We have to deliver on new homes....or face worse

May 2026

In its quest to build 1.5 million new homes, the government has turned the planning system upside down and has insisted on doubling the number of houses expected to be built in the district by 2050. If the District Council does not comply before the end of this year, the District Council will be required to switch to a new much less sympathetic Plan.

Not only this, but the Government is proposing to weaken the power of decision-making by local councillors and local planning committees. This will make the system less democratic, with reduced opportunities for communities to voice their local concerns.

The new draft rules are much weaker on ensuring that new-build housing is more energy efficient. The priority appears to be for permissions to build with insufficient safeguards on quality or long-term sustainability. Safeguarding against flood risk is also weakened.

Back in November 2024, Warwick and Stratford District Councils named 24 ‘strategic growth’ locations along with 12 much larger ‘new settlements’ across both council areas that would be further evaluated by the planners.

All these sites have been evaluated on technical aspects such as flooding and drainage, ecology, environment, topography, accessibility, traffic and transport as well as likely ‘deliverability’. Now a decision must be made on the final locations for the new homes planned for Stratford-on-Avon District over the next 25 years. Once agreed, these will be submitted to the National Planning Inspectorate for Examination.

Stratford and Warwick District Councils must agree a Plan even though it delivers a huge number of new homes. If they do not comply before the end of this year, the Councils will have to start again under new rules which will impose a much less sympathetic Plan on South Warwickshire.

We can’t simply say No. Without a Plan, developers can appeal against the District Council decisions if it refuses planning permission.  In 2012 – 14 the lack of a Plan cost SDC approximately £2.2m in legal and appeal costs. Planning by appeals risks schools, GP surgeries and other essential services not being adequately provided.

We need the certainty and control that a Local Plan will provide for the next 25 years.  Planning should ensure that the “right development happens in the right place at the right time, benefitting communities and the economy. It plays a critical role in identifying what development is needed and where, what areas need to be protected or enhanced and in assessing whether proposed development is suitable” (Plain English Guide to the planning system – Gov.UK).

It should do so by keeping planning local, by providing genuinely affordable housing that will allow younger people to live where they grew up and ensuring that there will be new schools, medical facilities, transport links and community centres. Green spaces and play areas, so valued by local people, must be protected.

Development must be what is needed locally, not what will make the most money for the industry. When the South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) is unveiled over the next few weeks, it may not be popular, but the possible alternatives would be far, far worse.

With a new South Warwickshire Local Plan in place, the extent of new housing and its location will be clearly defined and controlled for the next 25 years with a clear plan of what is required to make good communities which people can call their home.