The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy commits the plan to providing at least 225 hectares of strategic and 321 hectares of non-strategic employment land up to 2050. Strategic allocations plus existing commitments give a total supply of 278 hectares, 53 hectares above the identified need. Non-strategic supply totals 345.6 hectares against a need of 321.1 hectares, split between Stratford-on-Avon (199.9 hectares needed) and Warwick (121.2 hectares needed).
OpenConsult / South Warwickshire Plan Explorer
Site allocations
The specific sites the plan proposes to allocate for development, and what each allocation requires.
97 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the Strategic Site Principles part of the plan. It lists the strategic objectives these policies support, from timely infrastructure and homes for all communities to heritage, health and environmental net gain. It explains that Policy DS.4 will set the key principles that the Strategic Growth Locations identified in Policy DS.2 must follow, to ensure timely delivery and a coordinated approach to creating new communities.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets the core principles for New Settlements and Strategic Growth Locations, where most new development to 2050 will be built. The housing numbers in the plan are minimums and can be exceeded where good planning outcomes are secured, for example through higher densities. Sites must respond positively to their setting through a landscape-led approach, show high-quality design that respects key views, landscape and heritage, and achieve densities that use land efficiently while respecting local character.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the Local Growth Locations policies, which allocate smaller sites to meet local needs by 2050. Policy DS.5 covers employment, Policy DS.6 covers mixed-use, leisure, community and town centre sites, and Policy DS.7 covers housing. The allocations include new sites chosen through the plan's spatial strategy as well as sites carried over from previous local and neighbourhood plans. A consolidated list of allocations by settlement appears in Appendix 2.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section repeats the table of new employment allocations under Policy DS.5. It covers 11 hectares at Bidford-on-Avon East and North for industrial, storage and office uses, 3.3 hectares at Henley Golf Club, Henley-in-Arden for a research and innovation campus, and 3 hectares at Paradise, Lighthorne Heath reserved for the expansion of Aston Martin Lagonda. Each site must fit with the wider masterplan for its settlement and follow the requirements of the related site proposals.
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 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 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 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 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 the predominantly residential areas within the town centres of Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick, as defined on the Policies Map. Within these areas, a change of use from residential to non-residential will only be permitted where the proposed use maintains the residential character of the area. It sits alongside the wider town centre policies that encourage people to live in and around town centres.
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.