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Local Plan review Preferred Options consultation

Help us update your Local Plan

The Local Plan sets out planning policies and proposals for new development to make sure the Rugby Borough is a great place to live, work and do business.

It is prepared in consultation with residents, businesses and other stakeholders.

Councils must review their Local Plan every five years. Rugby borough’s current plan was approved in 2019.

The Local Plan defines many things, including:
  • where housing can be built.
  • which land can be used to provide employment.
  • how vital infrastructure needs can be met, such as schools, green spaces, health care facilities and transport links.
  • how the borough will mitigate and adapt to climate change.

What is the Preferred Option?

The Preferred Option Consultation Document sets out a proposed development strategy for the borough for the period 2024-2045. This identifies what development and land use should go where. It also includes draft development management policies to be used for determining planning applications, including policies to tackle issues we identified in the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation in October 2023.  

This Preferred Option Consultation Document has been shaped by:
  • your feedback to the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation (Oct 23- Feb 24).
  • land submitted to us through the call for sites (Oct 23-Feb 24) or identified from other sources.
  • changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the latest being December 2024.
  • new technical evidence on a range of topics.
View the preferred options consultation document
Documents informing the Preferred Options consultation document
The borough's current Local Plan
Information on the Issues and Options consultation

Summary of key points

  • Much of the housing needed for the new plan period up to 2045 already has planning permission or was allocated in the 2019 plan. This includes new homes at the large sites of Houlton, South West Rugby and Eden Park.
  • Additional land is needed for around a further circa 3500 homes.  The preferred strategy to accommodate these is a more dispersed approach with smaller and medium sized sites at Rugby and at villages with existing facilities and services such as schools, shops, and businesses. New development will also provide enhance facilities in some locations. The largest housing allocations outside Rugby are at Wolvey, Brinklow and Long Lawford.
  • New employment sites have been identified with a range of employment types accommodated.  These are located alongside existing employment sites and close to the workforces in Rugby and Coventry.
  • A site for a new secondary school is identified north-east of Rugby.
  • Three new country parks are identified as part of proposed development allocations - one at Wolvey, one at South West Rugby, and one at Ryton-on-Dunsmore.

Alternative development strategies

The interim Sustainability Appraisal Report outlines alternative options that were considered to accommodate the additional new homes needed, and why these alternatives do not form part of the preferred options.

How to have your say

Rugby Borough Council is consulting on the Preferred Option Consultation Document from 24 March 2025 until 5pm on 19 May 2025.

A copy of the Preferred Option Consultation Document and related evidence is available to download. You can also view our policies map.

Hard copies of the draft plan are also available to view at:
  • Rugby Borough Council’s offices, Town Hall, Evreux Way, Rugby, CV12 2RR. 
  • Rugby Library and Information Centre, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ. 
  • Dunchurch Community Library, The Green, Dunchurch, Rugby, CV22 6PA. 
  • Wolston Library & Information Centre, Manor Estate, Wolston, CV8 3GX.
We encourage you to give us your views via the online questionnaire.  Alternatively, comments may be made:
  1. By email to localplan@rugby.gov.uk with ‘Preferred Option Consultation’ in the subject line, or
  2. by post to:
Preferred Option Consultation,
Development Strategy Team,
Town Hall,
Evreux Way
Rugby
CV21 2RR

Please include the relevant policy reference with any comments, so that we can fully understand and consider them.  Please note, if you submit a response by email you should not submit a paper copy as well. We cannot accept anonymous comments so a full name and postal address must be supplied with email and postal comments.

Consultation responses may be made available for public inspection and will be processed in line with the council’s privacy notice.

How to find out more

To support the public consultation, we have arranged a number of consultation events where you can drop-in and speak to council officers about the Preferred Option Consultation Document.  
 

Online events


Date Time Location
10 April 1pm - 2pm Virtual Q and A
Join this event on MS Teams

In person drop-in events


There will be a brief presentation at 6pm, repeated at 7pm, at each drop-in event.

Date Time Location
2 April 6pm - 8pm Knightlow CE Primary School, Hill Crescent, Stretton-on-Dunsmore
3 April 6pm - 8pm Dunchurch Baptist Church, Coventry Road, Dunchurch, CV22 6RF
7 April 6pm - 8pm Townsend Memorial Hall, 1 Lilbourne Road, Clifton upon Dunsmore
8 April 5pm - 7pm Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ
This drop-in event has been replaced by the event at the BENN Hall.
9 April 6pm - 8pm Rokeby Room, BENN Hall, Evreux Way, Rugby, CV21 2LN
2 May 6pm - 8pm Long Lawford Lighthouse, School Street, Long Lawford
6 May 6pm - 8pm Brinklow Community Hall, 43 Broad Street, Brinklow, CV23 0LS
8 May 6pm - 8pm Wolvey Village Hall, The Square, Wolvey, LE10 3LJ
Frequently asked questions on the Preferred Options consultation document

The review process

Local Plan preferred options consultation