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

A46 Costs

Costs for the already over-budget and much-delayed works around the A46 at Stoneleigh are expected to continue to rise.

Papers from Warwickshire County Council (WCC) have already revealed the project is estimated to cost at least £4,673,000 more than the £38 million originally expected, but it has now been revealed this is likely to rise as a completion date for the project remains unclear.

The local authority - which is currently cutting costs to plug a £27 million funding gap - has remained tight-lipped in the infrastructure scheme, which was due to be completed in August 2022.

Read more here

Aldi Decision

Budget supermarket Aldi has been given permission to build a new store in Balsall Common. 

It has been a long wait for the supermarket to get the green light from Solihull Council having originally applied for planning permission in 2021. 

The chain applied for the demolition of the existing vacant former service station building on the former Edwins Autos site, to the north of Balsall Common, and construction of the supermarket with associated access and landscaping.

Read the full story here.

Housing Powers Hampered

Warwick District Council will have less power to refuse housing plans after an inspector ruled it had overestimated the probable delivery of new homes.

National planning inspector Steve Lee ruled that the authority, which handles planning permissions across Warwick, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Whitnash and the surrounding villages, could not evidence the number of homes it said would be built out over the next five years on 14 different sites allocated for housing.

The council's numbers were contested during May's planning appeal over proposals for 83 homes next to Warwickshire Police's headquarters in Leek Wootton, one that the council lost and had to pay costs over. 

Read more here.

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