Preferred Options
(36)2. Our Vision for the District
2.1 The Council’s vision for Warwick District (which we share with our partners), as set out in the Sustainable Community Strategy, is “to make Warwick District a Great Place to Live, Work and Visit”.
2.2 The Council and its partners are trying to deliver this vision together through the Sustainable Community Strategy. This sets out our approach to 4 key priorities and included in all these priorities is our approach to 5 cross cutting themes:
Sustainable Community Strategy Key Priorities:
- Safer Communities
- Health and Well Being
- Housing
- Economy, Skills and Employment
Cross Cutting Themes:
- Narrowing the Gaps
- Embedding sustainability throughout
- Families at risk
- Engaging and strengthening communities
- Rurality
2.3 The Sustainable Community Strategy is central to improving quality of life in the District across all these themes. It is supported by a of series of Delivery Plans and Locality Plans which set out the approach to improving specific areas of the District.
2.4 The Local Plan is a key element in the delivery of the Sustainable Community Strategy. The Preferred Options for the Local Plan have therefore been aligned with the Strategy to ensure it will address these key priorities and cross cutting themes.
2.5 Strategy for the Future and Sustainable Prosperity of Warwick District: To deliver its vision, the Council has agreed some key principles for the development of the Local Plan. These include:
Economy:
- Facilitating the growth and development of the local economy to support a dynamic, flexible, low carbon mixed economy
- An agreement to pursue the potential for a sub-regional employment site at the Gateway
- The need to provide new employment land in and around the District’s main towns to meet local needs and encourage the creation of jobs.
- A commitment to maintain and promote thriving town centres
- A commitment to maintain the current strengths in the District’s economy
- Promoting the regeneration of the more socially and environmentally deprived areas and supporting the rural economy
Providing for growth and changes within population:
- Meeting the housing need of the existing and future population of the District, including identifying land for around 550 new homes per annum on new allocated sites
- Providing for diversity, including affordable homes, homes for the elderly and vulnerable, sites for gypsies and travellers and other specialised needs
- Providing for neighbourhoods that are well designed, distinctive and based on the principles of sustainable garden towns, suburbs and villages
- Providing for homes and neighbourhood designs that are sustainable, low cost and carbon efficient
Environment:
- Distributing development across the District
- Avoiding coalescence
- Ensuring new development is based on the principles of Sustainable Garden Towns, Suburbs and Villages
- Protecting biodiversity, high quality landscapes, heritage assets and other areas of significance
Emphasis on infrastructure
- Developing an effective and sustainable transport package
- Ensuring parks, open spaces, the countryside and areas of importance for wildlife and informal recreation are maintained and improved
- Ensuring education is provided for in major new developments
- Ensuring community activities, health services and other key services are provided for in new developments
- Develop sustainable communities with strong local centres and/or community hubs