RISING infrastructure costs have prompted a new public consultation on development plans for south west Rugby.
Rugby Borough Council (RBC) has launched a public consultation on an amended planning framework for the South West Rugby site, which has been earmarked for 5,000 new homes and 35 hectares of employment land.
A recent review showed contributions required from housing developers to deliver the site’s infrastructure had risen from just under £61.5million to more than £95million.
Costs of some infrastructure projects have also been revised after more detailed plans on design and delivery were developed.
The revised costs have required the council to formally amend the South West Rugby Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and launch a statutory four-week public consultation.
The council initially adopted the SPD in June 2021 to outline the design principles, infrastructure requirements and landscaping needs for the site, which was earmarked for 5,000 new homes and 35 hectares of employment land in the borough’s Local Plan 2011-2031.
Infrastructure in the masterplan SPD includes schools, health services, green spaces and a fire station, together with improvements to the transport network – including the South West Rugby Spine Road Network, which links the site to the A45/M45, the A426 and the B4642.
RBC’s growth and investment spokesperson Coun Ian Picker said: “The review of the site’s infrastructure costs involved detailed discussions between the council and a number of our public sector partners, including Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Police, and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
“The South West Rugby Masterplan SPD was drawn up to ensure such a significant development in the borough has the necessary infrastructure to support it, so we need to make sure the costings detailed in the document remain up to date, both to comply with national planning legislation and to ensure the council secures sufficient Section 106 infrastructure contributions from developers.”
The public consultation on the amended South West Rugby Masterplan SPD runs until 5pm on Monday February 12. Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/SWRugby for more information, or to take part in the consultation.
