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The deadline for responses to the South Warwickshire Local Plan has now passed, after Stratford District Council and Warwick District Council completed their public consultation of Part 1 of the plan on 7th March. Within the plan, 14 sites around Shipston have been identified as potential development areas for approximately 3,000 houses.

The Town Council has objected strongly to the level of landowner/developer proposed development, mainly on the grounds of inadequate existing infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Save Our Shipston campaign has been working hard to help residents understand the potential impacts of the proposed development plan and encouraging people to submit their personal responses.

“We now await a decision at the end of the year to determine whether Stratford and Warwickshire District Councils will be persuaded that Shipston is not an appropriate site for such a large-scale development,” said a spokesperson.

Cllr Paul Tesh explains the procedure and the Town Council response on page 3 of The Shipston Forum while Save our Shipston sets out how they have campaigned on page 8.

The NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has announced that there will be no beds at the Ellen Badger hospital in Shipston.

Following a decision made at an ICB Board meeting on 19th March, the 35 community rehabilitation beds in South Warwickshire will be permanently located at two sites, Leamington Spa Hospital and Stratford Hospital – a continuation of current arrangements, which have been in place since works began at the Ellen Badger in January 2022.

This went against the very clear preference of the town and surrounding area. Responses to the six-week consultation process showed 82% in favour of having beds in three hospitals including Shipston’s Ellen Badger.

The ICB has recognised the need for a wider consideration of health services for rural communities and will now adopt a “whole system approach to engagement with communities, prioritising rural communities initially.”

The Beds for Badger organising committee has responded by saying: “We must now use this opportunity to get the focus on patient-centred care in our rural community.”

The ICB Board and NHS provider SWFT will now work in partnership to develop a full implementation plan. Read more about the Beds for Badger Campaign’s reaction on page 5 of the Shipston Forum.

The Shipston-on-Stour Branch of the Royal British Legion will be supporting the town council in celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe on Thursday, 8th May.

Throughout the day, there will be a variety of town activities, such as:

0800 - Proclamation in the town square

0900 - Flag raising and small ceremony at the Gyratory

1200-1400 - Lunch at the Warm Hub (Scout Hut)

1500 - Declaration by Sir Winston Churchill 1530 - Shop window decoration competition.

1800 - Party at Low Furlong (Food, Bar, Music)

2030 - Music at the Beacon

2130 - Lighting of the Beacon

This will be a great occasion for the town to come together and celebrate in the spirit of 1940s Britain! We look forward to seeing you all on the day. And there’s more to come as well, so stay tuned!

If you’re interested in coming to the VE Day celebratory lunch at the Warm Hub from 12 noon to 2pm on 8th May, please let Rowena Webb know as soon as possible on 07967 479375 as spaces are limited. Alistair Watkins Secretary, Royal British Legion, Shipston branch.

Consultation is now ongoing on the emerging Local Plan for South Warwickshire that is being prepared jointly by Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick District Councils. The Local Plan sets out the strategic vision, objectives and spatial strategy for the South Warwickshire area as well as the planning policies that will determine the future location, scale, type and design of new development up to 2050.

It will, according to the online consultation document, ‘set out the overall strategy for the pattern, scale and design quality of places within South Warwickshire, and make sufficient provision for housing, employment, retail, leisure and other commercial development, along with infrastructure, community facilities, conservation and enhancement of the natural, built and historic environment and planning measures to address climate change mitigation and adaptation.’

A group called SOS! Save Our Shipston! has been set up and is encouraging as many people as possible to take part in the consultation. The group has set out more details, including the five main policies underpinning the plan, and how to respond, on page 8 of the March Forum. The deadline for responses is Friday 7th March.

The past two months have seen intense scrutiny of local healthcare options as the consultation over beds in the Ellen Badger Hospital got underway, including an event in town.

Feedback on the consultation is now expected around 6th March, with a decision on the issue at the board meeting of the Integrated Care Board on 19th March.

This will be keenly awaited by many in town, not least the Beds for Badger campaign, who brought along Baxter the camel to make their point outside the January meeting of the adult care and health overview and scrutiny committee at the Warwick Shire Hall.

The striking appearance of the two-humped ship(ston?) of the desert helped attract coverage in local press and television.