A park and ride, a secondary school and thousands of houses would all be built if a housing developer gets its way to see two Warwickshire villages effectively merged.

Hundreds of acres around Bearley and Wilmcote in the south of the county have been put forward for the new South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) which will ultimately decide where 35,000 homes are built in the region.

Drawn up by Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils, the plan is also considering creating a 'new settlement' with 12 potential areas shortlisted.

Bearley and Wilmcote have been included in four of the "most suitable" locations with housing developer David Wilson Homes (DWH) pushing for the villages near Stratford to be released for development.

Land promoter Harris Lamb - acting on behalf of DWH - has pushed for a major development across the two villages, effectively seeing them merged.

Published in June, the latest call for sites for SWLP showed the firm had put forward 289.32 acres for houses.

And a letter sent to Warwick District Council last year by Harris Lamb - revealed via an FOI request - showed the DWH's suggestion for a development across the two villages.

"The masterplan demonstrates that the capacity of the site could deliver in the region of 4,500 dwellings which is a significant increase over that which would be delivered if the two sites were brought forward individually," it said. 

"A larger development would deliver additional services and facilities including a secondary school that would not only benefit the new development but also existing residents in the local area."

DWH proposed masterplan for Bearley and Wilmcote

The letter pointed to the two local railway stations, stating Bearley's would be a good location for a park and ride for nearby Stratford.

Also included in the plans is a large piece of public space in the middle of the plot.

This as well as a solar farm, cyclepaths, a local centre, new woodland, outdoor sports pitches and a secondary school.

In its shortlist of potential 'new settlements' for the SWLP, the district councils said the villages of Bearley and Wilmcote had the capacity of some 6,762 new homes.

The shortlisted land around Wilmcote and Bearley for development (image via SWLP)

The green belt land is also split between the fewest owners making it more attractive for development than many of the other areas in the shortlist.

But local residents do not share that view, with Bearley Parish Council rallying against the villages' inclusion.

In an update this week the council said thousands of new homes would not just impact the villages, but also nearby Stratford.

"The planning teams face real problems, and in all of these the fate of our villages won't seem that large," the council update said. 

"But what they should care about, and what we think they do care about, is the future of Stratford itself.

"Now that the latest call for sites could put even more potential houses in our area, yes possibly more than 6,800, a new Bearley Wilmcote development could have more than half the number of people that live in Stratford itself. 

"This clearly would overwhelm the already stretched infrastructure - has anyone tried going down the Birmingham Road this week – it would make Stratford a much less attractive place for visitors, threatening up to one third of the jobs in the town which are based on tourism, and just lead to massive gridlock in a place we all love."

The statement from the parish council comes as both MP for Kenilworth and Southam Sir Jeremy Wright and a local residents' group in Hatton have spoken out against Hatton also being earmarked as a new settlement.

Locals have said the village could not cope with thousands of new homes and that the area south of Leamington Spa is more suitable.

The two councils are currently assessing the results of the latest public consultation as they put together a first draft of the new plan.

Another public consultation is expected in December this year.

Already delayed, the new local plan is expected to be brought into force in 2027.

Potential new housing sites around South Warwickshire (image via SWLP)