Stratford District Council's Core Strategy consultation update

Stratford-on-Avon District Council's latest Core Strategy consultation closed last Friday, 14 March at 5pm.

There has been a substantial response to this round of the consultation process, with over 3,000 responses received.  All the representations will be analysed and a report will be prepared for consideration by the District Council in due course. 

The vast majority of responses focus on the options previously promoted to the District Council and set out in the consultation itself – Lighthorne Health/Gaydon, Long Marston Airfield, South East Stratford, Southam Noth/Stoneythorpe and further dispersal. 

However, a limited number of respondents have taken the opportunity to promote alternative sites.  Amongst these, the largest by far is the option to promote a mixed use development on the airfield site at Wellesbourne (up to 1,600 houses).  Other large-scale alternatives include up to 750 dwellings at Lower Clopton, Stratford-upon-Avon and up to 675 dwellings adjacent to the Dallas Burston Polo Grounds at Stoneythorpe, west of Southam.

Whilst the District Council will carefully look at the new sites that have been put forward, it is mindful of the importance of its Core Strategy being adopted as soon as possible. 

Cllr Chris Saint, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council says: “We are aware of new sites that have come forward as part of this consultation process that will be considered by the Planning Policy team.  However in the meantime we will push ahead with our published timetable."

Any new site would have to be so demonstrably better than anything else previously considered that it would be unreasonable to ignore it, despite its belated submission. It is too early to judge whether any of the new options are of this nature.

At the independent examination stage the District Council will have to demonstrate that it has made a reasonable choice having considered a range of strategic housing options.