The circa 7.73 hectare (ha) site is located on the eastern edge of Radford Semele within the authority of Warwick District Council. The site is bound by Southam Road to the north, the existing settlement to the west, a large residential property to the east and open fields to the south.
The site consists of a large agricultural field which is utilised for arable farming and as such is of relatively low biodiversity value. Higher value habitats including mature trees and hedgerows enclose the site on the north, east and western edges, and a public right of way runs along the southern and western boundaries. The development proposals will retain existing mature trees and the majority of hedgerows, alongside additional new planting.
The site is approximately 500m from the local centre of Radford Semele, which contains a community centre, pub, small shops, church and recreation ground. The site is approximately 3km from the centre of Leamington Spa, with regular bus services to Leamington Spa running from Southam Road.
Taylor Wimpey was formed by the merger of George Wimpey and Taylor Woodrow in 2007. With a history dating back to the 19th Century, Taylor Wimpey is one of the largest homebuilders in the UK. Our aim is to be the nation’s leading residential developer for creating value and delivering quality. We are passionate about working with local people, businesses, local authorities and our customers to build aspirational homes.
Find you more about Taylor Wimpey at www.taylorwimpey.co.uk.
Taylor Wimpey is preparing an outline planning application for a sustainable new neighbourhood at the site south of Southam Road, including:
- Approximately 140 high-quality family homes in a range of sizes and styles.
- Up to 40% of the new homes will be affordable including shared ownership homes for first time buyers.
- Scope to provide accessible homes for local people looking to downsize.
- A significant proportion of the site retained as extensive landscaped open space including biodiversity areas.
- A range of outdoor recreational facilities including children’s play areas, community garden/orchard, and a network of new walking routes, as well as pedestrian connections to existing rights of way nearby.
- A development shaped by existing field patterns, with the retention of existing trees and the majority of hedgerows wherever possible, bolstered by extensive new planting to significantly increase tree cover across the site.
- Potential investment to support local infrastructure, in important areas such as healthcare and education.
Local planning authorities are required by the Government to update their local plans every five years. The current development plan for Warwick District was adopted in September 2017 and has now fallen significantly out of date. Warwick District Council has acknowledged its need to prepare a new local plan which it is preparing jointly with Stratford-on-Avon District Council through the emerging new South Warwickshire Local Plan.
The site is located outside the green belt and occupies a highly sustainable location on the edge of the settlement boundary of Radford Semele. As such, it is being promoted through the emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan.
Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) announced by the Government in late 2024 has significantly increased the number of homes Warwick District will need to deliver, from 653 to 1,062 homes per year.
In light of the significantly increased housing targets for the district, Taylor Wimpey is preparing outline plans for the site alongside the ongoing process of preparing the local plan. This will help to ensure the delivery of homes at an early stage in the plan period, assisting Warwick District Council in maintaining housing supply to meet identified needs.
An outline planning application establishes the broad principles of development, such as access arrangements, illustrative concept layout, number of homes and general extent of development.
If outline planning consent is granted, a detailed planning application called a reserved matters planning application would be prepared. This would include more detail such as architecture, materials, detailed layout and landscaping, and would be subject to further consultation with the local community before being submitted for determination. Both outline and reserved matters planning applications are subject to statutory consultation carried out by the local planning authority (Warwick District Council).
Up to 40% of the new homes proposed for Radford Semele will be affordable homes. This will include a mix of homes for social rent and shared ownership homes for first time buyers.
At Taylor Wimpey, our purpose is to build great homes and create thriving communities. We are embedding sustainability across our business, delivering high-quality homes and places where customers can enjoy a good quality of life and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
It is envisaged that our new neighbourhood in Radford Semele will provide homes built to the Future Homes Standard. This will see all homes equipped with air source heat pumps, PV (solar) panels, EV charging infrastructure and very high standards of insulation.
From the outset, the development has been landscape-led, being shaped as much as possible by existing landscape features such as hedgerows, trees and field patterns. Existing trees and hedgerows will be retained wherever possible, with proposed access off Southam Road to be informed by a detailed tree survey, minimising any vegetation loss. In addition, there will be extensive planting of new trees, significantly increasing tree cover across the site.
Flood risk from all sources is deemed to be low. The site area is located in Flood Zone 1 of the Environment Agencies flood map for planning, meaning it is at the lowest risk from flooding and is acceptable for housing development. Surface water drainage will be managed by a sustainable drainage system (SuDS), incorporating an attenuation basin located to the south of the development.
The basin will be designed with soft slopes. Fencing around the basin could be considered at the detailed design stage if required. In addition to managing surface water drainage, the basin will also provide new wetland habitat, contributing to biodiversity enhancements on the site.
Vehicular access to the site will be taken from Southam Road through the creation of a new priority junction access. This junction and the visibility splays have been designed in accordance with the prevailing speed of traffic which was recorded via a recent automatic traffic survey. 85th percentile speeds have been used to inform the visibility splays.
The development will seek to deliver a new pedestrian footway along the southern side of Southam Road to connect to the existing footpath network. In addition, existing rights of way onto Southam Road and west onto Lewis Road provide easy access to local facilities and existing public transport services.
Any traffic impact of the proposed development is being tested in accordance with Warwickshire County Council’s requirements. The test will assess the development’s impact across the local and wider highway network. It is expected that whilst direct mitigation is unlikely to be triggered, the development will generate investment into local highway infrastructure improvements, to mitigate the cumulative impact of development, in accordance with the Warwick District Infrastructure Delivery Plan.
There are existing public rights of way running along the western boundary of the site, and across the site from west to east. These will be retained with the potential to provide pedestrian links from the new neighbourhood to connect with this existing rights of way network.
A key consideration with a planning proposal such as this is to ensure that local services receive the investment they need to accommodate housing growth in the local area. The development will generate investment into local infrastructure such as healthcare and education, and investments made will be informed by consultation carried out by Warwick District Council with statutory bodies such as the local NHS Integrated Care Board and the local education authority. Investments will be secured via a legally-binding agreement (called a Section 106 agreement) between Taylor Wimpey and the council. A proportion of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) generated by the development will also be paid directly to Radford Semele Parish Council for investment into local projects.
Following this consultation, we will review all feedback comments submitted before finalising an outline planning application.
We will then submit an outline planning application for our proposed development to Warwick District Council. Our consultation website will be updated with information about the submitted plans and email notifications will be sent to all who have opted-in to receive them advising of the outline planning submission.
Once the outline planning application has been submitted and registered by Warwick District Council, the council will carry out statutory consultation on the plans, seeking feedback from statutory bodies such as Radford Semele Parish Council, the local NHS Integrated Care Board, education providers and highways authorities, as well as members of the public.
The council will then make a decision on our outline planning application.
We want to ensure that the emerging proposals align as much as possible with the priorities and aspirations of the local community in Radford Semele.
We have launched a dedicated consultation website, www.twsouthamroad.co.uk, which provides an opportunity for local residents to view and help shape the proposed development and to provide feedback on local priorities and aspirations for new homes, open spaces and community investment.
As well as this online consultation, we are also presenting the proposals at a consultation drop-in exhibition. This will provide an opportunity for members of the community, including those who have limited access to the internet, to learn about our plans , speak to members of the project team and provide feedback.
The details of the consultation exhibition are as follows:
Date: Thursday 17th July 2025
Venue: Baptist Church Hall, Lewis Road, Radford Semele, CV31 1UQ
Time: 2pm – 7pm
If local residents have any queries, please contact our consultation team on 01225 667097 or hello@twsouthamroad.co.uk.