District councillors representing Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth were warned of "significant" major planning applications on the horizon – and the added pressure to make the right calls.

Warwick District Council's development manager Gary Fisher told members of the planning committee – the councillors charged with the council's final say on big developments – that the authority had recently seen off the threat of being placed into special measures by the national government.

Performance is measured by looking at how many major applications are rejected by councils but later granted by the Planning Inspectorate against the number of big applications those councils get in.

If that proportion exceeds 10 per cent across a rolling two-year period then councils can be placed into special measures, allowing developers to bypass the council and go straight to Bristol-based inspectors for permission for bigger developments. It would not apply to smaller developments or householder applications.

That threat loomed over Warwick District Council earlier this year but it was later established that it "did not fall within scope", unlike nine other councils that are subject to special measures including nearby Cherwell District Council in Oxfordshire and Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire.

Data published by Warwick District Council ahead of this week's meeting showed that the next two-year assessment period – April 2024 to March 2026 inclusive – saw 10 out of 62 major applications refused.

Nine of those refusals have been appealed, two of which have since been allowed with another two allowed over non-determination – not being ruled on by the council in time.

It means the current overturn rate is six per cent but three appeals are yet to be heard.

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The report states: "It continues to be important that members and officers remain alert to the risk of special measures potentially arising from refusals which are not fully justified on planning grounds."

Addressing Tuesday's meeting, Mr Fisher added: "We need to continue to be mindful – officers and members – around performance and quality of decision making on major applications.

"This monitoring of the council's performance is an ongoing and rolling system. We continue to be scrutinised on the quality of our decision making across the board and at the national level there is a particular focus on the quality of major decisions.

"You will be getting some significant applications, particularly for residential development, coming forward in the next few months. I would ask us all to be aware of that ongoing scrutiny."