Mystery surrounds national reports of Stratford homes expansion

NATIONAL coverage of the government’s drive to have work on 12 new towns under way by the next election put Stratford in the frame.

With the debate raging about the preferred sites for new settlements identified in the current South Warwickshire Local Plan process, the suggestion any of them could make the prime minister’s wishlist for 2029 sparked further concern.

At present, land at Long Marston Airfield and also at Bearley/Wilmcote are preferred sites within Stratford district but with anticipated start dates of after 2032 and 2037 respectively.

So there was uncertainty when an article in the Guardian on Friday – then picked up by others – spoke of Sir Keir Starmer’s ambitions for new communities in the wake of a well-publicised visit with his deputy Angela Rayner and King Charles earlier that week to a development in Cornwall, built in line with the monarch’s views on architecture and planning. The newspaper’s report claimed more than 100 proposals for new settlements in England had been put forward by councils under the PM’s plans.

Having added that, “Most of the 12 new towns are not likely to be stand-alone but extensions to existing big settlements”, it went on to say, “Planning experts have previously identified Norwich, Reading and Stratford-upon-Avon as possible locations for extensions”.

The Herald invited Stratford District Council to respond to the various points.

A spokesperson said: “Planning have confirmed that SDC has not submitted a proposal to the government. However, given that Long Marston Airfield (LMA) is one of the government’s existing garden villages, the district council did provide an update to the taskforce on 20th November in respect of the LMA in the context of the importance of and challenges around delivering the South Western Relief Road.

“We don’t know who the planning experts referred to are – but Long Marston and Long Marston Airfield have been promoted as an eco town and garden village respectively and the latter has been formally designated as such and we continue to work with the government to deliver the garden village.

“The wider Long Marston Airfield area features in our South Warwickshire Local Plan preferred options consultation.”