A consultant has been appointed by the district councils to complete a "vital" review into the region's green belt.

The study comes as part of the new South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) which will determine where up to 30,000 new homes will be built locally by 2050.

The plan is being drawn up by Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon District Councils but has been severely hit by delays.

Originally supposed to be adopted in 2025, it is now not expected until at least 2027.

However, an update to residents shared on Tuesday (May 7) said work had started on an investigation into the green belt, and which parts of it may be used to build new houses.

"The SWLP team have now appointed consultants to conduct a green belt review," the update said. 

"This is a vital piece of technical evidence, as the study will help to inform decisions that ensure growth in South Warwickshire is directed to the most suitable areas.

"Parts of South Warwickshire lie within the West Midlands Green Belt, which is a policy designation intended to check the unrestricted sprawl of the West Midlands conurbation. 

"The green belt review will assess how well different areas of land perform against the 'five purposes' of green belts, as set out in national policy. 

"The study will also consider the impact on the wider green belt designation if the boundaries were altered to release particular areas of land for development."

The review is expected to fall into two stages.

The first will include a broad assessment of areas of land and will be published later this year alongside another public consultation.

This will be followed in 2025 with a specific look at sites and villages.