WILLOUGHBY
Parish
Council
Rugby Borough Council Local Plan - Update (2)
20 December 2025
Posted:
The Consultation paper for the new Regulation 19 version of the Local Plan was uploaded on Friday, 19 December to the RBC website, together with the agenda, for the RBC Cabinet Meeting, on Friday 6 January 2026. Lodge Farm has not been allocated in the new version of the Plan. This is really great news for the thousands of people who campaigned against it as being a ‘reasonable alternative scenario’.
If you click on the link at the bottom of this news item (click Read More), it will take you to the Consultation paper - all 469 pages of it! Information about why Lodge Farm has not been allocated (it is now an omission site) is on pages 181 - 183, so an easy read. There is also more detailed information in Appendix 12 pages 453 - 467 which brings together most of the points made by campaigners during the consultation.
Key points about Lodge Farm (Site 73):
Summary of community feedback
240 representations were made by individuals referring to this omission site;
A further 2069 hard-copy letters were received from ‘Stand against Lodge Farm’; and
469 hard copy letters from Action for Dunchurch
A total of 2,778 objections. As a community, we/SALFV did incredibly well in getting so many objection letters signed and delivered to RBC and the number sent in by individuals and Action for Dunchurch are very welcome additions. Many points were raised against any inclusion of Lodge Farm in the new plan but, most importantly, the following:
Issue Raised by campaigners - Significant impacts on traffic and road safety as well as increased air pollution
Planning Officer Response
The Strategic Transport Assessment (STA) has modelled the inclusion of Lodge Farm as a reasonable alternative. It concludes that a significant amount of highways mitigation would be required, with likely development viability concerns. Furthermore, it concludes it is undesirable to increase traffic flows to Dunchurch crossroads given existing capacity issues. This is part of the reason we do not propose to include this site as an allocation.
Issue Raised by campaigners - Unsustainable, isolated location with lack of potential to promote active travel or reduce use of the private car
Planning Officer Response
The Stage 2 Site Assessment notes the site’s current poor accessibility for non-car modes, and likely mitigation requirements for the highway network are noted above.
Many of the other issues raised in the objection letters are also noted and officer responses given.