Core Strategy and Local Development Scheme update

Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet has today, Monday 13 January, been looking at a report updating the committee on the work associated with the Core Strategy document that will shape future development in the District.

The report covered a review of the Local Development Scheme, new information about the plan period and the housing requirement and an update on the strategic development options.

The Cabinet has resolved that further consultation will take place on:

• The Core Strategy being prepared to cover a plan period running from 2011-2031
• The District housing requirement for the revised plan period being 10,800
• The preferred option to accommodate the higher level of housing provision being chosen from the following strategic development sites rather than favouring further general dispersal:
  
  
• South East Stratford
  up to 2,750 homes and 8ha of employment land generally between Banbury Road and Tiddington Road
  
  
• Long Marston Airfield
  up to 3,500 homes and 13ha of employment land west of the B4632 Camden Road
  
  
• Southam North
  up to 2,000 homes adjacent to the A423 between Southam and Long Itchington
  
  
• Lower Farm, Stoneythorpe
  up to 800 homes on the south side of the A425 west of Southam.
  
  
• Gaydon/Lighthorne Health
  up to 3,000 homes and 100ha of employment land to facilitate the expansion of JLR

Cllr Chris Saint, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council says: “There have been a number of changes in the last few months giving rise to the report that was considered today.  The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has provided new advice to all Councils about calculating the housing requirement and we have taken that as an instruction to consider afresh the Core Strategy targets.  The Council has listened to and taken positive account of the requirements of major local businesses that provide our people with jobs and as a result is proposing to increase the supply of new employment land.

“Having taken informal pre-submission advice from the Planning Inspectorate, we are refreshing some of the evidence that will underpin the strategy and considering further the key strategic options available to us.  I am advised that the potential changes to the Core Strategy are sufficiently significant to warrant a further six week public consultation.  We will assess the responses to this consultation alongside our updated evidence base in April with a view to presenting our proposed submission document for Council approval in May.

“Compiling such an important document as the Core Strategy, and as a resulting setting out proposals that balance the need for economic growth and housing provision with the wish to protect and enhance the environment, is a mammoth task and is more a marathon than a sprint.  It's vitally important we get this right for the future of the District.

“We are taking the responsible line of proper and thorough preparation leading to publication of the submission draft in May and its formal submission to the Planning Inspectorate in September.  This is designed to maximise the chances of getting an early declaration of soundness by the Planning Inspectorate - a necessary pre-requisite for plan adoption.  In the meantime our current adopted policy framework as approved in 2006 continues to be given due weight and I am working with officers to ensure we use this to prevent a glut of unsustainable housing in the District."