Background

Where we are now: the South Warwickshire Local Plan

Last reviewed: June 2026

New to this? What is a Local Plan?

A Local Plan is a council's long-term blueprint for where new homes, jobs and infrastructure can go, and the rules used to decide planning applications. By law every council must keep one up to date. The South Warwickshire Local Plan is the new joint plan being prepared for this area. More on how planning works →

What is the South Warwickshire Local Plan?

Rather than write two separate plans, Warwick District Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council are preparing a single joint plan for the whole of South Warwickshire. It will guide where new homes, businesses and infrastructure go right up to 2050. The plan must provide for at least 54,925 homes over that period — an average of about 2,197 a year.^[1]

Does the plan have to find sites for all 54,925 homes?

No — and this is often misunderstood. The 54,925 figure is the total requirement to 2050. Much of it is already accounted for by homes that have planning permission, sites carried over from earlier plans, and “windfall” (small sites that come forward unexpectedly). The councils' May 2026 figures break down roughly as:

• Existing planning permissions (April 2025): ~9,970
• Allocations carried forward from previous plans: ~3,230
• Expected windfall development: ~5,460
• New capacity to be found through this plan: ~36,270

So the figure that really matters for brand-new sites like SG04 is about 36,300 homes, not the full 54,925.^[1]

Kenilworth sits within Warwick District, so the sites proposed around the town — including SG04 — form part of this plan. If you are new to how all this works, our guide to the planning process explains the stages and what “Regulation 19” means.

The story so far

• 2021 — Stage 1 Scoping and “Call for Sites” — the councils set the scope and landowners put forward land for consideration.^[2]
• 2023 — Stage 2 Issues and Options consultation — views sought on the big choices, narrowing the growth options.^[2]
• 10 January – 7 March 2025 — Stage 3 Preferred Options (Regulation 18) consultation — the councils set out the sites and approach they were minded to take, and asked for views.^[2]
• Early 2026 The councils published a summary of the thousands of consultation responses they received.
• Summer 2026 — Stage 4 The Publication (Regulation 19) consultation — the final public stage before submission — was due to open, but was delayed (see below).^[3]
• End of 2026 — Stage 5 The councils have said they still aim to submit the plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination around the end of the year.^[3]

The June 2026 delay

The Regulation 19 consultation had been expected to run over the summer of 2026. In late May the councils' joint committee recommended holding back the start so that more work could be done — on matters such as viability, affordable housing, public transport and active travel, and reviewing weaker sites. Warwick District Council agreed a short delay on 1 June 2026, and a revised timetable was promised but, as of June 2026, had not yet been published.^[3]

The important point for residents is that the plan is not finished and nothing is set in stone. Sites can still be changed, reduced or removed before the plan is finalised.

What happens next

When the Regulation 19 (Publication) consultation does open, it will be the key moment to make formal objections that the independent inspector will later read. After that the plan is submitted for examination, and only then — if it passes — adopted.

We will update this page as the councils confirm new dates. In the meantime, signing the petition helps show the strength of local feeling, and the next page explains why SG04 in particular is the wrong place for 750 homes.