Please use following link to read and download the newsletter - The Online View August 2026
NOTICE FROM WILMCOTE PARISH COUNCIL
RECOMMENDED RESPONSE TO THE SWLP REGULATION 19 CONSULTATION
I have prepared an objection document concerning the proposed removal of the washed-over Green Belt from the Built-up Area Boundary (BuAB) of Wilmcote. The land surrounding the BuAB would, however, remain designated as Green Belt.
Please read the document and use it to help formulate your own individual response. It is important that residents do not simply copy the objection word-for-word, but instead express their own views and concerns in their own words.
The Parish Council and the BWAG support the South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) as a whole. This is important to make clear in your response, as the SWLP provides significant protection for Wilmcote against the scale of development that was previously being proposed.
Why is it important to object?
We fought hard and successfully to have the proposed BW allocation for up to 10,000 homes removed from the SWLP. This was an exceptional achievement and one that demonstrates what can be achieved when the community makes its views heard.
However, within the SWLP’s 1,000+ pages are a number of proposed policies that could have significant implications for Wilmcote.
The two policies that are particularly important are DS.8 and DS.13.
Policy DS.8 – Wilmcote as a Local Service Centre
DS.8 proposes to re-designate Wilmcote as a Local Service Centre.
This could make the village more suitable for certain forms of small-scale development, including housing, employment buildings and potentially gypsy and traveller sites.
Policy DS.13 – Removal of Green Belt
DS.13 proposes the removal of the Green Belt designation from the relevant area of Wilmcote.
This is particularly concerning because it would mean losing the specific planning protections provided by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for Green Belt land.
The removal of this protection could make Wilmcote more vulnerable to:
For these reasons, I strongly recommend that everyone reads Policies DS.8 and DS.13 before preparing their response.
How can you respond?
There are two ways to submit your representation. You can respond online through the consultation portal or by email – whichever is easiest for you.
Online response
Visit: South Warwickshire Local Plan Regulation 19
Once you are on the consultation site, select the link for the Representations Form. You will then need to locate the Policies section.
By email
You can submit your representation by email to:
Please make sure you clearly identify the policies you are commenting on – particularly DS.8 and DS.13 – and explain, in your own words, why you believe the proposed changes would be harmful to Wilmcote.
Every individual response matters. The strength of the community’s response to the previous proposals helped secure the removal of the 10,000-home BW allocation. We now need residents to make their views known on these proposed policy changes as well.
SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE LOCAL PLAN – REGULATION 19 REPRESENTATION
Wilmcote Parish Council – Objection to the Proposed Removal of Wilmcote from the West Midlands Green Belt and its Designation as a Local Service Centre
Policies: DS.8 – Other Growth Locations; DS.13 – Green Belt
Representation: Objection
1. Introduction
Wilmcote Parish Council (WPC) objects to the proposed exclusion of the built-up area of Wilmcote from the West Midlands Green Belt under Policy DS.13 and to the designation of Wilmcote as a Local Service Centre under Policy DS.8.
WPC recognises that the 2026 Arup Green Belt Review Stage 2 has now specifically considered Wilmcote as a washed-over village. However, WPC considers that the evidence and reasoning relied upon by the Stratford District Council (SDC) does not adequately demonstrate that the requirements of national policy for changing an established Green Belt boundary have been met.
In particular, WPC considers that:
1. The evidence does not demonstrate the exceptional circumstances specific to Wilmcote required by NPPF paragraph 145
2. SDC has not demonstrated why retaining Wilmcote within the Green Belt would undermine the Local Plan strategy
3. The conclusion that Wilmcote does not have an ‘open character’ is insufficiently explained and does not adequately address the spatial and visual dimensions of openness
4. SDC’s own methodology and earlier critique of Green Belt reviews indicates that a more detailed assessment of the physical and visual relationship between the village and the surrounding Green Belt is required
5. The designation of Wilmcote as a Local Service Centre is not adequately supported by evidence demonstrating that it performs the role attributed to that designation
6. There was inadequate opportunity for Parish Councils to consider and respond to the significant policy consequence of moving Wilmcote from a washed-over Green Belt settlement to an inset settlement before the Regulation 19 plan was approved by SDC.
WPC therefore considers the proposed changes to be not justified, not effective and not consistent with national policy.
PART A – POLICY DS.8
2. Wilmcote should not automatically be treated as a Local Service Centre
Policy DS.8 places Wilmcote within the category of Local Service Centres, where small-scale development proposals will be supported in principle within the Built-Up Area Boundary.
This is a significant change in policy treatment.
Under the proposed Plan, Wilmcote is not simply being given a revised settlement boundary. It is being placed in a settlement category which is intended to accommodate small-scale growth and, in conjunction with Policy DS.13, its built-up area is also being removed from the Green Belt.
The evidence supporting that combination therefore needs to be particularly robust.
WPC does not consider that the evidence demonstrates that Wilmcote performs the function of a Local Service Centre to the degree implied by the policy.
Wilmcote has:
These facilities are valuable to the local community, and WPC fully supports their retention.
However, the existence of a number of community facilities does not in itself establish that Wilmcote functions as a service centre for a wider rural hinterland.
Wilmcote does not contain:
Residents of surrounding villages have access to considerably greater concentrations of services at settlements such as Henley-in-Arden, Stratford-upon-Avon and Alcester.
The nearest surrounding villages also have their own community facilities. In particular, Aston Cantlow has a public house, social facilities, tennis facilities and postal provision.
WPC therefore questions whether the evidence demonstrates that Wilmcote performs a genuine service-centre function beyond its own immediate population.
3. Absence of Evidence of Wider Catchment Use
WPC has been unable to identify published evidence demonstrating that residents of surrounding settlements routinely use Wilmcote’s facilities to the extent necessary to justify its classification as a Local Service Centre.
If the Council considers that Wilmcote performs a wider service function, the evidence should identify:
The absence of such evidence is particularly important because the proposed Local Service Centre designation is being used alongside the Green Belt review to justify a materially different planning status for the village.
4. The Railway Station does not, in itself, establish a Service-Centre function
The existence of Wilmcote railway station should not be treated as sufficient evidence that Wilmcote functions as a wider service centre. The station has no dedicated car park, and therefore its accessibility to residents of surrounding villages is limited. rural villages.
The surrounding road network is rural and residents travelling from surrounding settlements to access rail services are likely to consider stations with dedicated parking provision such as Henley in Arden or Stratford Parkway stations. Many smaller rural villages also have their own stations.
SDC should therefore provide evidence demonstrating the actual role played by Wilmcote station in serving the wider rural population rather than assuming that the presence of a railway station automatically establishes a wider service-centre function. Again, WPC would request sound survey information to establish how many residents from rural villages use Wilmcote Station.
5. The Local Service Centre Designation and Green Belt Removal Should Be Considered Together
The Council should not treat the DS.8 and DS.13 decisions as unrelated.
The proposed policy framework would:
1. classify Wilmcote as a Local Service Centre;
2. establish a Built-Up Area Boundary; and
3. remove the built-up area from the Green Belt.
This materially changes the planning status of the village.
SDC must therefore demonstrate that the settlement hierarchy, settlement boundary and Green Belt boundary are collectively justified by the evidence.
WPC considers that this has not been adequately demonstrated.
PART B – POLICY DS.13
OBJECTION TO REMOVAL OF WILMCOTE FROM THE GREEN BELT
6. National Policy Requires Exceptional Circumstances
NPPF paragraph 145 states that once established, Green Belt boundaries should only be altered where exceptional circumstances are fully evidenced and justified through the preparation or updating of plans.
Paragraph 146 identifies circumstances which may contribute to the case for Green Belt boundary changes, while paragraph 147 requires the strategic policy-making authority to demonstrate that it has examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting identified development needs.
SDC’s July 2026 Green Belt Exceptional Circumstances Topic Paper recognises that exceptional circumstances are a matter of planning judgement.
However, the existence of plan-wide exceptional circumstances for some Green Belt release does not, by itself, establish that there are exceptional circumstances for every individual village proposed for exclusion.
The Council itself has adopted a two-part approach, comprising:
WPC therefore considers that the Council must demonstrate why Wilmcote specifically needs to be removed from the Green Belt.
A general need for growth across South Warwickshire cannot be treated as sufficient justification for every individual Green Belt boundary alteration.
7. The Arup Stage 2 Assessment Does Not Adequately Demonstrate the Case for Wilmcote
WPC acknowledges that the 2026 Arup Stage 2 Green Belt Review did consider washed-over villages.
SDC’s July 2026 Green Belt Exceptional Circumstances Topic Paper states:
‘Wilmcote is proposed for exclusion from the Green Belt. Wilmcote was not found to have an open character.’ This is the central justification relied upon for Wilmcote.
However, WPC considers that this conclusion requires substantially greater explanation before it can reasonably support the permanent alteration of an established Green Belt boundary that has been in place for over 60 years and furthermore was not altered in the Core Strategy.
The Council’s own published methodology explains that the assessment of washed-over villages should be based on:
1. whether the village has an open character; and
2. whether that open character makes an important contribution to Green Belt openness.
The issue is therefore not simply whether Wilmcote contains substantial built form.
The relevant question is whether the character and spatial and visual structure of Wilmcote contribute to the openness of the Green Belt to an extent which requires Green Belt policy to continue to apply.
WPC considers that the published evidence does not demonstrate this conclusively.
8. Openness Is Not Simply a Measure of Built Form
SDC’s approach needs to be considered in the context of the established legal position concerning Green Belt openness.
In Turner v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and East Dorset Council [2016] EWCA Civ 466, the Court of Appeal confirmed that Green Belt openness has both spatial and visual dimensions and is an ‘open-textured’ concept.
Consequently, an assessment of openness cannot simply amount to a conclusion that a village appears substantially developed.
The assessment should consider the particular circumstances of the settlement, including its physical form, gaps, open spaces, views, relationship with surrounding countryside and the way in which built form relates to the wider Green Belt.
This is particularly important in Wilmcote.
Wilmcote is not an isolated compact urban settlement. Its historic development incorporates:
These characteristics require a detailed assessment of both the spatial and visual relationship between Wilmcote and the surrounding Green Belt.
9. SDC’s Own Previous Methodological Critique Supports a More Detailed Assessment
There is a particularly important point concerning methodology.
The Councils’ own 2023 critique of the Coventry and Warwickshire Green Belt Review identified the inadequacy of failing to undertake a specific assessment of washed-over villages.
That critique referred to approaches used elsewhere which considered, amongst other matters:
Open character
Contribution to Green Belt openness
These are precisely the factors which are necessary to understand whether a village’s character contributes to the openness of the Green Belt.
WPC therefore considers that SDC should demonstrate clearly, in the evidence supporting the Regulation 19 Plan, how each of these considerations was applied to Wilmcote and what evidence led to the conclusion that Wilmcote does not have an open character.
Simply stating the conclusion is insufficient for a decision of this significance.
10. Wilmcote’s Relationship with the Surrounding Green Belt Has Not Been Adequately Addressed
The fact that Wilmcote contains a substantial amount of built development does not mean that the settlement has ceased to contribute to Green Belt openness.
The village contains a distinctive pattern of development interspersed with open land, gardens, vegetation and gaps.
In addition, the settlement has a particularly strong relationship with the surrounding countryside.
The open countryside around Wilmcote is not simply incidental landscape outside the village. It contributes to the physical and visual identity of the settlement itself.
This is especially evident around:
The Green Belt therefore performs a role in maintaining the distinction between Wilmcote and the surrounding countryside, even if the built-up area itself contains a significant amount of development.
11. Heritage Protection Does Not Replace the Role of Green Belt
The Council’s Exceptional Circumstances Topic Paper states that Wilmcote’s Conservation Area and normal development-management policies are sufficient to protect the character of the village.
WPC does not accept that this provides sufficient justification for removing Green Belt protection.
The Conservation Area and Green Belt perform different planning functions.
The Conservation Area is principally concerned with preserving or enhancing the character and appearance of an area of special architectural or historic interest.
Green Belt policy performs a different strategic function, including maintaining openness, preventing urban sprawl and safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.
The fact that another designation provides heritage protection therefore does not demonstrate that Green Belt protection is redundant.
This is particularly important in Wilmcote because the setting of its heritage asset is closely connected with the surrounding rural landscape.
12. Mary Arden’s Farm and the Historic Setting of Wilmcote
Wilmcote contains a particularly sensitive historic environment, including Mary Arden’s Farm, a Grade I listed building, within the historic core of the village.
SDC acknowledges in its Exceptional Circumstances Topic Paper that land opposite Mary Arden’s Farm contributes to protecting its setting.
SDC proposes to include that land within the revised Built-Up Area Boundary on the basis that the Conservation Area and heritage policies will provide sufficient protection.
WPC considers this approach too narrow.
The issue is not simply whether a planning application on that parcel would be capable of being refused because of heritage harm.
The wider issue is the contribution made by Green Belt designation to the long-term spatial relationship between the historic village and its rural surroundings.
The loss of Green Belt designation could increase future pressure for development, redevelopment and intensification within and around the settlement.
Heritage policies should not therefore be treated as a substitute for Green Belt policy.
13. Removal of the Green Belt Is Not Necessary to Deliver the Local Plan
The Council’s principal strategic justification for Green Belt release is the delivery of sustainable growth across South Warwickshire.
However, there is no demonstrated requirement for Wilmcote itself to be removed from the Green Belt in order to deliver the Local Plan’s housing or employment requirements.
Wilmcote is not proposed as a strategic growth location under the Regulation 19 Plan.
The former Bearley/Wilmcote strategic allocation has been removed.
No evidence has been presented demonstrating that removal of Wilmcote’s built-up area from the Green Belt is necessary to deliver an identified allocation or infrastructure project.
This is a critical distinction.
The Council may have demonstrated a plan-wide case for some Green Belt release. That does not establish that Green Belt in-setting of Wilmcote is necessary.
The Council should therefore identify:
WPC considers that no convincing answer has been provided.
14. The Proposed Change Is Not Required Merely Because Wilmcote Has a Built-Up Area
The fact that a settlement contains a recognisable built-up area does not, in itself, establish exceptional circumstances for its removal from the Green Belt.
The NPPF expressly recognises the concept of washed-over villages.
The purpose of the washed-over designation is precisely to recognise that some villages contain built development but nevertheless have an open character which contributes to Green Belt openness.
The question is therefore not whether Wilmcote is built up.
The question is whether its open character makes an important contribution to Green Belt openness.
WPC considers that the evidence has not demonstrated that this contribution is insignificant.
15. Potential Consequences of Insetting Wilmcote
WPC recognises that removal of the Green Belt designation does not itself allocate land for housing.
However, it materially changes the planning policy framework.
Once the built-up area is removed from the Green Belt:
The proposed change is therefore not merely administrative.
It represents a significant relaxation of the strategic planning protection applying to Wilmcote.
This is particularly concerning because the Plan has a 25-year horizon to 2050.
Green Belt boundaries are intended to have long-term permanence. The Council should therefore demonstrate a compelling and enduring planning reason for making this change now.
16. Risk of Incremental Development Pressure
WPC is concerned that the combined effect of DS.8 and DS.13 could lead to incremental pressure for:
Such individual proposals may appear modest when considered separately.
Over a 25-year plan period, however, their cumulative effect could materially alter the character and spatial form of Wilmcote.
The Council’s decision to remove Green Belt protection should therefore take account of the long-term cumulative consequences, not simply whether the immediate Built-Up Area Boundary appears defensible.
17. The Proposed Boundary Changes Reinforce the Need for Caution
The Exceptional Circumstances Topic Paper proposes extending the Built-Up Area Boundary to include:
These are not simply corrections to a line on a map.
They affect land which contributes to the physical and visual relationship between the village and the countryside.
SDC’s decision to bring these areas within the inset boundary further increases the importance of demonstrating that the resulting boundary is justified, durable and consistent with the NPPF requirement for Green Belt boundaries to be clearly defined and intended to endure in the long term.
18. Exceptional Circumstances Must Be Specific to the Boundary Change
The Council’s July 2026 Exceptional Circumstances Topic Paper states that exceptional circumstances exist for the exclusion of Wilmcote.
However, the evidence appears to rely principally upon the conclusion that Wilmcote does not have an open character and that other policies can protect its character.
That does not adequately demonstrate why Green Belt removal is necessary.
There is a fundamental distinction between:
‘The village could be protected by ordinary planning policies’
and
‘There are exceptional circumstances requiring the village to be removed from the Green Belt.’
The first proposition does not automatically establish the second.
The Council must demonstrate why the existing Green Belt designation is no longer justified and why its removal is necessary and appropriate having regard to the intended permanence of Green Belt boundaries.
WPC considers that this has not been demonstrated.
19. Sustainable Development Does Not Automatically Require Green Belt Removal
The Council has placed considerable emphasis upon directing development towards sustainable locations.
WPC accepts the importance of sustainable development.
However, sustainability does not provide an automatic justification for Green Belt release.
The Council must balance the sustainability of the location against:
In the case of Wilmcote, the Council has not demonstrated that the sustainability benefits of insetting the village outweigh the planning benefits of retaining its existing Green Belt status.
20. Lack of Meaningful Engagement on the Consequences of DS.8 and DS.13
WPC also has significant concerns regarding the process by which the proposed changes became apparent to Parish Councils.
Although DS.8 appears within the Local Plan documentation, Parish Councils were not adequately alerted to the significant consequence that classification of certain settlements as Local Service Centres would coincide with the removal of Green Belt protection from their built-up areas.
WPC was only made aware at an evening Teams presentation on Friday 10 July 2026 that the proposed settlement designation would also involve Green Belt removal.
This was less than three working days before the relevant SDC councillors had to vote on approving the South Warwickshire Local Plan.
This did not provide Parish Councils with a reasonable opportunity to:
This is particularly concerning given that the Stage 2 Green Belt Review was only published in May 2026 and the revised Regulation 19 evidence was subsequently finalised for 15th July 2026.
WPC therefore considers that the process has not provided the level of meaningful engagement which should reasonably accompany a fundamental change to the planning status of a village.
21. Soundness
WPC considers that the proposed removal of Wilmcote from the Green Belt raises substantial concerns under the tests of soundness.
Not Justified
The Council has not demonstrated exceptional circumstances specific to Wilmcote which require the removal of the village from the Green Belt.
The plan-wide need for some Green Belt release does not establish the necessity for this particular boundary change.
The evidence supporting the conclusion that Wilmcote does not have an open character requires greater explanation and does not adequately demonstrate that the spatial and visual relationship between Wilmcote and the surrounding Green Belt has been properly considered.
Not Effective
The removal of Green Belt designation is not necessary to deliver an identified strategic allocation or infrastructure project at Wilmcote.
No clear delivery benefit has been identified which depends upon in-setting the village.
Instead, the change introduces the possibility of incremental development pressure over the 25-year plan period.
Not Consistent with National Policy
NPPF paragraphs 145–148 require Green Belt boundary changes to be fully evidenced and justified and require authorities to examine other reasonable options before concluding that exceptional circumstances exist.
NPPF paragraph 150 specifically addresses washed-over villages and recognises that villages whose open character makes an important contribution to Green Belt openness should remain within the Green Belt.
WPC considers that the evidence does not establish that Wilmcote falls clearly outside this category.
22. Requested Modification
Wilmcote Parish Council requests that:
Primary modification
Policy DS.13 and the Policies Map should be amended so that the built-up area of Wilmcote remains within the West Midlands Green Belt.
Wilmcote should therefore remain a washed-over village.
Consequential modification
Policy DS.8 should be amended so that Wilmcote is not classified as a Local Service Centre in a manner which depends upon its removal from the Green Belt.
If the Council considers that Wilmcote should retain a settlement hierarchy designation, that designation should be reconsidered independently of the Green Belt boundary question.
23. Alternative Modification
If SDC is unwilling to retain Wilmcote within the Green Belt, WPC requests that the Plan is not found sound unless the Council first publishes and properly consults upon a comprehensive Wilmcote-specific evidence paper which:
24. Conclusion
Wilmcote Parish Council supports the principle of evidence-led and sustainable planning.
However, the proposed removal of Wilmcote from the Green Belt is not supported by a sufficiently compelling Wilmcote-specific case.
The Council’s own evidence confirms that the decision to exclude washed-over villages should be based upon an assessment of openness rather than settlement hierarchy.
The Arup Stage 2 conclusion that Wilmcote “was not found to have an open character” is a significant conclusion, but WPC considers that the evidence supporting that conclusion is not sufficiently transparent or persuasive to justify the permanent removal of Green Belt protection.
The legal and policy position requires consideration of openness as an open-textured concept incorporating both spatial and visual dimensions. The assessment must therefore consider the particular physical and visual relationship between Wilmcote and the surrounding countryside rather than treating the presence of substantial built development as determinative.
Wilmcote’s historic form, open spaces, gardens, vegetation, agricultural surroundings, views and relationship with the wider countryside all contribute to its distinctive rural character and its relationship with the Green Belt.
There is also no demonstrated requirement for Wilmcote to be removed from the Green Belt in order to deliver an identified allocation or infrastructure project within the South Warwickshire Local Plan.
The Council has therefore not demonstrated that exceptional circumstances exist specifically for Wilmcote, nor that retaining its Green Belt status would undermine the Local Plan.
For these reasons, WPC considers that the proposed removal of Wilmcote from the West Midlands Green Belt is:
Wilmcote Parish Council therefore respectfully requests that the proposed exclusion of Wilmcote from the Green Belt under Policy DS.13 is deleted and that Wilmcote remains a washed-over Green Belt village.
To read or download please click on link:
SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE LOCAL PLAN – RESIDENT UPDATE
Hi everyone,
Several residents have contacted me to ask whether they need to complete the Regulation 19 Representation online form, which is now open.
At this stage, there is no need to rush. The consultation remains open until September, and I will provide a further update before the deadline.
Overall, I believe it is important that the South Warwickshire Local Plan succeeds, as it will help provide Wilmcote with greater protection against inappropriate future development. For that reason, I would encourage residents to support the overall soundness and viability of the Plan. However, there is one significant issue that I do not believe is sound.
The current Plan proposes:
A Local Service Centre is intended to serve surrounding smaller villages with facilities such as a GP surgery, pharmacy, shops or a post office. In my view, this does not accurately reflect Wilmcote. For example, residents of nearby Aston Cantlow are more likely to use the wider range of services available in Henley-in-Arden or Wootton Wawen, which has two shops and a post office.
If Wilmcote remains designated as a Local Service Centre, Policies DS8 and DS13 could make the village more vulnerable to further development, including small-scale housing, Gypsy and Traveller sites, mobile home parks, or employment-use buildings.
In my role as District Councillor I am currently working to have Wilmcote removed from these policies. If I am successful, residents should then be able to support the Plan without raising this concern.
If I am not successful, I will ask residents to include a comment in the Policies section of the consultation form, explaining that these policies are unsound as they relate to Wilmcote.
I am waiting to meet with the Chief Planning Officer at Stratford-on-Avon District Council, who is currently on annual leave. Once that meeting has taken place, I will update everyone with the outcome and advise on the best way to respond before the consultation closes.
Thank you for your continued support and patience.
Cllr Lee - Stratford District Council - 22nd July 2026
YOU CAN VIEW SDC FULL COVERAGE BY CLICKING ON - The Online View July 2026
Residents of Wilmcote are reminded that the Warwickshire Mobile Library continues to visit the village on a regular basis, providing convenient access to a wide range of library services right on your doorstep.
The Mobile Library visits Woodcote Park and offers a welcoming and accessible service for all ages. Whether you enjoy fiction, biographies, large-print books, audiobooks, or children's stories, there is something for everyone on board.
Location: Woodcote Park, Wilmcote
Time: 3:00pm – 3:20pm
2026 Dates
Visitors can browse and borrow:
The service is particularly valuable for residents who may find it difficult to travel to a larger library and provides an excellent opportunity to discover new books, meet fellow readers and support lifelong learning within the community.
Whether you are a regular reader or simply looking for something new, why not call in and see what the Mobile Library has to offer?
For further information about the Mobile Library service and routes, please visit the Warwickshire County Council website:
Wilmcote Parish Council is pleased to support and promote services that help keep our community connected, informed and engaged. We encourage residents to make use of this valuable resource. 📚🚐
Our Parish Council Neighbourhood Plan is due for an update, and we're looking for local residents who would like to play a part in shaping the future of our community.
An updated Neighbourhood Plan will provide valuable protection and help ensure that future development reflects the needs and wishes of local people.
We are seeking up to three residents to join a small working group alongside Parish Councillors. You don't need to be a planning expert, although experience in planning would be most welcome. Strong writing, research, organisational, or communication skills would also be valuable.
This is an opportunity to have a real influence on the future of Wilmcote and Pathlow and help protect the character and heritage of Wilmcote and Pathlow for generations to come.
If you are interested in getting involved, please contact the Clerk at . We hope to hold our first daytime meeting in early August.
We look forward to hearing from you.,
Regards,
Cllr Lee - Chair Wilmcote PC
Dear Residents,
I hope you are all enjoying the recent spell of sunshine and making the most of the summer weather.
Parish Council Administration
Some of you may have noticed that the June Parish Council meeting was cancelled. Unfortunately, our Clerk, who was serving a probationary period, decided that the role was more complex than she had anticipated and chose to step down.
I am delighted to share that Ray Evans, a highly experienced Clerk, has rejoined us. Ray worked with the Parish Council briefly in February but had to leave due to unforeseen circumstances. Those issues have now been resolved, and he resumed his role on 16 June 2026. We are very pleased to welcome him back and look forward to working with him once again.
Village Planters
At long last, our beautiful new planters have arrived and are already brightening up both The Green and the verge opposite Mary Arden’s Farm. They look magnificent.
A huge thank you goes to Pat and Alan Kingsland, who joined me in selecting the plants, helping to create the displays, and now overseeing their ongoing care and watering. I would also like to thank Martyn Hunt, who has kindly taken responsibility for watering the planter on The Green.
If the displays continue to thrive, we hope to purchase two additional planters next year for Aston Cantlow Road and Billesley Road.
Land Transfer Negotiations
Negotiations regarding the purchase of the land continue. Stratford District Council is currently in the process of appointing a solicitor with experience in transfers between public authorities at a nominal fee. We are hopeful that this will help move matters forward more quickly, and I will continue to keep you updated on progress.
District Council By-Election
Some of you may have heard that I am standing as a candidate in the forthcoming Kinwarton Ward District Council by-election, following the resignation of Thom Holmes. The election will take place on 9th July 2026.
While this is not the appropriate forum for election campaigning, I wanted to reassure residents that, should I be fortunate enough to be elected, I would remain Chairwoman of the Parish Council. Holding both positions would not present a conflict of interest, and I would continue to serve the village with the same commitment and dedication.
Traffic Management
I am sure many of you have noticed the increasing volume of traffic and instances of inconsiderate parking within the village. Like many residents, I share your concerns.
To address these issues, I have written to the Director of Highways at Warwickshire County Council requesting a meeting to explore potential solutions. Topics I hope to discuss include:
If you have suggestions that you would like me to raise during these discussions, please do get in touch.
South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) Update
Many of you will already be aware that the BW site is no longer being considered as the location for a large new settlement. This is a significant achievement, and I would like to thank everyone who supported me and participated in the campaign. Our collective efforts have made a real difference.
Stratford District Council has publicly identified Long Marston as its preferred location for a large settlement, together with a proposed relief road to accommodate the increased traffic generated by the development. A formal vote on this proposal will be taken by both Stratford and Warwick District Councils on 15 July 2026.
However, there are still matters that require our close attention.
Within the recently published 700-page consultation document, I identified two proposed policies DS8 and DS13, which directly affect Wilmcote. The Parish Council had not been informed of these proposals, and they could easily have gone unnoticed.
The policies propose removing Green Belt designation from land within the village’s Built-Up Boundary (BuB). This would mean the loss of Green Belt protections and the planning safeguards currently provided through the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). In practical terms, it could make further development on available green spaces within the BuB significantly easier.
I have already met with the Leader of Stratford District Council, Susan Juned, to express my concerns and have requested a further meeting with planning officers. We must remain vigilant, and I can assure you that I will continue to monitor developments closely and challenge proposals that could negatively impact our village.
Upcoming Meetings
The next Parish Council meeting will take place on:
Wednesday 15 July 2026
7:00pm
Wilmcote Village Hall
Please note that the Parish Council does not meet during August.
Finally…
As we head into the summer months, I would like to thank everyone who continues to contribute to village life, whether through volunteering, attending meetings, sharing ideas, or simply looking out for our community.
I wish you all a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing many of you around the village.
Kind regards,
Janine Lee
Chairwoman, Wilmcote Parish Council
The Wilmcote Parish Council Annual Assembly was held on 20 April 2026. The Chairwoman's report is attached below.
The April 2026 edition of the Stratford District Council Newsletter is now published on their website. It includes information about election dates, health screening and Community Grant Scheme awards. It also has links to SDC Cabinet decisons from the meeting of 13 April, and planning updates. Finally, there are two public consultations you can engage with, and the council has several vacancies it is recruiting for over the next few weeks.
The events will run from 10am until 2pm at each of the locations and residents are able to book at a discounted rate of £14 for each test. (subsidised by Stratford-on-Avon District Council)
Saturday 21 March at Venture House, Avenue Farm Industrial Estate, Birmingham Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 0HR
Saturday 18 April at Lighthorne Heath Village Hall, Valiant Close, CV33 9UF
Saturday 9 May at Graham Adams Centre, St James Road, Southam, CV47 0LY
Saturday 30 May at Wellesbourne Village Hall, School Road, CV35 9NH
Saturday 20 June at Shipston Scout Hut, New Street, CV36 4EW
Saturday 18 July at the Greig Hall, Kinwarton Road, Alcester, B49 6AD
Saturday 19 September at Studley Village Hall, High Street, B80 7HJ
Saturday 17 October at Stratford Leisure Centre, Bridgeway, CV37 6YX
Saturday 7 November at Henley-in-Arden Memorial Hall, Station Road, B95 5JP
Spaces are limited and need to be booked in advance at:
https://sdc.mypsatests.org.uk/
You can download the PDF and scan the QR code here: PSA_Tests_2026_all_dates.pdf
PRESS RELEASE
Issued by: Bearley Wilmcote Action Group (BWAG) Contact: Janine Lee – | 07816 105204 Date: 23rd February 2026
An eminent American academic has added her voice to the growing opposition against plans to build up to 10,000 houses and associated industrial infrastructure between Stratford-upon-Avon and Wilmcote/Bearley.
Professor Katherine Scheil - author of Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway and Associate Dean at the University of Minnesota - has issued a powerful statement condemning the proposed BW development as a threat, not merely to local green fields, but to a landscape of global cultural significance.
After learning of the proposals from Wilmcote resident, Professor Ewan Fernie of the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford upon Avon, Professor Scheil wrote a deeply moving letter in support of the Bearley Wilmcote Action Group (BWAG).
Her words are a sobering reminder that what is at stake is not just housing numbers - but the preservation of a landscape that continues to inspire people from around the world.
Professor Scheil leads annual study tours bringing American students to Stratford- upon-Avon. While they visit iconic landmarks in London, she explains that the most transformative experience for her students is not found in a city museum or theatre. It is found in the quiet walk from Stratford through Shottery and into the countryside around Wilmcote - countryside that remains largely unchanged from the world Shakespeare himself knew. There, she says, her students do not simply learn about Shakespeare - they find him.
They discover the rural landscape that shaped his imagination, the fields that surrounded his mother’s family home at Mary Arden’s Farm, and the environment that nurtured the poetry and plays that have influenced centuries of global culture. Her students return to America with a profound appreciation of what she describes as the ‘soul of England’ - a character rooted in the very countryside now threatened by large-scale development.
Professor Scheil reminds us that this landscape has long stirred visitors from across the world. As early as 1918, an American educator wrote that she came to Stratford ‘to find Shakespeare,’ but instead found ‘the soul of England.’ In the nineteenth century, visitors such as William Howitt and Harriet Beecher Stowe feared that modern progress might one day destroy this fragile inheritance. Thankfully, their fears did not materialise.
Today, however, that danger feels real.
Professor Scheil warns that constructing a modern settlement of this scale would permanently sever the living connection between landscape and literature. She likens the proposal to P.T. Barnum’s 1847 attempt to dismantle Shakespeare’s Birthplace and transport it to America as a commercial attraction - a scheme rejected at the time as cultural vandalism. She argues that today we face a similarly short-sighted threat, albeit in a different form.
Particularly concerning, she notes, is the potential impact on the rural setting of Mary Arden’s Farm in Wilmcote - a site of immense historical and symbolic importance. Increased traffic, urban sprawl, flood risk, paved pathways and industrial infrastructure would erode the integrity of the landscape that allows visitors to imagine the lives of the women who shaped Shakespeare’s early world.
Once lost, that authenticity cannot be recreated. Professor Scheil concludes with a stark truth: once this rural character is sacrificed, it is gone forever. Bearley Wilmcote Action Group believes this international intervention should give decision- makers time to reflect. When scholars from across the Atlantic recognise the global importance of this countryside, it raises a fundamental question: if the world understands its value, why are we prepared to erase it?
This is not opposition to housing in principle. It is opposition to an ill-conceived development of unprecedented scale in a location of extraordinary heritage sensitivity. There are alternatives. What there is not, however, is a second Shakespearean landscape waiting to replace the one we would lose.
BWAG urges local councillors and planning authorities to reflect carefully before endorsing proposals that would irreversibly damage the countryside that inspired the world’s greatest playwright.
The world is watching.
And future generations will judge the choices we make today.
You can read the full text of Professor Schiel's letter here:
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 25th February 2026
Issued by: Janine Lee, Chair, Wilmcote Parish Council Contact:
Manuela Perteghella, Member of Parliament for Stratford-upon-Avon, attended the Wilmcote Parish Council meeting on 18 February 2026 to speak with residents about the proposed Bearley/Wilmcote site option within the South Warwickshire Local Plan and forthcoming Local Government Reorganisation.
The Parish Council was pleased to welcome the MP to a meeting attended by approximately 100 parishioners. During a 40-minute address, she outlined her concerns regarding the proposal to deliver up to 10,000 homes on land between Bearley and Wilmcote - a development that would effectively merge the two villages and extend to within 250 metres of the Bishopton roundabout in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Ms Perteghella emphasised that while development aligned with genuinely sustainable infrastructure can be appropriate, she is concerned about proposals that may place disproportionate pressure on rural railway stations within the Green Belt. She warned that such an approach risks overlooking the constraints of rural communities and could lead to the coalescence of distinct settlements in this case, Bearley and Wilmcote.
She stated that Wilmcote should not be treated as a major urban transport hub simply because it has a railway station. She highlighted several significant local constraints, including the single-track railway line, limited station facilities, absence of car parking, lack of step-free disabled access, limited funding for upgrades, constrained road infrastructure, Green Belt sensitivity and flood risk.
The MP also urged residents and the Parish Council to respond to the Government’s latest consultation on proposed amendments to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), particularly proposals that could designate communities with railway stations as “default” locations forsubstantial housing growth. She drew attention to the following consultation sections:
She stressed the importance of submitting objections to the proposed changes. The Chair has circulated guidance to assist residents in preparing responses via the BWAG WhatsApp group and the Parish Council website.
Ms Perteghella further expressed concern about proposals that may reduce the role of statutory consultees and specialist input in planning decisions, particularly in relation to flooding, ecology, heritage and infrastructure capacity.
When asked directly by the Chair whether she supported the campaign opposing the proposed development, Ms Perteghella confirmed that she did.
Our MP also explained Local Government Re-organisation and confirmed her preference for two unitary authorities (North and South Warwickshire. She encouraged parishioners to make their views known on the on-line consultation,
Support for the Bearley Wilmcote Action Group has also been reiterated by Thom Holmes, who in his January report to the Parish Council stated that he continues to oppose the Bearley-Wilmcote proposal and will maintain pressure as the Local Plan progresses.
Councillor Holmes has consistently raised the following concerns:
For these planning reasons, Councillor Holmes has stated that he does not believe Bearley and Wilmcote should be taken forward as a preferred settlement and will continue to argue strongly against the proposal.
Wilmcote Parish Council remains committed to representing the interests of parishioners and ensuring that local voices are clearly heard throughout the Local Plan process.
Right to left: Councillor Mike Seher, Chairwoman Janine Lee, Manuela Perteghella MP for Stratford upon Avon, Vice Chair Sarah Hession and at the rear Councillor Gavin Stewart.
The diversion route can be downloaded here:
A46_Closure_Stratford_-_Montel_-_Letter_to_Stakeholders_12.02.26_Page_2.pdf
Wilmcote C of E Primary School has a vacancy for a governor. Further information is available from . You can also visit the school website and read about our governors here https://www.wilmcoteprimary.org.uk/about-us/governors
that a casual vacancy has arisen in the Office of Councillor for the Parish of Wilmcote.
If by 16 February 2026 (14 days excluding Dies Non, after the date of this notice) a request for
an election to fill said vacancy is made in writing to the Returning Officer at the address below
by TEN electors for the said Parish, an election will be held to fill the said vacancy, otherwise the vacancy
will be filled by co-option.
If an election is called, it will take place no later than 22 April 2026.
Dated 27th January 2026
David Buckland
Returning Officer
Elizabeth House
Church Street
Stratford-upon-Avon
CV37 6HX
