The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets the tenure and type mix for affordable housing. The councils will seek at least 60% Social Rent and no more than 40% Shared Ownership, with other tenures only in exceptional, well-justified circumstances. One and 2-bed affordable homes should come in a mix of bungalows, flats, maisonettes and houses, while 3 and 4-bed homes should be houses, and 5% of rented affordable homes should be ground level, single-level homes. Affordable homes must be visually indistinguishable from market homes and dispersed across the site in suitable clusters.
Homes & housing
How many new homes are planned, where they go, affordable housing requirements, housing mix, density and homes for older people.
121 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the affordable tenure choices. Evidence found a need for 60% Social Rent, 20% Affordable Rent and 20% affordable home ownership, but the councils prioritised Social Rent because Affordable Rent is less affordable and can leave households relying on housing benefit. Shared Ownership was raised to 40% to help viability, and is seen as the most suitable ownership tenure locally as buyers can now purchase as little as 10% equity. Discounted Market Sale was found to need at least a 40% discount to be affordable here, and single-level homes respond to the ageing population.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports affordable housing on rural exception sites, which are plots in places not normally released for housing, including the Green Belt. Four tests must all be met: the scheme is led by or has clear support from the local community; it meets an identified housing need shown in an up-to-date survey or neighbourhood plan; it is small scale, well designed and within or next to a settlement boundary; and a planning obligation secures the homes for local needs in perpetuity. Community support is usually shown by written backing from the town or parish council.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section gives the detailed rules and reasoning for rural exception sites. Housing need must be evidenced by a proper survey of residents, normally valid for five years, with future occupiers showing a strong local connection through birth, residence, work or family. Some market housing may be allowed to make a scheme viable or meet a surveyed local need, but never more than 50% of the homes. A Section 106 agreement will secure occupancy, tenure and long-term management. The policy exists because high prices and restricted supply make affordable housing especially hard to deliver in rural areas.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces Specialised Housing. It explains that meeting South Warwickshire's housing needs is about more than building enough homes: the homes must also suit residents' needs. While most new housing will serve the general population, some residents have more diverse requirements that are best met through specialised housing options.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports specialised housing schemes located in line with the plan's growth strategy, provided four criteria are all met. The accommodation must meet an identified need and help maintain a balanced housing stock. It must relate well to its settlement, with easy access to services, public transport and healthcare so residents can live independently. The design must be capable of meeting residents' care and support needs, and robust management arrangements must be in place. Proposals that fail any criterion will not be supported.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full specialised housing policy and its evidence. It includes affordable housing rules for older persons' schemes: 37% for retirement or sheltered housing and 21% for extra care housing, both subject to viability, with none required from care and nursing homes. It describes the main types of older persons' housing, from age-restricted market homes through to nursing homes. The over-65 population is projected to grow 53% in Stratford-on-Avon and 43% in Warwick by 2050, creating a need for around 3,592 housing-with-support units, 1,361 housing-with-care units and 1,707 care bedspaces.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers the former Inov8 site on Tingewick Road, Buckingham, a brownfield site vacant for over a decade and owned by the University of Buckingham. It is allocated for up to 2.7 hectares of academic uses including an assumed 300 student accommodation units. If the university's needs are met elsewhere, the site would instead take an assumed 125 homes. No living accommodation is allowed in Flood Zone 3, and development must respect protected trees, the River Great Ouse and Buckingham's historic character.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation proposes an assumed 240 homes at Star Yard, one of the main car parks serving Chesham town centre. The 0.59 hectare site has the culverted River Chess running beneath it and sits within Flood Zone 2. Public parking must be kept on site or replaced nearby unless evidence shows less is needed, and pedestrian routes to the High Street retained. Because the site is near the Chilterns Beechwoods protected area, permission will not be granted until green space and visitor management mitigation is in place.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports Build to Rent housing, which is purpose-built rental housing kept under single ownership. Schemes must provide high quality homes that contribute to mixed and balanced communities, be under unified ownership and management with on-site management, and consist of self-contained homes let separately. A Section 106 legal agreement will secure the management and letting arrangements, covenants and any clawback if homes are sold early. Affordable homes must be provided as Affordable Private Rent at the levels set in Policy HO.3.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the Build to Rent policy. Build to Rent is purpose-built housing that is typically 100% rented out, usually with tenancies of three years or more and professional management. The affordable units must be Affordable Private Rent, discounted by at least 20% against local market rent including service charges, and kept under the same ownership and management as the market homes. The councils will avoid excessive concentrations of Build to Rent in one location, and the evidence supported broad backing for the tenure rather than setting a fixed target.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces self-build and custom-build housing, where individuals or groups take an active role in designing and building their own homes. Local planning authorities are required to keep a register of people and groups who wish to build their own homes, and to make sure enough self-build and custom-build plots are provided to meet that demand.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports self-build and custom-build housing through several routes. On large developments of 500 or more homes, 2% of dwellings must be provided as serviced self-build plots unless the councils' register shows lower demand, with plots offered at a range of costs, sizes and types and an average density of 25 homes per hectare. Standalone schemes are also supported within settlement boundaries, on suitable sites next to larger settlements outside the Green Belt or Cotswolds National Landscape, or adjoining settlements where a local community need is evidenced.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the detailed rules for self-build schemes. Plots should come in clusters of around 5 to 9, with Design Codes and Plot Passports setting the design rules for multi-plot sites. Plots must first be offered to people with a local connection through living, working or close family in South Warwickshire, with an exemption for current and recent armed forces members. Plots must be fully serviced and marketed at a fair, independently valued price for at least 12 months; unsold plots may then become open market homes. Guidance also covers phasing and Community Infrastructure Levy exemptions.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces homes in multiple occupancy and student accommodation. It explains that these forms of housing provide extra choice in the housing market but can create challenges for local standards of amenity. Management of this type of accommodation is therefore needed to reduce the problems that may arise.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets tests for student accommodation and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), homes shared by several separate residents. Proposals must offer safe living conditions and not significantly harm neighbours. HMOs must not exceed 10% of homes within a 100 metre radius, must be within a 400 metre walk of a bus stop with at least hourly peak services, and must not leave an ordinary home sandwiched between two HMOs or create a run of three or more. Screened bin storage is required. Exceptions apply on the University of Warwick and Warwickshire College campuses and some mixed-use main roads.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section presents the plan's approach to homes in multiple occupation and student accommodation. It notes these uses add housing choice but can affect local amenity, so management is needed. The policy requires safe living environments and protection of neighbours, caps HMOs at 10% of homes within a 100 metre radius, requires sites within a 400 metre walk of a bus stop with at least hourly peak services, and prevents layouts that sandwich an ordinary home between HMOs or create a frontage of three or more.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation supports an assumed 210 homes on 10.75 hectares southwest of Buckingham Road, Padbury. The site is split into two parcels separated by playing fields designated as Local Green Space. A comprehensive masterplan must be approved before any planning application is decided. Developers must show that vehicle access can reach all parts of the site, which is straightforward for the south-east parcel from the A413 but harder for the north-west parcel next to the Padbury Conservation Area and its listed buildings.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the embodied carbon policy. Embodied carbon covers the emissions from constructing, maintaining and demolishing a building, and makes up around 25% to 75% of a building's lifetime emissions. Materials such as cement, steel and bricks carry high embodied carbon, while timber, hemp and recycled materials are much lower. Full assessments are only required on the largest schemes because of their cost, and the targets already allow for the extra insulation and equipment net zero homes need. Reusing existing buildings is encouraged, since demolition wastes the carbon already invested in them.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the plan's approach to smaller housing sites, which are listed in Appendix K and allocated for residential or mixed development. National policy requires at least 10% of housing need to be met on sites of one hectare or less, and these allocations provide 4,410 homes on such sites. The sites allocated each deliver more than five homes and were assessed through the Council's land availability and sustainability work. All must contribute financially to infrastructure such as school and health capacity.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out Policy NZ.4 on improving the energy performance of existing buildings. Where planning permission is needed for conversions, extensions or changes of use, applicants should show they have considered energy efficiency. Major schemes (10 or more homes or 1,000 square metres of floorspace) should report percentage improvements using the Building Regulations calculation methods SAP, SBEM or HEM. Committing to EnerPHit certification or the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard earns extra weight in decisions, and low carbon heating must be explored before replacing gas systems.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains Policy NZ.5 on designing buildings to cope with a hotter climate. Major new developments must follow the cooling hierarchy, using passive measures first and active cooling such as air conditioning only as a last resort. Detailed overheating assessments using the industry methods CIBSE TM52 (non-residential) and TM59 (residential) are encouraged, ideally tested against projected 2050 or 2080 weather. The councils argue that the basic route through national Building Regulations Part O is not enough, partly because it does not cover workplaces, schools or leisure buildings.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation designates Westcott Enterprise Zone and Venture Park, a 268 hectare Strategic Employment Area expected to deliver approximately 65 hectares of employment land for research, industrial and distribution uses. Westcott is a nationally important centre for space, robotics, drones and advanced engineering, home to around ninety businesses. The policy takes a flexible approach, allowing supporting facilities and limited, time-restricted worker accommodation where needed for the site to function, but housing must stay subordinate to the employment role. Proposals must also improve sustainable travel links to Aylesbury, Bicester and the wider area.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains that the Development Management policies cover housing, employment, the natural and built environment, transport, infrastructure, community facilities and climate change. They set the standards, mitigation measures and design principles needed to make development sustainable and beneficial to communities. In line with national policy, they respond to local circumstances while staying consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework, and they will be applied in proportion to the scale and nature of each proposal.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out when a Health Impact Assessment is required with a planning application. The thresholds are residential schemes of 10 or more homes or 0.5 hectares, non-residential schemes of 1,000 square metres or 1 hectare, hot food takeaways within 400 metres of schools and places where young people gather, and betting shops. Developments causing significant harm to health, or the loss of educational, health, leisure or community facilities or public open space, will not be supported without mitigation. Local life expectancy slightly exceeds the England average.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new residential development, including conversions, to provide a mix of home types and sizes that meets current and future housing needs. The mix for market housing should broadly follow the Council's latest evidence, currently the Buckinghamshire Local Housing Needs Assessment 2026, along with any Neighbourhood Development Plan evidence. The mix can be negotiated where developers provide evidence about local market conditions, local character or physical constraints. The proportions are a guide rather than a fixed requirement, but any variation must be fully justified.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out Table 6, which shows the recommended mix of market and affordable housing by type. For market housing the guide is 15% one-bedroom homes, 14% flats with two or more bedrooms, 16% two-bedroom houses, 28% three-bedroom homes, 23% homes with four or more bedrooms and 4% specialist older person housing. For affordable housing the figures are 27%, 13%, 23%, 26%, 7%, 2% and 2% for supported housing.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires affordable housing on developments of 10 or more homes or sites of 0.5 hectares or more. The rate varies by area: a minimum of 40% in the South, East and West (brownfield sites in the West subject to viability evidence), and 25% in the North and Central areas, rising to 50% on land in or released from the Green Belt. The tenure mix should be at least 60% social rent, 20% affordable rent and 20% shared ownership. Affordable homes must be spread through a development, look indistinguishable from market homes, and normally be built on site.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets out when developers must prove their scheme's finances. Proposals that meet the affordable housing and infrastructure requirements will not face viability testing. Where a developer offers less than policy requires, they must submit a fully transparent, unredacted open book financial viability assessment, independently reviewed at the applicant's expense. If contributions are reduced, the Council will secure review mechanisms so that any later improvement in viability delivers extra affordable housing or infrastructure. The policy also guards against sites being split up to fall below the 10-home threshold.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires accessible homes on sites of 10 or more dwellings. On these sites, 25% of all homes must meet the Building Regulations M4(2) standard for accessible and adaptable dwellings, and a further 5% must meet the M4(3) wheelchair user standard, including 7% of affordable homes. Compliance should be shown in the Design and Access Statement. Figures are rounded down to the nearest home, so schemes below 20 homes will not need to provide M4(3) wheelchair-accessible dwellings.