Cubbington Neighbourhood Development Plan - Regulation 16 Submission

4.0 Planning Policy Context

Introduction

4.1 Neighbourhood Development Plans must be consistent with national planning policies and advice; and be in general conformity with the strategic planning policies for the area. It is therefore important that as the CNDP is prepared, that its emerging draft policies reflect this higher-level planning framework.

National planning policy and guidance

4.2 National planning policy is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)² published in revised form in December 2023. This sets out in paragraphs 7 and 8 that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, and that the planning system performs an economic role, a social role and an environmental role.

4.3 The benefit of neighbourhood planning is set out in paragraph 29 of NPPF:

"Neighbourhood planning gives communities the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan. Neighbourhood plans should not promote less development than set out in the strategic policies for the area or undermine those strategic policies¹⁶.

Footnote 16: Neighbourhood plans must be in general conformity with the strategic policies contained in any development plan that covers their area.”

Warwick District Local Plan (adopted September 2017)

4.4 The Warwick District Local Plan WDLP seeks to achieve a Vision "to make Warwick District a Great Place to Live, Work and Visit". The WDLP will achieve this by focussing on 3 strategic priorities:

1. Supporting Prosperity
2. Providing the homes the district needs
3. Supporting sustainable communities

Figure 11 Warwick District Local Plan - Cubbington extract

4.5 In the Local Plan's development strategy Cubbington is identified as a growth village in accordance with Policy H1. Policy DS6 Level of Housing Growth a district target for a minimum of 16,776 new homes between 2011 and 2029. This is to be focussed on the main urban areas but with sites within Growth Villages and the rural area providing for a minimum target of 968 new homes. Policy DS11 identifies the allocated sites – this includes 2 sites in Cubbington (Figure 11):

• H25 Cubbington – Allotment land, Rugby Road, 35 homes
• H26 Cubbington – Opposite Willow Sheet Meadow, 85 homes
• Waverley Riding School, Coventry Road. 13 homes

4.6 Policy DS18 of the WDLP sets out that the District will maintain Green Belt boundaries.

Emerging Planning Policy: South Warwickshire Local Plan

4.7 Warwick District Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council are working together to prepare a new Local Plan for South Warwickshire. The Plan is [expected to replace the strategic policies of the existing WDLP and Stratford-on-Avon Core Strategy. The South Warwickshire Local Plan will set out a long-term spatial strategy for housing, jobs, infrastructure and climate change for both Districts.

4.8 The South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) is an emerging plan. A draft Neighbourhood Plan is not tested against the policies in an emerging Local Plan, National Planning Practice Guidance advises that the reasoning and evidence informing the Local Plan process may be relevant to the consideration of the basic conditions against which a neighbourhood plan is tested.

4.9 Further information on the SWLP can be found at the dedicated website for the South Warwickshire Local Plan. So far work has been undertaken on a Scoping and Call for Sites Consultation that closed in June 2021. This has been followed by a consultation on Issues and Options. Cubbington could be affected by all 5 of the Growth Options being considered:

• Option1 – Rail corridors
  Option 1 is brought forward from the Scoping Consultation. This focusses growth in rail corridors, particularly around existing railway stations, but also anticipating the possibility of new or re-opened stations on existing lines, or re-opening closed lines. Focussing housing and employment growth around railway stations can contribute to sustainable development, by giving residents and employees sustainable travel options, reducing dependence on road transport.
• Option 2 – Sustainable Travel
  Option 2 is a hybrid of the rail corridor and main bus corridor options presented in the Scoping Consultation. It aims to build on the strengths of Option 1, while recognising that in many parts of South Warwickshire, bus travel is the only viable public transport option. Utilising the main bus corridors relieves some of the pressure on Green Belt land, shifting the balance of growth away from the North and West of the South Warwickshire area.
• Option 3 – Economy
  Option 3 is a hybrid of the socio-economic and enterprise hubs growth options presented in the Scoping Consultation. This option aims to locate homes close to existing jobs and potential new job locations; and to tackle socio-economic disadvantage through the benefits development can bring. These benefits could be in the form of Developer Contributions towards infrastructure, and providing affordable housing.
• Option 4 – Sustainable Travel and Economy
  Option 4 is a hybrid of options 2 and 3. It aims to take the best aspects of each, to address the main aims of each individual option. The broader focus of this option allows the selection of the most suitable locations that fall within each individual option, while avoiding many of the 'second choice' locations that inevitably arise when working within a highly constrained growth option.
• Option 5 – Dispersed
  Option 5 is brought forward from the Scoping Consultation. Dispersal of growth to a wider range of locations can mean that the amount of growth in individual settlements is reduced, but with a higher number of settlements taking some growth.

• Site 97 Glebe Farm, Offchurch Road, Cubbington, CV32 7UB
• Site 176 Land east of Coventry Road, Cubbington
• Site 191 Land at Bungalow Farm, Cubbington, Offchurch Road, Cubbington, CV32 7UB
• Site 198 Land adjacent Hazelwood, Rugby Road, Cubbington
• Site 202 Land east of Cubbington, Rugby Road, Cubbington, CV32 7JL
• There is also land adjacent to Leicester Lane adjoining Blackdown indicated.
• All 6 sites are currently in the Green Belt. Green Belt boundaries should only be changed in exceptional circumstances. The sites can be viewed on the SWLP interactive map.

Figure 12 Housing Sites put forward as part of SWLP consultation

4.11 For details on the previous history of these site suggestions see Appendix 3 of the CNDP.

² https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2