As in previous years, 2024 has seen a huge number of planning stories across Warwick.

The Punch Bowl, new housing estates and the A46 have all featured heavily on the Warwick Nub News website over the past 12 months.

We have taken a look back at some of the most significant planning stories from the last 12 months.

£3.7m Roadworks

£3.7 million has been ring-fenced to help fund the major works on the roundabout of the Europa Way, Gallows Hill, Harbury Lane and Heathcote Lane. 

Warwickshire County Council said the works are needed to help the road cope with increased traffic expected from the 900 new houses, primary school, community centre and 500 vehicle park & ride being built there.

The works will start "over the next few years".

The scheme, to be overseen by Warwickshire County Council, will see the carriageway widened to introduce a dual lane exit onto Europa Way North and a third lane will be constructed on the south side of the roundabout. 

A46

Works around the A46 Stoneleigh Junction works have dominated the news agenda in 2024. 

Nub News has reported extensively on the delays and rising costs for the £38 million redevelopment project which will eventually see a new bridge and roundabout built.

The 'bridge to nowhere' was installed over the junction in 2023 and is still yet to be connected with the local authority continuing to blame supply issues.

The 'bridge to nowhere' was installed at Stoneleigh in early 2023 (image via WCC)

But no end date for the project has yet been announced.

And with HS2 due to close the road initially for two weekends and then for three weeks to install its new bridge, it is unclear how the Stoneleigh Junction works will impact that project.

Local councils have also been grilled on how they will help limit disruption to locals during the closures.

Barford Homes

Residents have continued to object to plans to build a new housing estate in Barford, despite the developer reducing the number of proposed homes.

Kendrick Homes has been accused of trying to "ruin" the village with its scheme for the land along Westham Lane.

Over 50 objections had been submitted to plans to repurpose the grassland site for 35 homes, with questions over parking, the need for more houses and overdevelopment all raised.

Kendrick has since reduced the number of proposed houses to 33, 13 of which will be designated as affordable housing.

Kendrick Homes now wants to build 33 new houses along Westham Lane (image via planning application)

Traveller Site

A public inquiry into a traveller camp on the outskirts of Warwick has been cancelled, after an appeal against the council's enforcement notice was closed down.

Warwick District Council served an enforcement notice to stop work on the Henley Road site in May, after work to build a new campsite started over the bank holiday weekend.

This was followed up by a longer term stop notice to prevent any more construction.

The landowners then decided to appeal the decision to the planning inspectorate, with the case due to go before a public inquiry in December.

But with a part-retrospective planning application for a new campsite at the Henley Road plot yet to be decided, the inquiry has now been cancelled.

McDonald's Opening Times

Wary councillors have approved 24-hour opening at a McDonald's in Warwick – but only for an initial 12-month period. 

Operators of the restaurant on Emscote Road, Warwick, applied to Warwick District Council to lift planning conditions that restricted opening to 6am until 11pm each day to prevent overnight nuisance. 

Nearby residents questioned what had changed since but in assessing the decision during a meeting of the district's planning committee it was revealed that the advice of the professionals at the council had never altered. 

The owner of the business, Dawood Ibtehsam, had defended the application saying the fast food outlet would only be available for drive-thru and delivery from midnight to 5am.

He told Nub News: ​​"We understand why there are concerns at our application to amend our opening hours.

"But while we are applying for a 24-hour license, we are doing so to meet what we have identified as a demand not just from people wanting to grab something to eat late at night, but for the many people who work anti-social hours and rely on us for something to eat at the end of a gruelling shift, or some fuel before they start a busy day early in the morning.

"We regularly have emergency services workers, care workers, and shift workers waiting for us to open our doors at 6am so they can have a cup of coffee or some food - a change to our license would mean that we could open our doors at 5am, and also that we can provide delivery and drive-thru services throughout the night."

Castle's Jousting Victory

Neighbours lost their battle this November to stop Merlin Entertainment continuing to run jousting shows at Warwick Castle.

Residents along Bridge End and Archery Fields had objected to the application to extend the use of the jousting arena, saying the daily shows were ruining their quality of life.

But councillors at Warwick District Council still decided to approve the application.

The castle now has permission to run the summer events until September 2029.

Neighbours say noise from Warwick Castle has been growing over the years (image via White Tiger PR)

Punch Bowl

The ongoing planning saga around a closed Warwick pub has continued into 2024 with yet another application submitted.

The latest scheme for the Punch Bowl - which once again drew significant amounts of objections - was due to be discussed in October, but the application was withdrawn from a council agenda at the last minute.

A council report had recommended the new plans be approved, but a new date for when it will be considered is yet to be approved.

Secret Properties had already seen a previous application to repurpose the building refused, and also failed to let out the venue.

The owner says converting the grade II listed pub to a house remains the only viable option - despite its previous application being refused permission by the council.

South Warwickshire Local Plan 

As in previous years the new South Warwickshire Local Plan has been much debated in 2024. 

Alongside a number of projects included in this list, the major planning document has already been delayed significantly and members of the public are once again due to have their say on the next stage of the project.

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)

Shortlisted development sites for the new South Warwickshire Local Plan (image via SWLP)

Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils have whittled down a huge number of potential development sites to a shortlist of 36 areas. These include 12 potential new settlements and three plots specifically around Kenilworth.

Residents in Hatton in particular have been very vocal in their opposition to more development as a local landowner looks to promote a huge parcel of land for thousands of new houses.