A Green Party proposal to protect the Green belt in south Warwickshire by dramatically reducing the number of housing sites that would need to be put forward for developers was rejected by the joint cabinet of Warwick and Stratford District Councillors. Speakers from Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour did not support the plan.
The proposal would have shortened the length of the Local Plan – the document which allocates where houses will be built- from 2050 to 2042. The government says how many houses must be built each year, but Councils can decide where they should go.
Green Party group leader Councillor Ian Davison, who proposed the 2042 end date, said:
“Going to 2050 means about DOUBLE the houses will be allocated on new developments. That means twice as much new green belt or other green field land will be scheduled for concreting over.
We probably all agree that house prices locally are too high, preventing many residents from buying their own homes. This means building smaller, genuinely affordable homes is vital. However, fundamentally, to maximise their profit, developers build houses at the rate that they can sell without house prices falling.
This proposed additional recommendation does not change the number of homes allocated per year. What it would do is stop this being locked in for the next 25 years, regardless of change of circumstance. So, yes, I am assuming that before 2042, sanity will prevail, and we will have proper solutions to solve the housing crisis!”
Green Party Councillor, Lowell Williams voted to support Councillor Davison’s proposal and later added:
“Government dictate to us that we must build thousands of new houses – some of which we need and some we don’t. However, it is vital that residents have a real democratic say in the parts that the Councils can change – the length of the plan and which sites are put forward.”
Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem representatives spoke in favour of the 2050 end date, and the Green Party proposal was voted down four votes to two.
Stratford and Warwick District’s ‘preferred options’ consultation will be available for residents to input into from 10 January to 7 March 2025 Kenilworth Town Council are hosting a town meeting on Wednesday 8th January 2025 at 7pm at St. Francis’ Church and there are likely to be other town and parish meetings to discuss the plan.
More information available at https://www.southwarwickshire.org.uk/doc/213177/name/Topic%20Paper%20The%20SWLP%20Emerging%20Spatial%20Growth%20Strategy%20as%20at%20Preferred%20Optionsv2.pdf