Here are the biggest local planning stories from the past week.

New Housing Sites

Two sites around Warwick have been put into a final shortlist of possible new housing sites as the local councils look to plan where 30,000 new homes will be built in South Warwickshire.

Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils are set to move to the next stage of the new South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) which will oversee the next 25 years of development in the area.

After locals put forward some 736 potential new housing sites, the local authorities have now whittled these down to 36 potential spots - 12 of which could see new settlements created.

Immediately around Warwick, two housing sites to the west of the town have been included in the shortlist. They both border the A46, either side of the roundabout with Birmingham Road.

Read more here

School's Uncertainty

"Compromised" plans to build a new alternative provision school in Warwick are shrouded in uncertainty. 

An update for Warwickshire County Council's children & young people's overview & scrutiny committee this week revealed that Talenton Academy, a new free school for up to 60 secondary students in Warwick which was due to open in September 2025, will be at least a year behind schedule. 

The report said the county council – responsible for education in the area – is "awaiting notification on progress" from the Department for Education (DfE), the national body that is funding and delivering the project.

Read the full story here.

Play Area Plans

Councillors will next week discuss plans to renovate the play area at Warwick's Mill Gardens.

A report set to go before Warwick District Council's cabinet says the play area has some of the oldest equipment in the area and it needs replacing.

"We are seeking to improve the quality of its green spaces throughout Warwick district," the council's report said. 

Read more here.

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