THE NEW blueprint for Rugby’s homes, jobs, infrastructure, and green spaces for the next 16 years is out for public consultation.
Rugby Borough Council (RBC) has launched a final round of public consultation on its new Local Plan, giving residents and businesses the chance to comment on the draft strategy for the future growth of the borough.
The Regulation 19 consultation is the final stage of public engagement before the Plan is submitted to an independent Planning Inspector for examination.
The new Local Plan will guide where new homes, jobs, infrastructure, and green spaces will be located across Rugby up to 2042.
The council has made a number of changes to the Plan since a Preferred Option consultation held in spring 2025.
They include the addition of further housing sites in Rugby town centre, Long Lawford, Wolston and Binley Woods.
Housing sites around Dunchurch and in the Rainsbrook Valley at Hillmorton have been removed, and a new policy regarding the Rainsbrook Valley landscape has been introduced.
The number of houses allocated for Brinklow, Wolvey and Stretton-on-Dunsmore has been reduced.
And the employment allocation at Ryton-on-Dunsmore has been removed, replaced by an alternative site at Walsgrave Hill which includes a blue-light route for ambulances to University Hospital Coventry.
The council says the Plan will ensure growth happens ‘in the right places and in a way that protects what matters most to local communities’.
The Plan has been shaped by extensive public feedback over the past two years, with the Council prioritising the regeneration of brownfield land, strengthening protections for villages and key landscapes, and removing sites that were found to be undeliverable or unsustainable.
An RBC spokesperson said: “The draft Plan sets out a clear vision for a greener, healthier, and better-connected Rugby, with new walking and cycling links and climate-friendly building standards. It focuses on directing most development towards Rugby Town and other sustainable locations close to services and public transport.”
Coun Michael Moran, Leader of Rugby Borough Council, said: “This is a vital moment for Rugby’s future. The Local Plan gives us stronger control over where development goes, helps us protect our countryside and villages, and ensures growth comes with the infrastructure communities need.
“Your feedback at this stage will be passed directly to the Planning Inspector and will help shape the decisions made at examination. We look forward to working together to shape the future of our borough.”
Coun Jerry Roodhouse, Chair of RBC’s Town Centre Working Group, said: “A strong Local Plan is about more than meeting housing targets. It’s about shaping places where people want to live, work, shop, and spend time.
“This draft Plan sets out a clear framework for supporting sustainable growth, protecting what makes Rugby special while creating conditions for communities and local businesses to thrive.”
Information sessions will be held at Coton Park and Newton on February 5, Brinklow on February 6, Wolvey on February 10, Clifton and Houlton on February 12, Long Lawford on February 24, Wolston and Stretton on February 25, and Rugby town on March 4.
Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/proposed-submission-local-plan for more information, to book places at the information sessions, to review the Plan in full, or to take part in the consultation which runs until Friday March 13.
