A meeting to endorse last-ditch changes to the South Warwickshire Local Plan has been postponed due to Stratford-on-Avon District Council being in a pre-election period.

Advice from a national planning inspector led plan partners Warwick District Council and SDC to recommend a rethink ahead of submitting the plan for regulation 19 consultation, the final stage that feeds into the Planning Inspectorate's judgement on whether the plan is implemented.

Inspector Jonathan Bore had concerns over proposals on green standards and affordable housing, the viability of some sites and whether there was enough headroom built into minimum housing figures when advising both councils on what they planned to submit.

That led both cabinets – the panels of councillors in charge of the respective authorities – to recommend changes for all councillors at each authority to consider.

Warwick District Council did that on Monday (June 1) in a three-and-a-half-hour slog that saw each recommendation supported, albeit with concerns raised and pockets of dissent.

Stratford-on-Avon District Council was scheduled to do the same on Monday, June 8, but those plans were put on hold due to Thom Holmes (Lib Dem) resigning from his Kinwarton seat, triggering a by-election.

That ballot is due to be held on Thursday, July 9, with the authority confirming on Friday (June 5) that the local plan meeting would have to be put back.

A Stratford-on-Avon District Council statement read: "The chief executive has, due to rules surrounding taking significant decisions during the pre-election period, taken the decision to cancel the extraordinary meeting of council scheduled for Monday, June 8.

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"The business originally due to be considered at this meeting will now be brought forward to the next ordinary meeting of council on Monday, July 13.

"A further update will be issued next week regarding a revised timetable for consideration of the South Warwickshire Local Plan regulation 19 consultation.

"No further comment will be made at this time."

It is unclear what – if any – impact this will have on either council's ability to get on with making the necessary changes.

The revised plans were set to be put back in front of full council meetings in mid-July and this latest twist follows a number of stark warnings about tight timescales.

The South Warwickshire Local Plan is already behind schedule with senior officials at both councils advising that work on the late changes could threaten their ability to file it with the Planning Inspectorate by December 31, 2026.

That is the deadline for all councils to submit new plans or plan refreshes for judgement against current national rules – those that miss it have to comply with new government rules, meaning elements of the plan would have to be started again from scratch.

That would likely push back the process by years, during which both councils would be have substantially less clout to resist developers who propose building on sites not allocated for housing.

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