Preferred Options agreed for Site Allocations Plan consultation

On Monday 5 October, Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet agreed the Preferred Options version of its Site Allocations Plan for public consultation.

The Site Allocations Plan is a Development Plan Document that will accompany the adopted Core Strategy. This version of the plan replaces the previous Proposed Submission version from July 2019. As well as a number of specific proposals, the Site Allocations Plan includes reserve housing sites, sites for Self-build and Custom-build Housing, and identifies built-up area boundaries.

Cllr Tony Jefferson, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council says: "We fully recognise the concerns expressed by local residents regarding the proposal at Meon Vale. Just to be clear, we are not making a decision about whether this site should be developed; we are simply asking the question whether this site should be developed for housing and if so, what that development might be like. We want to give residents across the District the opportunity to have their say.

"By being proactive about the difficult development challenges this District faces we can retain control of planning across the District. By including the Meon Valley site in the Site Allocations Plan (SAP), the results of the consultation could allow us to exercise greater design and layout controls with developers, in the event this site was to come forward as a planning application in the future. A decision as to whether to proceed with the site at Meon Vale or any other site proposed in the Site Allocations Plan will be taken next spring following another round of public consultation.

"The Cabinet supported the SAP for consideration at Full Council, as this would enable a public consultation to be progressed and could lead to obtaining the evidence required to exclude sites following this process.

"The District Council is fully in support of the Climate Emergency Agenda and our objective is always to retain as much woodland plantation areas throughout the district; however the only trees fully protected from any development are those designated by a tree preservation order (TPO)."

The Preferred Options version of the Site Allocations Plan will now go to Full Council on Monday 19 October for approval for public consultation.