There's still time to have your say on the South Warwickshire Plan proposing 54,900 houses

The plans offer a blueprint for where thousands of homes could be built, as well as new schools and potential sites for employment.

The closing date for the consultation is Tuesday September 8.

Among the plans are two 4,000 ‘new towns’ near Hatton and the King’s Hill site between Kenilworth and Coventry.

‘There is no need for it to do this’

Mark Sullivan, technical secretary of The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Warwickshire, said: “We hope everyone, whatever your views on the details of the Plan, will call for the shortening of the life of the Local Plan by seven years to the normal 15 years.

“The Plan has very high housing numbers – 54,900 houses – because it is to run until 2050.

“There is no need for it to do this. Changing the Plan period to 15 years reduces the number to 39,500.

“8,000 houses can be cut from the numbers being imposed in Warwick District and 7,500 from Stratford District’s total.”

CPRE’s proposal that councillors shorten the Plan period to 2043 will allow them to cut out from the Stratford district the housing east of Southam and north of Wellesbourne, the

2,000-house plan in the Green Belt north of Henley in Arden, and 650 houses of the allocation at Bidford on Avon.

In the Warwick District, the Green Belt housing sites at Hatton Station (4,000 houses), land south of Kenilworth, and the Green Belt areas around Leamington at Old Milverton, Blackdown and east of Lillington can be cut out.

CPRE also says that the large Long Marston Airfield sprawl should be replaced by a smaller, more compact housing development on the former Long Marston Military Depot land, and the 4,000 houses proposed on the south west edge of Coventry in Burton Green Parish should be accommodated inside Coventry instead.

Mark added: “Of course 39,000 houses in south Warwickshire over 15 years is still far too high.

“It should be half that. We are proposing a way forward within the Labour government’s present harsh policy.

“If the next Election brings a change in government, then much bigger reductions may be possible.”

‘This Plan gives us the opportunity to plan positively for South Warwickshire's future’

The South Warwickshire Local Plan will guide where new homes, businesses, employment and infrastructure are located across the combined Stratford and Warwick District boundary areas up to 2050. Both councils have been working on the plan and said that they "aim to ensure that development is carefully planned and supported by the necessary infrastructure including roads, schools, health facilities and green spaces to meet the future needs of local communities".

Councillor Chris King, Warwick District Council's portfolio holder for planning and place said: "The South Warwickshire Local Plan is crucial to planning for the homes, jobs and infrastructure our communities need over the coming decades. Only with a robust and comprehensive plan in place can we shape and plan development, deliver better infrastructure, protect our environment and support sustainable communities in the best way for the future of our district."

Councillor George Cowcher, Stratford-on-Avon District Council's portfolio holder for planning and economic development, said: "This Plan gives us the opportunity to plan positively for South Warwickshire's future, delivering the homes our communities need while protecting and enhancing the green spaces and landscapes that make our area so special. By balancing housing growth with environmental stewardship and investment in infrastructure, we can create thriving, sustainable communities for generations to come.

For more information or to have your say go to: https://www.southwarwickshire.org.uk/swlp/