Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet endorses action plan to boost housing land supply

Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet has today, Monday 6 October, endorsed a comprehensive Action Plan aimed at restoring a five-year housing land supply and regaining effective control of local development.  

The decision follows a recent planning appeal which concluded that the District Council could only demonstrate 2.74 years of deliverable housing land, below the five-year requirement set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

This shortfall has triggered the 'presumption in favour of sustainable development,' increasing the likelihood of speculative applications and reducing the District Council's ability to refuse developments outside designated areas.

Key measures approved include:

• Development of an Interim Policy Statement to guide planning decisions under the tilted balance and clarify which policies remain up to date.
  
  
• Identification and promotion of new housing sites, including:
  • Neighbourhood Development Plan allocations
  • Draft Site Allocations Plan sites
  • Emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) sites
  • Urban capacity and potential 'Grey Belt' sites
    
    
• Acceleration of planning processes, including:
  • Short-dated consents
  • Streamlined Section 106 agreements
  • Delivery statements with applications
  • Measures to unlock stalled developments.
    
    
• Changes to supply assumptions, such as windfall site allowances and inclusion of certain non-C3 residential uses.

Councillor George Cowcher, Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder, said: "Fundamentally, we have had the rug pulled from under us with a change in Government policy. However, we are not the only Council in this position, at least 60% of other Councils are in a similar position to us.

"This is a proactive and necessary step to ensure we meet our housing obligations while maintaining control over how and where development takes place. The measures outlined will help us respond to immediate pressures and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth.

"Even though maintaining a five-year housing land supply is our responsibility, it's important to recognise that we have limited control over it. Nevertheless, as the Local Planning Authority, we remain committed to meeting our development needs. We will continue working closely with infrastructure providers to ensure a coordinated approach, and we expect sites to deliver the infrastructure they require.

"The sooner we restore our five-year supply, the sooner we can return to a plan-led approach through the SWLP and regain control over how our communities grow."  

The District Council estimates that the proposed measures could contribute between 2,580 and 3,173 homes toward the identified shortfall of 3,500 - 4,000 homes.  

The Action Plan is expected to restore the five-year supply by summer 2027, subject to successful implementation and resource allocation.