The already-delayed South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) looks set to be pushed back even further, a council report has revealed.

Councillors at Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Council will this week discuss a new timetable for the major planning document which will ultimately decide where some 35,000 houses are built in the south of the county.

Originally due to be finished in 2025, the SWLP had been delayed until the end of 2027.

But a report due to be discussed this week could see it pushed back until March 2028.

Council officers have blamed the further delays on several "head winds".

These include consultancies taking longer to complete work, delays due to the new national policy planning framework, "unprecedented" response levels to public consultations, and heavy workloads at key stakeholders.

"Whilst some delay has become inevitable due to the above headwinds, it is considered the steps are now in place to respond to these challenges and to move forward on progressing the plan," the report said. 

"Consultancies supporting the work are in place, their anticipated timelines are known and mechanisms for regular dialogue and progress with key consultees are also in place. 

"Furthermore, the Preferred Options [public consultation] representations have now all been summarised and published."

The next step of the SWLP will see a public consultation on a draft version of the plan. This was due to be published in December 2025 but could now be pushed until June next year.

A version for submission to the secretary of state could then be ready by December 2026 which is the government's deadline.

All being well, the plan would then be adopted in March 2028.

Ultimately, it will guide how the two districts are developed until 2050.

See the full report here.