Warwick District Council has now received the Inspector’s findings regarding key aspects of the Local Plan. The Inspector’s letter raises some significant concerns with regard to the Local Plan, in particular, that there is an identified unmet housing need in Coventry and Warwickshire (at least 234 dwellings per annum), which we will be required to address (jointly with the other authorities in our Housing Market Area) before the Plan can proceed. The Inspector has stated that, regardless of whether we need to provide more houses to contribute towards the unmet need, the total supply of houses set out in the Plan is not sufficient to meet the district’s housing requirement. Therefore we need to be planning for more houses, not less, to meet our obligations.

The Inspector’s findings are likely to have far reaching implications for the progression of Warwick District’s Local Plan and for the work that needs to be carried out in the whole of Coventry and Warwickshire. The extent to which additional sites may need to be allocated in the district and the location of any sites is not known and will require further work and consultation in the coming months.

The council is currently giving further consideration to the Inspector’s letter and the significant implications it will have with regard to the progression of the Local Plan and the delivery of the funding, infrastructure and policy to support it. 

Councillor Andrew Mobbs Leader of Warwick District Council commented: ”I am extremely disappointed with the direction the inspector has given the council. We are committed to growing the economy and in turn providing housing to all existing and prospective residents. We wish to keep everyone informed of the way forward with the Local Plan and will issue further statements in due course.”

The council has sent a letter to the Secretary of State. 

Related links 

• New Local Plan