The leader of Warwick District Council has warned of "considerable challenges" in submitting the South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) before government changes kick in.

Cllr Ian Davison cited a scramble between councils for the services of external experts and similar pressures within Warwickshire County Council's highways department as potential barriers to getting the submission in on time.

The new plan is being put together by Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon district councils to lay out where new housing and employment land should go right through to 2050.

It has been in the making since 2021 but the change of government last year saw large numbers added to the volume of homes required in a bid to tackle housing shortages with a particular onus on towns surrounded by rural areas.

There are also reforms to plan making, aiming to make the creation of local plan faster, more focused and easier for the public to access and understand. 

Areas like Warwick and Stratford – who are merging their planning areas through the SWLP – that have plans in process can continue under the old system but must submit proposals to the secretary of state ready examination by a national inspector by the end of 2026 to qualify. 

The current timetable published on the SWLP website states that is due to happen in September 2026 but Cllr Davison revealed how information given to elected officials this week had cast doubt over that.

"Those of you at yesterday's (Tuesday's) briefing will know there are considerable challenges in submitting the local plan before the government's deadline of December 2026," he said.

"If this deadline is missed, we need to follow the new process which would be likely to lead to further delays. 

"A key issue is that many other local councils are in a similar position, so too many councils are chasing too few expert consultants to provide crucial information. 

"Similarly, it may be challenging for Warwickshire County Council's highways department to complete transport modelling in a timely manner."

Cllr Phil Kohler was particularly concerned about the county element and asked: "Are you trying to break to us very gently that the local plan submission may not have a complete set of transport modelling to accompany it?"

Cllr Davison replied: "I hope I am not saying that. I am saying it is a high risk rating as I see it, and it is a crucial part of the work we do. 

"We are working really hard to ensure it is done in time… obviously there are lots of steps and lots of negotiations and we can't go through all of that now, it is (a case of) working hard to avert the issues you are raising."

He invited chief executive Chris Elliott to address the matter who said that talks had been held on what can be done "to reduce the risk" but stressed that the priority was to work towards a plan that will pass muster.

"As a forewarning, every process of simplification has only ever made planning more complex in my view," he said.

"Notwithstanding that, we need to look at what we need to do in order to make sure we have a robust local plan. You could do your local plan now but it needs to be worth the paper it is written on.

"Hitting a target isn't the only thing, you need to make sure what the document says, the policies and the evidence in support of it, are robust. If they are not, it is pointless, you are wasting money.

"Both councils need to make sure we have all of that right while also looking at whether there are some practical things that we maybe could do a little bit differently.

"As a chief executive, I am also saying that if there is a problem in the overall system, escalate it to me and I will go and sort it, try to clear that blockage, so we can get the resource, time and information to be able to put together a plan for members to consider."