Richborough Land Development Proposal

Birmingham-based land agents Richborough Estates are consulting about “outline plans” for a large scale development on fields to the east and west of Sandy Lane in Blackdown.

This area is part of the West Midlands Green Belt; intended to prevent the merging of smaller towns with Coventry and the West Midlands.  Old Milverton & Blackdown Joint Parish Council has already been in touch with Richborough to point out why development in this area should not be permitted. The main reasons are:

• The green belt land in this area meets the five purposes of green belt defined by the government, so it should be kept as such.
• South Warwickshire’s housing need can be met without building on the green belt.
• The area is not a sustainable location as the transport infrastructure is not present and cannot be developed due to the constraints of the road network in Leamington town centre.

Richborough say that they are seeking views before putting forward a planning application. Any application at this stage would be speculative and NOT part of the South Warwickshire Local Plan preferred option (the SWLP team is still working on this).  

According to their website, Richborough’s concern is to unlock land for development, maximising return for landowners.

Old Milverton & Blackdown Joint Parish Council will be seeking more information and responding to Richborough’s survey at https://richborough-blackdown.co.uk 

We will keep you updated but please email theclerk@ombparish.gov.uk if you want to get in touch with us about this matter.

25/11/2025