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The developer of a site with permission for 15 self-build homes in Halford, near Stratford, wants to turn five of them into ordinary homes for sale, saying plots have sold much more slowly than expected. Application 26/02416/FUL, for land north of Idlicote Road, is out for comment until 26 November.
The total stays at 15. TAG Exclusive Properties Urban Ltd would build five market houses itself, with full permission, while the other ten remain self-build or custom-build plots. Self-build plots are sold for buyers to design and commission their own homes.
The developer’s case
Outline permission for 15 self-build homes already exists (21/03775/OUT), and the roads, drainage and landscaping have been approved in detail (25/01435/REM). The company’s planning consultants, Framptons, say market evidence shows the self-build model isn’t appealing to the mainstream market, partly because buyers are unsure when the site will be finished. Five finished homes would, they argue, show off what the plots could offer and help pay for the infrastructure.
They also point to the district’s housing land shortfall, and to the draft South Warwickshire Local Plan, which would allow self-build plots to go to the open market if they haven’t sold after 12 months of marketing.
The plans show homes of no more than two storeys with an 8m maximum ridge height, about 12 homes per hectare, and green space covering about 32% of the site, including public open space and a drainage pond near the entrance.
What others have said
- County flood officers object for now. Warwickshire County Council says the flood risk assessment and drainage details are insufficient, some plans are out of date and documents contradict each other. It wants one up-to-date set.
- Ward councillor: Cllr M Littlewood accepts no affordable homes can be required, but calls that “a missed opportunity”. The councillor says design and materials will be critical and has referred the application to the council’s gatekeepers, who decide whether applications meet the test for going to Planning Committee.
- District housing team: no objection, as long as a legal agreement secures the ten plots as self-build. Self-build is exempt from affordable housing rules, and five homes falls below the threshold of six.
- Public comments: one so far, an objection from a household opposite. It accepts homes on the site in principle, but worries the houses could change in position or appearance, look more like a conventional estate, and bring traffic and years of building work.
The applicant says the revised scheme was presented to Halford Parish Council by its chair in June, and that councillors will be offered a site walk. No parish council response was on the file when we checked.
What happens next
Neighbour and consultee replies are due by 17 November and the advertised consultation ends on 26 November. The council’s target for a decision is 26 January 2027. You can comment on the application page, and find other schemes near you with our Planning near me map.
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Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.
