In preparing the Plan the Council has taken into account the Policy of Others:

• National Planning Policy laid out in Government advice and guidance, in particular the development of sustainable communities, achieving quality outcomes from the Planning process and integrating land use planning and wider community objectives. 
  
• West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy, in particular the regeneration of the Metropolitan area and growth restraint beyond; supporting rural communities and their range of services; achieving an integrated, multi-modal transport system; protecting natural, historic and cultural assets and recognising local distinctiveness.
• Warwickshire Structure Plan which provides targets for the Plan period for new housing, affordable housing and industrial land and again achieving the balance between protecting the countryside and developing sustainable settlements. North Warwickshire Community Plan and the community's recognition of the value of small local communities, their identity and the facilities that serve them; reversing the decline of community life; growth but not at the expense of the rural character of North Warwickshire and finally social inclusion. 

During preparation of the Local Plan the 2004 Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act came in to force which made the Regional Spatial Strategy part of the Development Plan. In the West Midlands the RPG was approved in June 2004 and on commencement of the Act in September 2004 it became the RSS for the West Midlands and therefore part of the Development Plan for the Borough. This Local Plan has been complied primarily in response to the WASP under the old regulations with an end date of 2011. However where possible the Local Plan has also taken on board the RSS as well as incorporating latest Government guidance. 

Perhaps the most significant change from the last Plan is in Housing where the Urban Capacity Study has led to the allocation of a number of new sites for development, to provide for affordable housing. The sustainability appraisal has helped locate these sites in main settlements and where local services are available. (The Urban Capacity Study was published as a background paper to the Local Plan). In the area of Environment, and in the drive for more sustainable development, the policies continue to focus on development restraint with greater emphasis on bringing remote worn out industrial sites back into countryside uses. In Transport, the need to achieve sustainability leads towards policies that favour public transport, walking and cycling to serve the movement needs of development. Consultation with local communities has consistently drawn attention to the high value placed on local facilities; Community Facilities policies seek to protect these assets. Finally towns have been recognised as important service centres for the wider rural areas of the Borough. In the Economy chapter the new Plan promotes policies in a number of areas to develop the viability and vitality of these towns. 

Figures 1 and 2, show the location of North Warwickshire and the towns, villages and employment centres within the Borough. 

This Plan is structured starting with a Plan Strategy and over arching Core Policies, which have shaped the approach. A series of topic chapters follow which give a snapshot of the local situation, the planning policies of others, an assessment of local needs and opportunities, and then the individual policies with their justifications and details of how the Plan will be monitored. 

A feature of the Plan preparation, already acknowledged by Government, is the joint consultation carried out to develop this Plan and The Community Plan. This document is also being produced at a time of Government-led change in the Plan making process. It is hoped that the consultation undertaken, the statement of public involvement, overarching strategy and core policies, integration of plan issues around the aims of the Community Plan, the sustainability appraisal and linkages to Economic Strategy and so on will demonstrate a useful transition in Statutory Plan making. 

A list of all North Warwickshire Borough Council planning documents is given on the Council's Web site: www.NorthWarks.gov.uk, and these are available for purchase at the Council House, South Street, Atherstone, Warwickshire. CV9 1BG. The Forward Planning Section can be contacted by email at LocalPlans@NorthWarks.gov.uk and by telephone on 01827 719250 / 499. 

This Local Plan is available on the Council’s website and copies are also available in local libraries throughout the Borough:

The statutory Development Plan comprises of the following documents: 

1. North Warwickshire Local Plan, adopted July 2006
2. Regional Spatial Strategy for the West Midlands 2005
3. Warwickshire Structure Plan (WASP), adopted August 2001
4. Minerals Local Plan for Warwickshire, adopted February 1995
5. Waste Local Plan for Warwickshire, adopted August 1999