Planning Authorities
Warwickshire County Council and 5 district and borough planning authorities
Two-tier planning system. Warwickshire County Council is the minerals and waste planning authority. The 5 district and borough councils below are the Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) for all other development - handling applications for housing, commercial and mixed use development. Stratford-on-Avon is one of the most complex planning environments in England given its outstanding Shakespeare heritage, Green Belt fringe and proximity to the Cotswolds AONB. North Warwickshire's eastern fringe is within the Birmingham Airport and NEC safeguarding zone.
Warwickshire County Council
Minerals and waste planning; highways authority; strategic infrastructure; education and transport planning
Warwickshire CC is the highways authority for the county road network. Pre-application consultation with WCC's highways team is recommended for any development generating significant traffic movements on county roads. WCC also manages the historic archive for planning history records and the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record (Historic Environment Record).
North Warwickshire Borough Council
Atherstone, Coleshill, Polesworth, Kingsbury - north Warwickshire; borders Birmingham, Solihull and Lichfield
North Warwickshire contains much of Warwickshire's Green Belt, which wraps around the Birmingham conurbation. Development on Green Belt land requires very special circumstances justification. Parts of the borough fall within Birmingham Airport's safeguarding zone. The borough sits astride the M42 with a major logistics corridor developing along the A5 and M6 Toll corridor.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council
Nuneaton, Bedworth, Bulkington - urban industrial borough; George Eliot country; strong housing demand
Nuneaton is the largest town in Warwickshire. The borough has strong demand for housing and is subject to significant growth allocation in the Local Plan. George Eliot's birthplace at Arbury is within the borough and Arbury Hall (Grade I) has significant estate and parkland heritage protections. The Coventry and Leicester Railway Canal is a heritage asset running through the area.
Rugby Borough Council
Rugby, Dunchurch, Long Lawford, Southam - logistics corridor; M45, M6 and A5; Rugby Radio Mast safeguarding
Rugby sits at the junction of M45, M6 and A5 making it a prime logistics location. The Hillmorton radio masts at Rugby (Ofcom licensed telecommunications infrastructure) affect certain development types near the site. Rugby School (Grade II*) and the town centre Conservation Area require heritage assessment for proposals in the historic core. The Oxford Canal runs through the borough and Canal and River Trust is a statutory consultee.
Stratford-on-Avon District Council
Stratford-upon-Avon, Henley-in-Arden, Shipston-on-Stour - Shakespeare Heritage, Cotswolds AONB fringe, rural south Warwickshire
Stratford-upon-Avon is one of the most heritage-sensitive planning environments in England. Shakespeare's Birthplace, Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Hall's Croft and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre are all within a densely protected historic town. The World Heritage Site nomination for Shakespeare's landscape is a material planning consideration. The southern part of the district borders the Cotswolds National Landscape. River Avon flood risk affects large areas of the town.
Warwick District Council
Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Whitnash - Warwick Castle, Kenilworth Castle, spa town heritage
Warwick District contains three of the county's most significant heritage assets - Warwick Castle (Grade I), Kenilworth Castle (English Heritage, Grade I scheduled) and the Royal Leamington Spa Regency townscape (Conservation Area and numerous Grade II* listed buildings). Development affecting the setting of Warwick Castle requires detailed heritage impact assessment and Historic England consultation. Leamington Spa has one of England's finest Regency streetscapes.
Building Control
Building Regulations approval and inspections across Warwickshire
District and Borough Building Control Services
Each of Warwickshire's 5 districts and boroughs operates its own building control service
North Warwickshire (01827 715341), Nuneaton and Bedworth (024 7637 6376), Rugby (01788 533533), Stratford-on-Avon (01789 267575) and Warwick (01926 450000) each operate their own local authority building control service. Registered Building Control Approvers (private inspectors) also operate across the county and are frequently used on larger schemes.
Heritage & Conservation
Historic England, Warwick Castle, Kenilworth Castle and Shakespeare's Birthplace
Historic England - Midlands
Statutory consultee for listed buildings, scheduled monuments and conservation areas across Warwickshire
Warwickshire has an exceptionally high concentration of Grade I and II* listed buildings relative to its size, reflecting the medieval and Georgian wealth of the county. The county has a Shakespeare World Heritage Site nomination under development. Historic England is a key statutory consultee for any development affecting the setting of Warwick Castle, Kenilworth Castle, Charlecote Park, Packwood House and Ragley Hall.
Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust
Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon - managing Shakespeare's Birthplace and four other Shakespeare properties
The Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust manages five Grade I listed Shakespeare properties in Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare's Birthplace, Anne Hathaway's Cottage (Shottery), Mary Arden's Farm (Wilmcote), Hall's Croft and Nash's House. Development within the setting of any of these properties requires Stratford-on-Avon DC's heritage team and Historic England consultation.
Warwick Castle
Castle Lane, Warwick - Grade I listed and Scheduled Monument; one of England's finest medieval castles above the River Avon
Warwick Castle sits above a prominent bend in the River Avon. Its registered parkland (designed partly by Capability Brown) has Grade II* registered garden status. Development affecting views of or from the Castle, or works within its registered parkland, requires Historic England's Midlands team engagement and Warwick DC heritage assessment.
Kenilworth Castle - English Heritage
Castle Road, Kenilworth - Grade I Scheduled Monument; one of England's largest ruined castles; Elizabethan gardens restored
Kenilworth Castle is managed by English Heritage. Development affecting its setting, including new housing in Kenilworth town, routinely requires Historic England consultation due to the castle's prominence and the importance of key views. The surrounding Kenilworth Conservation Area is managed by Warwick DC.
Environment & Waterways
River Avon flood risk, River Leam, Draycote Water and Warwickshire's ecological networks
Environment Agency - Midlands
River Avon, River Leam and River Swift flood risk; abstraction licensing and environmental permitting
The River Avon through Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick carries significant Flood Zone 2 and 3 risk, particularly in the town centres. Development in flood risk areas requires a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) and the EA's sequential and exceptions tests apply. The River Leam through Leamington Spa also carries localised flood risk. Flood risk mapping should be checked at the planning stage for all riverside and low-lying sites.
Natural England - Midlands
Cotswolds National Landscape (south fringe), SSSIs including Draycote Meadows and Ryton Wood
The Cotswolds National Landscape covers a narrow strip of south Warwickshire. Ryton Wood NNR near Coventry is an ancient semi-natural woodland SSSI. Draycote Water (Severn Trent reservoir) and the surrounding Draycote Meadows SSSI are significant ecological assets in Rugby borough. Great crested newts, bats and otters are commonly encountered in Warwickshire ecological surveys.
Utilities & Infrastructure
Water, electricity, gas and strategic road network serving Warwickshire
Severn Trent Water
Water supply and sewerage across Warwickshire
National Grid Electricity Distribution - West Midlands
Electricity distribution across Warwickshire - formerly Western Power Distribution
Cadent Gas - West Midlands
Gas distribution network across Warwickshire
National Highways - M40, M42 and A46
Warwickshire motorway and trunk road network - M40 (London-Birmingham), M42 (M40-M6), A46 Coventry-Stratford
The M40 enters Warwickshire near Gaydon (Heritage Motor Centre) and runs to the Birmingham boundary. The M42 connects the M40 to the M6 Toll through North Warwickshire. The A46 dual carriageway runs Coventry-Stratford and is a National Highways-managed trunk road. Development generating significant additional traffic on these routes requires a Transport Assessment with National Highways statutory consultation.
Trade Bodies
Key construction industry organisations serving Warwickshire
Federation of Master Builders - Midlands
Representing SME builders across Warwickshire
NHBC (National House Building Council)
New home warranty and building standards inspection across Warwickshire
LABC (Local Authority Building Control)
Building control warranty services across Warwickshire's district and borough councils
Other Key Contacts
MOD Kineton, Heritage Motor Centre and Warwickshire-specific development considerations
MOD Kineton - Defence Infrastructure Organisation
MOD Kineton, Warwickshire - Army munitions depot; safeguarding consultation for surrounding areas
MOD Kineton is a major Army munitions base near Shipston-on-Stour in south Warwickshire. Development within the Consultation Zone around MOD Kineton - particularly residential development and schools - may require Defence Infrastructure Organisation consultation. The base's presence affects land use in the surrounding rural area.
Heritage Motor Centre - Gaydon
Gaydon, Warwickshire - national collection of British cars; adjacent to Aston Martin and JLR sites
The Gaydon area, including the Heritage Motor Centre, Aston Martin's global HQ and Jaguar Land Rover's Gaydon engineering centre, is a significant automotive cluster. Development proposals in this area are handled by Stratford-on-Avon DC and should consider the proximity of these major employment generators.