South Warwickshire residents and businesses are being urged to have their say on a major planning document which will decide where 35,000 new houses will be built in the area.

Warwick and Stratford District Councils have joined forces to draw up the South Warwickshire Local Plan which will outline where we live, work, visit and play up to 2050.

Work on the document began in May 2021 when there was an initial call for potential housing and employment sites followed by a public consultation.

Some 555 sites were identified for new housing by residents and businesses across South Warwickshire.

The latest stage – the issues and options consultation – will run for a further three months with the final plan set to be adopted by the end of 2025.

The councils were supposed to launch a public consultation last November, but the 'issues and options' consultation has now opened.

The delay was blamed on "delays in the release of the relevant 2021 census data".

Warwick District Council's portfolio holder for place and economy, Cllr John Cooke explained it was important for those living and working in the area to have their say.

He said: "This is another crucial step in the development of our combined local plan, which will determine where we should locate the homes and employment land that we need in the coming decades and ensure that this development happens in the most sustainable locations – places that work best for people, for businesses and for the environment. 

"The 'issues and options' consultation will give local people the opportunity to look in more detail at the topic areas identified and responses received to date, get an overview of the key development issues faced in South Warwickshire and examine the evidence received during the process from experts and specialists and through in-house research."

As part of the consultation process, which began this week and runs until March 6, six drop-in sessions have been arranged starting at Rother Street Market, Stratford, on Friday.

The other sessions will be held in Leamington Royal Priors (January 21), Warwick Library (January 28), Shipston Library (January 31), Kenilworth's Talisman Square (February 4) and Alcester Library (February 6).

Libraries and council offices will also have copies of the consultation documents for people to look at.

Stratford District Council's place and economy portfolio holder Cllr Daren Pemberton added: "Now is the first, but not last, opportunity for residents, businesses and other stakeholders to take a closer look at the emerging plan and make their views known.

"This is important stuff for us all."

You can find out more information about the South Warwickshire Local Plan, make comment on the latest consultation and find details of a number of online and face to face consultation here.

Hard copies of the documents are available to view at libraries, Riverside House, Leamington Spa and Elizabeth House, Stratford-on-Avon.