Site Allocations Plan for Stratford-on-Avon District published

Stratford-on-Avon District Council has published its Site Allocations Plan due for consideration at The Cabinet on Monday 15 July 2019 - Site Allocations Plan Report

A Site Allocations Plan (SAP) is a key document that identifies a number of development proposals for employment, retail and housing to ensure that enough land is available in appropriate locations to meet the agreed growth targets set out in the Core Strategy. It includes Reserve Housing Sites designed to provide land in circumstances where sites already allocated in the Core Strategy do not come forward.

The Plan is made up of different elements:

• Employment Exception Site Policy
• Specific proposals
• Self-build and custom build sites
• Built-up area boundaries
• Reserve Housing sites

If approved the plan will be subject to a 6-week consultation starting in August.

Cllr Daren Pemberton, Deputy Leader, says: "As a District Council we are obliged to do this piece of work, which needs a measured approach in line with the Core Strategy framework.

"Identifying reserve housing sites is critical to having a robust core strategy and underpins the allocated sites already identified. If those allocated sites are not delivered our five-year housing land supply is threatened, potentially allowing speculative sites to come into play. The Site Allocations Plan puts an additional protection level in by identifying a range of sites rather than allow for a developer led approach in those circumstances.

"The reserve sites are just exactly that; there if they are needed and, as it stands, we have a robust five-year housing land supply and a pipeline of allocated sites that mean there is no need for these sites to be considered. The SAP is another tool that keeps the District Council in control of the future management of housing development across the district.

"As well as reserve housing sites, the Site Allocations Plan is also an opportunity to include a number of proposals that have emerged since the Core Strategy was adopted including identifying the Quinton Rail Technology Centre - the UK's only independent full loop test track in the UK and home to Rail Live event - to be promoted as the home of advanced rail transport technology development in the UK."

See Cllr Daren Pemberton on video talking about the Site Allocations Plan.