28th July Meeting – report

Warton Residents Association met on 28 July 2026 to discuss the Draft Local Plan, the Church Road and Austrey Road developments, speeding and road safety, Neighbourhood watch, local government reorganisation, and a range of topics from around the village.

Although there are no new planning applications to debate immediately, there is plenty happening. The most urgent issue is the new North Warwickshire Local Plan consultation, which closes on 19 August.

The Local Plan: errors, inconsistencies and more housing

The draft Local Plan proposes two housing allocations in Warton:

• H26: land south of Warton Recreation Ground, where outline permission has already been granted for up to 110 homes.
• H27: land behind 59–83 Austrey Road, allocated for at least 69 homes.

The document contains some significant inconsistencies. The main allocations table lists H26 as 100 homes, while the detailed policy says 110. The current Austrey Road planning application is for 41 homes, but the Local Plan seeks to allocate the wider site for at least 69.

The Plan also gets some basic facts about Warton wrong. It says the village has two public houses, a Working Men’s Club and a separate ATM facility. In fact, Warton has one public house, Warton Club is no longer a working men’s club, and there is no ATM.

These may appear to be small errors, but they matter. The Council uses the number of services and facilities available in a settlement when deciding whether further development is sustainable. The Plan must therefore describe the village as it is, rather than relying on outdated information.

Those attending the meeting supported the submission of a formal village response asking the Council to:

• Correct the factual errors and inconsistent housing figures
• Explain the evidence for increasing the Austrey Road allocation from 41 to at least 69 homes
• Ensure that H27 receives proper public and democratic scrutiny before it becomes part of the final Plan

Residents are also encouraged to submit their own responses. A Local Plan consultation event will be held at the Parish Rooms on 5 August, from 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm. Details of how to respond will also be placed on the village website.

Church Road

The appeal concerning land south of the recreation ground was allowed on 16 February 2026, granting outline permission for up to 110 homes. The access from Church Road has been approved, but the final layout, appearance, landscaping and scale have not (even though there was a draft plan)

There remains some uncertainty about whether the site has been sold and when a developer will bring forward detailed proposals. However, the village still has important opportunities to influence what happens next.

Particular attention will be paid to:

• the eventual layout and density
• drainage and sewer capacity
• construction traffic and access
• permitted working hours
• mud, dust and road cleaning
• pedestrian safety on Church Road
• the boundary with the recreation ground, including replacement fencing
• Section 106 contributions and where they will be spent

The original Richborough plans are not necessarily the final plans. Once a reserved-matters application is submitted, residents will need to examine it carefully and respond quickly.

There was also discussion about the proposed use of Section 106 money, including a substantial sum for a walking and cycling connection towards Polesworth. The meeting questioned whether that represents the best use of limited developer contributions and argued that money should address the village’s most pressing and practical infrastructure needs.

Austrey Road remains unresolved

Application PAP/2026/0047 proposes the demolition of 63 Austrey Road to provide access to a development of 41 homes. It remains undecided. The immediate concern is that the Local Plan now proposes at least 69 homes across the wider site. Allocating the land would materially strengthen the principle of residential development, potentially making it harder to challenge the scale and suitability of future proposals.

The current application is for social housing. The meeting was clear that the issue is not opposition to social or affordable housing. Such housing is needed. The question is whether a large single-tenure development can be properly supported in a village with weak public transport, limited services and no fully functioning local GP surgery.

People without access to a car can currently face a difficult journey to essential services. Any development must therefore include a credible plan for transport, integration and access to health and other support.

Traffic and Speedwatch

Traffic is now formally recognised within the Local Plan as a constraint on further development in Warton and Polesworth. The Plan specifically identifies pressure on the B5000 and the junctions at Bridge Street and the Old Smithy.

The Warton Community Speedwatch team reported that four recent sessions had monitored traffic passing through the village. During those sessions:

• 381 vehicles passed the team;
• 109 were checked using the speed equipment;
• 11 met the threshold for referral to the police.

That represents 2.88 per cent of all vehicles passing during those sessions. However, the police referral figure does not include every vehicle exceeding the posted speed limit. A wider review of this year’s records found that, when vehicles above the limit but below the police intervention threshold were included, the proportion may have been as high as 11 per cent.

Even those figures may understate the normal position. Drivers can see a Speedwatch session operating and may slow down as they approach it. The rate of speeding when no visible monitoring is taking place could therefore be higher.

Speedwatch is about deterrence and road safety, not simply reporting motorists. The group is also contributing positively to village life. It raised funds for the Remembrance poppies displayed around Warton and is working with Warton Nethersole’s Primary School on road-safety activities, including providing high-visibility jackets for school trips.

More volunteers would allow the team to run additional sessions, if you would like to find out more about volunteering for this essential village service then email wartoncommunityspeedwatch@gmail.com

The village also needs a clear transport improvement list, including cumulative traffic assessments, safer crossings, improved walking routes, speed-reduction measures, better bus services and published traffic, collision and speed data.

A separate concern is the crossroads, where 25 accidents were reported to have occurred since 2018. Traffic-data strips are expected to be installed to gather better evidence about vehicle movements and speeds.

Neighbourhood Watch

The meeting heard that observant residents on the Windmill estate had recently reported an unfamiliar vehicle that had been left in the area. It was subsequently identified as stolen and recovered. This is a simple but useful example of Neighbourhood Watch working as intended, residents knowing what is normal in their street, noticing something unusual and reporting it.

The village-wide Neighbourhood Watch scheme has now been running for around five years. More street coordinators are needed, and Julie and Mike are seeking somebody willing to take over the wider village co-ordination role.

Parish Councillor (Karen Woods) Update

The village has now secured £145,519 in Section 106 funding for open-space improvements. Following consultation with residents, the leading priorities were:

• additional play equipment;
• improvements to the safety of the play area;
• a path around the recreation ground.

Three quotations have been obtained for the path, with a decision expected through the Parish Council. Quotations are also being assessed for the play equipment, with one received at approximately £78,000 before the remaining procurement process is completed.

The path may be delivered later this year. The new play equipment is more likely to be installed around April or May 2027. Interim work is also planned to make the existing play area safer during the school holidays.

Unfortunately, the recreation ground has also experienced vandalism, including graffiti, damage to bins and benches, and wire being stretched across a route in a way that could have caused injury. The damage is not victimless: repairs are ultimately paid for by the community through the parish precept.

The possibility of improved camera coverage is now being raised because of the escalation in antisocial behaviour.

Defibrillators and village safety

A third village defibrillator has now been installed. The current locations are relatively close together, so there is a proposal to move one to Orton Road to improve coverage across the village.

There will also be pressure for any future major housing development to include a publicly accessible defibrillator as part of the developer’s contribution to local infrastructure. A community training session is being considered for residents who would like to become more confident in using the equipment.

Local government reorganisation

The meeting also discussed the move towards two unitary councils in Warwickshire. Under the proposed arrangements, the County Council and the existing district and borough councils would be replaced, with planning, highways and other services brought together within the new authorities.

For Warton, this raises an important question about local representation. The village may need a stronger parish-level voice when decisions are taken by a much larger authority.

There was discussion about whether the reorganisation will automatically lead to a Community Governance Review covering parish boundaries and arrangements. This is being clarified. It should not yet be assumed that a review will happen automatically, and the village may still need to make a formal case for considering whether Warton should have its own parish council.

Other local updates

The meeting also heard that:

• blocked drains on Church Road continue to be pursued;
• a long-standing damaged road sign has finally been replaced;
• the missing village sign associated with an earlier development is still being chased;
• work continues on potholes, road markings, signs and bins;
• the local bus service is expected to change operator in August, with residents hoping this may create an opportunity for improved services;
• some GP appointments are again reportedly being offered at Polesworth, although the service remains limited.

Next Meeting will take place in October, please get in touch if you’d like more info, or to volunteer in the village warton.residents@gmail.com