(11)Introduction

1.1 This document sets out Warwick District Council's proposed Development Strategy and site allocations for the new Local Plan. It has been prepared as a basis for consultation to help inform a new Local Plan for Warwick District.

1.2 The Local Plan will help to shape the location and type of development that takes place within the District over the next 15 years. It is therefore important that it not only helps to deliver the Council's Vision for the District but that it is also strongly based on evidence and takes account of representations made by interested individuals and organisations. Finally, it also needs to take account of what our neighbours and partners are planning to do over the next 15 years to ensure we deliver a joined up approach across a range of services and across a wider geographical area than just Warwick District.

1.3 It is important to note that some work regarding the evidence base to support the final proposals for the Local Plan is ongoing. Although the proposals set out in this document are based on evidence we will ensure the final proposals are based on the most up to date evidence available at that time. In particular, Warwick District Council is working with other Councils in the Coventry and Warwickshire sub-region on a new Strategic Housing Market Assessment. This was required as a result of feedback to Coventry City Council by the Inspector appointed to review their Core Strategy. It is possible that this assessment will change the evidence which supports the level of growth set out in this Revised Development Strategy and this means at this stage, there remains a degree of uncertainty. However, the Council believes that the evidence base which underpins the Revised Development Strategy is robust and the housing growth requirements are unlikely to change substantially as a result of the new assessment.

1.4 This document does not cover the full range of topics that will be included in the Local Plan when it is complete and indeed does not cover all the topics that were included in the Preferred Options consultation that took place in 2012. The focus of this document and the consultation associated with it is on the main areas that have changed since the 2012 Preferred Options proposals. These focused changes predominantly concern the overall Development Strategy and the potential sites for development that could deliver this strategy. It is recognised that the Revised Development Strategy set out in this document could impact on issues that are outside the scope of this document. For this reason, we will take account of representations regarding other matters that are relevant to the Local Plan.