Selling Land in Warwickshire

Warwickshire has five district and borough councils: North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick. Warwickshire County Council looks after highways, schools, minerals and waste. Decisions on housing applications are made by the five districts, and each one has, or is part of, its own local plan.

• Every council is building well. All five passed the Housing Delivery Test 2025 comfortably. Nuneaton and Bedworth delivered 221% of its requirement and Stratford-on-Avon 202%.
• No housing shortfall argument. Because delivery is so strong, a planning application on unallocated land is unlikely to succeed on housing numbers alone. Allocation in a plan is the usual route.
• Two plans in progress. Rugby submitted its new local plan for examination in April 2026, and Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick published their joint South Warwickshire Local Plan in July 2026.
• Green Belt in the north and west. The West Midlands Green Belt covers large parts of North Warwickshire and Warwick district, and reaches into Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth and the north of Stratford-on-Avon district.
• Strong transport links. The M6, M40, M42 and M69 cross the county, with the West Coast Main Line through Rugby and Nuneaton and the Chiltern line through Leamington and Warwick.

The West Midlands Green Belt

The Green Belt around Birmingham and Coventry was drawn to stop the conurbation spreading into the Warwickshire countryside and to keep towns such as Kenilworth, Coleshill and Warwick separate from it. Warwick's 2017 plan released some Green Belt land on the edge of Kenilworth and the southern edge of Coventry. Since December 2024, land that does not strongly contribute to Green Belt purposes can be treated as grey belt, and the Golden Rules then apply. Our grey belt guide explains the test in plain terms.

The Cotswolds National Landscape

The northern edge of the Cotswolds National Landscape reaches into the south of Stratford-on-Avon district, around the villages near Shipston-on-Stour and Long Compton. Major development inside a National Landscape is only allowed in exceptional circumstances, and land just outside it is still assessed for its effect on views. Most of Warwickshire lies outside any National Landscape, which is one reason the south of the county has taken so much growth.

Rivers and Flood Risk

The Warwickshire Avon runs through Rugby, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon, joined by the Leam at Leamington, the Stour at Stratford and the Arrow further west. The Tame and the Anker drain the north of the county. Riverside land in all these towns has flooded in the past. Fields with part of their area in Flood Zones 2 or 3 can still work, as long as the homes sit on the drier ground and the wetter land is used for open space and drainage. Our guide to flood risk and development land covers the sequential test.

Heritage

Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Kenilworth all have historic centres, castles and large conservation areas, and many villages in the south of the county have listed buildings and conservation areas of their own. A heritage asset nearby rarely rules a site out. It more often shapes how many homes fit and where they go.

HS2 and Infrastructure

The HS2 line crosses Warwickshire from the south of the county up through the Coleshill area. Land near the route can be affected by construction access, noise and changes to roads for some years. More generally, councils look closely at junction capacity on the M40 and M6 corridors, school places and water and sewage capacity. We look at all of this in our desktop review.

Warwickshire is a planning-led county. With every council over its target, the question for most fields is whether they can be put forward and supported through a plan. The main routes are:

1. The South Warwickshire Local Plan. For land in Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick districts, this is the main event. The examination will test the sites, and later reviews under the new system will look for more. Our guide to call for sites and local plans explains how land gets in.
2. The Rugby examination and after. Sites already in the Rugby plan will be tested at the hearings. Land that is not in it may still suit the next review, which will come under the 30-month system that started in March 2026.
3. Grey belt. In North Warwickshire, around Kenilworth and near the edge of Coventry, some Green Belt land may qualify as grey belt. Previously developed land in the Green Belt is often the strongest case.
4. Neighbourhood plans. Many Warwickshire parishes have neighbourhood plans, and some allocate small sites for housing.
5. Sites near stations. National policy now supports higher density homes within walking distance of well-connected stations. Whether a Warwickshire station qualifies depends on its service.

Put simply, Warwickshire rewards landowners who get involved early and stay involved. A field that misses one plan can often be put forward for the next, but that takes years and professional work. Under our agreements that cost sits with us, not with you. You can read more in our guide to option agreements.