastewater treatment works. A site-wide masterplan is required.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports certain types of housing in the countryside, outside allocated sites and settlement boundaries. It allows rural exception affordable housing led by local communities, small self-build and custom-build schemes, and conversions of redundant brick or stone buildings that are listed or of historic merit. It also supports replacement dwellings, homes tied to agricultural or rural businesses where a functional need is proven, small expansions of existing mobile home and Traveller sites, and new single homes of exceptional quality and design.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out a 217.5-hectare site south-west of Buckingham for a minimum of 4,700 homes, with around 2,235 in the plan period, plus 10 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, about 1.7 hectares of employment land and around 2,000 sqm of town centre uses. It requires three primary schools, a secondary school and the Buckingham South Spine Road linking the A413 to the A421. Development must protect the setting of Gawcott Conservation Area with a green buffer, manage flood risk around the River Great Ouse and Padbury Brook, and follow a site-wide masterplan.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full policy and reasoning for protecting the Cotswolds National Landscape. Proposals must follow the area's Management Plan, avoid cumulative harm, stay proportionate in scale, and in exceptional cases show public benefits outweigh harm. Schemes within the 3km buffer must consult the National Landscape Board. The area, formerly the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, covers 8.2% of South Warwickshire. Councils have a legal duty to seek to further its conservation, and national policy gives great weight to protecting it.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects five Special Landscape Areas: Arden, Cotswold Fringe, Feldon Parkland, Ironstone Hills Fringe, and River Leam and Surrounds. These are locally designated areas of high landscape quality shown on the Policies Map. Development that would harm their distinctive character and appearance, including their historic and cultural features, will be resisted. The cumulative effect of several developments will be considered, and schemes in settlements within these areas must respect how the settlement historically sits in the landscape.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains why Special Landscape Areas are designated. National policy supports protecting the natural landscape, and these designations protect the best countryside outside the Cotswolds National Landscape. The five areas were identified through a landscape study and represent particularly high quality countryside at a district level. The section notes that all landscapes matter, but labelling the whole of South Warwickshire as special would undermine the point of picking out specific areas for their landscape and scenic quality.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces policies on protecting the character of South Warwickshire. It warns that growth pressure and gradual, incremental change are eroding landscape character and local distinctiveness. New development must therefore conserve and enhance landscape qualities, support green infrastructure and nature recovery, and contribute to climate resilience and biodiversity. When assessing proposals, councils will look not only at direct effects but also at the cumulative impact of many changes over time.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers a 177.2-hectare urban extension to Princes Risborough delivering up to 2,895 homes within the plan period, plus 11 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and a local centre with 300 to 400 sqm of shops and around 500 sqm of business space. A central requirement is the Princes Risborough Relief Road, a complete new alternative route to the A4010. The site must also provide two primary schools, contributions to secondary education, a green corridor along the Crowbrook, and keep a gap between the town and Longwick.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to protect, enhance and where appropriate restore landscape character. Schemes must respond to local Landscape Character Area descriptions, be landscape led from the earliest design stage, and guard against settlements merging together. A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment is required for all major developments, sites over 0.5 hectares, or schemes affecting heritage settings. Harm to the landscape is only acceptable where it is unavoidable and outweighed by public benefits, and new planting must use native, locally characteristic species with long-term maintenance secured.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the landscape character policy in full and its justification. Development must avoid visually intrusive locations, protect openness, tranquillity and rural character, and show that alternative sites and designs were considered. Assessments must follow Landscape Institute guidance and cover cumulative, seasonal and night-time effects. The reasoning is that landscape-led design, informed by the Landscape Character Assessment, prevents harm from the outset rather than relying on mitigation added later, with requirements scaled to the sensitivity of each location.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects the gaps between settlements so that towns and villages keep their separate identities. Development that would erode a gap's function will be refused unless no reasonable alternative site exists outside it. Schemes must preserve openness and the sense of leaving one place before entering another, avoid urbanising features such as lighting and access roads, and be assessed alongside other development for cumulative effects. It also designates Areas of Restraint, shown on the Policies Map, where the open character of land must not be harmed.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the settlement gap policy and its reasoning. In Areas of Restraint, large-scale development will only be permitted where it brings clear community benefits, supports the plan's objectives, and no suitable alternative site exists nearby. These areas are not landscape quality designations. They protect open land in and around settlements, such as river valley corridors, because of its contribution to a settlement's character and form. Agricultural and recreational uses, allotments, cemeteries and small farm additions may still be appropriate.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all development to be well designed, and states that poorly designed proposals will be refused. Schemes must be supported by a Design Statement showing how they meet criteria covering context, identity, built form and movement. This means understanding the site's history and surroundings, creating attractive and distinctive places, designing walkable streets that limit crime, and prioritising active travel such as walking and cycling alongside a genuine choice of sustainable transport options.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section gives the full well-designed places policy and guidance on applying it. Beyond context, identity, built form and movement, schemes must weave in natural features, create safe and welcoming public spaces, provide healthy living conditions with good light, storage and accessibility, and use resources efficiently with long-term stewardship planned. Design Statements should tell the design story and show how talks with parish councils, police, heritage bodies and county services shaped the scheme. National policy says permission should be refused for poor design.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out a 103.2-hectare site south of Stoke Mandeville for a minimum of 1,650 homes within the plan period, plus around 1,500 sqm of town centre uses. Higher densities are focused near the railway station, which will be enhanced as a transport hub with a new pedestrian and cycle crossing of the railway. Requirements include a primary school, the South Spine Road, buffers along the HS2 corridor, protection of the setting of Stoke House, and a site-wide masterplan and phasing strategy.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the design and heritage chapter. The district's housing stock includes many larger detached and semi-detached homes on generous plots, making it popular with families, with relatively few flats. Its character is shaped by the Metro-land developments that followed the Metropolitan line, featuring Tudor revival and Arts and Crafts styles. The plan aims to increase density and deliver more one, two and three bedroom homes while protecting this strong local identity, and to keep living standards high through minimum space standards and controls on subdividing homes.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports development that complies with local Design Codes, which set clear design frameworks so that proposals meeting their parameters can be approved. Applicants must show how they have met the relevant code's expectations. Codes are not meant to stifle creativity, so departures are possible, but they must be fully justified, judged on their merits, and still achieve the good design principles in Policy DS.18. Where no local code exists, the National Design Guide applies.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy governs the design and layout of residential development, requiring all schemes, including extensions, to meet the Design Criteria in Appendix 1. Development must not harm an area's character through tandem or backland building, poor access, excessive traffic or layouts out of keeping with plot sizes and street patterns. Tall buildings, meaning four or more storeys, over 12 metres, or substantially taller than neighbours, will be refused unless strict criteria are met. Converting a house into flats normally needs three or more bedrooms, and all homes must meet or exceed national internal space standards.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains how Design Codes will work in practice. The plan will be supported by a range of codes, and in some places more than one may apply, such as an area-wide code and a site-specific code together. Where no local code exists, the National Design Guide is used instead. The information needed to show compliance will vary with the type and scale of development, and early discussion with the council's Development Management team is encouraged.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full densification policy and its reasoning. Major housing schemes in Main Urban Areas within 1km of a railway station must achieve at least 60 dwellings per hectare unless robustly justified otherwise, and schemes near stations elsewhere must show density has been optimised. Reusing redundant buildings, converting upper floors, infill plots and adding storeys are all supported. The policy also backs Advanced Methods of Construction, such as modular building, for their speed and sustainability, provided designs follow an agreed Design Code.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy controls lorry traffic in the Vale of Evesham Control Zone. Business proposals that would increase heavy goods vehicle traffic by 5% or more must show that the economic benefits outweigh the traffic impact, that the development cannot go on a site with better access to the county's lorry route network, and that the proposed delivery routes are the least harmful to local communities. An HGV is defined as a lorry over 7.5 tonnes, and permissions will cap the number of lorry movements through conditions or legal agreements that bind future occupiers.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects the district's heritage, including 352 listed buildings, 22 Conservation Areas, Scheduled Monuments, registered parks and gardens, and locally important buildings. Applications affecting a designated heritage asset must include a Heritage Statement explaining the asset's significance and the proposal's impact. Substantial harm to or loss of listed buildings and other designated assets will be refused unless substantial public benefits outweigh the harm. In Conservation Areas, development must preserve or enhance character and appearance, with strict tests for demolition, and reuse of historic buildings to help tackle climate change is supported where significance is not harmed.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy controls adverts, signs and shop fronts. They must not harm the character of an area or building through poor size, design, colour or materials, and must not put pedestrians or road users at risk. Flashing signs and lighting that causes light pollution for nearby homes or wildlife are not allowed. Signs should normally sit within the premises they relate to, avoid adding to clutter, and respect listed buildings, conservation areas and other heritage assets.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy manages the impacts of building work, deliveries and servicing. Construction Management Plans are required for sites close to the Strategic Road Network, and may be needed wherever highway safety or amenity could suffer; environmental management plans may also be required. Developments must show how deliveries, waste collection and servicing will work for their whole lifetime, ideally off street, without causing noise, obstruction or nuisance for residents and businesses. Delivery and Servicing Plans are required where vehicle movements could affect roads, the public realm or neighbours.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section gives the full flood risk policy and its reasoning. On sites at risk, buildings must sit in the safest areas, safe access must be shown, and floor levels must be at least 600mm above the 1% annual probability flood level plus climate change allowance. All development needs a drainage strategy, an undeveloped buffer of at least 8 metres along watercourses, and space for water through green and blue infrastructure. South Warwickshire has a history of flooding from multiple sources, and climate change is expected to make floods more frequent and severe.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers a 96-hectare site north-west of Wing for a minimum of 1,630 homes, all expected within the plan period, plus 5 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and around 1,000 sqm of town centre uses. It requires a primary school, contributions to off-site education and GP services, and new roads including the Wing North Spine Road and Wing West Link Road. Development must protect Wing Conservation Area and the Castle Hill Scheduled Monument, provide buffers to Local Wildlife Sites, and follow a site-wide masterplan.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section adds detail on how sustainable drainage systems should be designed. SuDS must be planned as an integral part of the site layout, favouring above-ground and dispersed features rather than reliance on one large storage feature. They should deliver several benefits at once: reducing flood risk, cleaning water through a four-stage treatment train, boosting wildlife, providing attractive amenity space and helping to cool urban areas. Drainage features should also become part of the wider ecological network.