Over £6,000 has been raised in donations to a campaign aiming to stop 750 new homes being built in Kenilworth.

The 'Save Our Fields' group has thanked the support of the community as it tries to prevent a major piece of land around Rouncil Lane being included in the new South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP).

The planning document is reaching its latter stages, with the most recent draft including 751 homes to the south of Kenilworth, as well as 4,000 on land between Westwood Heath Road and the town.

A petition has also been launched, calling on Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils to rethink the proposed homes for the south of town.

Save Our Fields announced at the start of August that a barrister had been hired to prepare feedback for the latest public consultation on SWLP.

Now, the group has hit £6,000 and is preparing for the next stage of its plan to stop the homes moving forward.

"Through your incredible generosity we now have enough to pay for our heritage expert and the next round of advice from our specialist barrister, but we still need more," an update said.

"The developers have almost unlimited funds to spend getting their arguments across, while we are amateurs.

"We need to be able to pay for the experts we need, so please dig deep and spread the word to friends, family and everyone you know - we don't have much time to save our green belt."

The current six-week feedback window is the final chance for the public to comment on SWLP, and it closes on September 8.

This latest consultation - the regulation 19 consultation - focuses on whether the plan is technically sound, rather than whether the individual sites are suitable.

At its most recent meeting, Kenilworth Town Council voted in favour of a £6,000 budget for a planning consultant to ensure "infrastructure delivery, especially transport capacity, healthcare provision, secondary education capacity, utility infrastructure" are addressed in feedback to the local councils.

Petitioners have said the land south of Rouncil Lane should be protected as green belt, and have also argued local services cannot cope with more residents.

The land allocated for the homes does not include any provision for new schools or medical facilities.

"Kenilworth residents are joining forces to fund a campaign, including legal action, expert input, leaflets and posters to stop the development of 750 more houses on Kenilworth green belt farmland," the fundraiser said.

"This will affect everyone in Kenilworth with no improved roads, schools or medical services planned and it's in sight of the castle.

"On top of all the other houses built or planned around the town, we can't take any more.

"Please dig into your pockets (every fiver counts) so this can be fought effectively on behalf of the town."

Work began on the SWLP in 2021 but has been hit by various delays.

The councils only have until December 31 to submit the plan for approval.

The local plan has come under fire from local councillors, with members at the district councils split over whether to move forward with it.

(Header image by David Stowell via Geograph.org.uk)