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  • Welcome
  • About the Site
  • Our Vision
  • Our Proposals
  • Technical Delivery
  • Sustainability
  • Application and Timeline
  • FAQs
  • Useful Links
  • Submit Your Feedback
  • About Catesby Estates

Welcome

Thank you for visiting our consultation website to find out more about our proposals.

Catesby Estates is committed to supporting the delivery of new housing and is preparing an outline planning application for residential development and public open space at Land West of Barby Lane, Hillmorton.

This website provides an overview of the emerging proposals and an opportunity for you to share your comments on the outline scheme as part of the pre-application consultation, ahead of submitting an outline planning application to Rugby Borough Council.

Our vision is to plan a high quality, sustainable and well connected development providing a range of house types and sizes, including much needed affordable housing.

Housing Targets

These proposals are being brought forward at the time of a well-recognised national housing crisis and an imperative to deliver significant more homes across the country.

The Government published an updated National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024 and new mandatory housing targets for each Local Planning Authority to boost the supply of housing.

This has resulted in a significant increase in the housing targets for Rugby District Council.

The aim is to deliver at least 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.

To achieve this, each Local Planning Authority is required to have enough sites ready for development to meet their identified housing target for a minimum of 5 years. 

Rugby Borough Council is unable to provide a 5-year housing land supply and have a housing shortfall.

Latest figures derived from a Planning Inspector’s appeal decision dated 13th March 2026 found the Council could only show 3.4 years supply of housing sites. This triggers the presumption in favour of sustainable development and also indicates that additional suitable sites for new homes are required..

The Council are progressing with the emerging Local Plan, which will cover the period between 2025-2042. This Plan was submitted for examination to the Planning Inspectorate in April 2026 and is anticipated for adoption by June 2027.

The emerging Local Plan requires provision to be made for 10,812 new homes by 2042. Sites for new homes in this plan are focused on Rugby, which will accommodate at least 75% of new housing 2025-2042.

This is why this proposal is coming forward now.

About the Site

The site is located immediately adjacent to the southern settlement edge of Hillmorton, to the west of Barby Lane.

It comprises of 6.05 acres (2.45 hectres) of agricultural land that wraps around the farmyard and associated agricultural buildings of Waldins Farm.

The site is within easy walking distance (between 0.5km and 1km) to a good range of local services and facilities, including supermarkets, local shops, primary and secondary schools and Hillmorton community centre.

The site is crossed by a Public Right of Way (PRoW) route aligned north to south. To the north the footpath connects with Ashlawn Road where the nearest bus stops are located.

The bus stops on Ashlawn Road are served by the 86 and D1 services. The D1 operates hourly services between Rugby, Daventry and Northampton, with a pick up at Rugby Train Station. The 86 Service operates between Coventry and Ashlawn School via Rugby Town Centre.

The closest rail station is Rugby Station approximately 3km northwest of the site. The station is accessible by local bus services and offers services to London, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Preston and Manchester Piccadilly.


 

Our Vision

We aim to deliver a diverse range of new homes, including affordable housing, all designed to meet high sustainability standards. The development will be set within attractive green spaces and well connected to existing local facilities and services.

The landscaped spaces that surround the proposed new homes provide a variety of open spaces, including formal and informal green space, for recreation and for nature. 

Existing trees and hedgerows will be retained where possible, and enhanced through new planting to strengthen the existing natural features of the site.

Areas have also been incorporated through the site to provide space for play and recreation as part of encouraging healthy and active lifestyle

The following sections outline the emerging proposals in more detail.

We encourage you to share your views using the online feedback survey in the FEEDBACK section of the website.

New Homes
Affordable Housing
Public Open Space
Walking and Cycling

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Our Proposals

The development of the site at Land West of Barby Lane, Hillmorton would create a desirable and sustainable new neighbourhood that supports the health and well-being of residents.

The proposed development will be brought forward through an outline planning application with all matters reserved (excluding access) to the Council.

Outline planning applications seek to establish whether the scale and nature of a proposed development would be acceptable to the Local Planning Authority, before a fully detailed proposal is put forward.

A Reserved Matters application typically includes information on the layout, landscaping and appearance of the development.

Local residents and statutory consultees (for example the Environment Agency and the Highway Authority) will also have the opportunity to formally comment on the application once it is submitted and registered with Rugby Borough Council.

Whilst the detailed design of the site would be determined at the Reserved Matters planning stage, we have produced a Development Concept Plan which establishes key principles for the delivery of the new neighbourhood in line with the vision. 

Future applications will be submitted once planning permission is granted and will provide details of landscape, scale, appearance and layout (the Reserved Matters).

In summary the proposals provide:

  • Up to 40 new homes including bungalows and a mix of 1-4 bedroom homes
  • 30% Affordable housing
  • Areas of new landscaped open green space, managed for amenity and biodiversity gains
  • Children’s play areas promoting outdoor activity and natural play.
  • Public open space including natural green spaces, with a range of formal and informal footpath routes to connect into the wider network and existing Public Right of Way.
Draft Masterplan

Technical Delivery

As part of our proposals, we work with specialist consultants to carefully assess the site and make sure it can be technically delivered. This includes looking at things like drainage, ecology and highways.

Highways And Access
Ecology
Archaeology And Heritage
Flooding And Drainage
Noise

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Sustainability

New and existing homes account for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.

Building sustainability is a key feature of delivering new homes.

The final design of the new homes would be submitted at a later date, should outline planning permission be granted, however, the broad principles for sustainability are outlined below:

Application and Timeline

We will be submitting an outline planning application with all matters reserved (excluding access).

Outline planning applications seek to establish whether the scale and nature of a proposed development would be acceptable to the Local Planning Authority, before a fully detailed proposal is put forward.

Where outline permission has been granted, an application for the outstanding reserved matters can be submitted. This will typically include information about the layout, landscape and appearance of the development.

Statutory consultees (eg. Environment Agency, Highways England, Natural England and Parish Councils) and local residents will also have the opportunity to formally comment on our application once submitted and registered with the Council.

Should planning permission be granted
Consultation - Summer 2026
Submission of application - Autumn 2026
Determination of application at planning committee - Spring 2027
Should planning permission be granted
Sale to housebuilder or developer - Summer 2027
Reserved Matters Application by Housebuilder of Developer - Winter 2027

FAQs

Whether you’re curious about how land promotion works, want to know what to expect during the planning stages, or are simply exploring more about the proposals this section is designed to provide simple and transparent information to questions commonly raised.

Submit Your Feedback

To help us better understand your views, it would be greatly appreciated if you would take the time submit your feedback via our online survey.  Click on the SUBMIT YOUR FEEDBACK BUTTON.

We also accept feedback via email: feedback@catesbyestates.co.uk or via post (no stamp required) with the address freepost: CATESBY ESTATES.

Please let us have your feedback by no later than SUNDAY 12th JULY 2026.

About Catesby Estates

Catesby Estates is highly regarded as one of the foremost experts in strategic land promotion and infrastructure delivery.

Catesby Estates is highly regarded as one of the foremost experts in strategic land promotion and infrastructure delivery.

Landowners choose to partner with us as their strategic land promoter, due to our track record in successfully delivering planning consents and our ability to maximise land value.

Catesby Estates uses its in-house expertise and financial resources at no cost to the landowner, to promote land through the planning system with the aim of obtaining planning consent.

The land is then marketed to our extensive network of housebuilder and developer contacts, and the land site is then sold for the highest possible return, therefore maximising the value of the land for landowners.

 

A land promoter focuses on securing planning permission for land and then selling it on without doing any construction or housebuilding.

A housebuilder or developer buys land (often with outline planning permission already in place) and builds the homes.

Housebuilders like land promoters because promoters take on the costly, risky, and time-consuming process of securing planning permission.

This means builders can buy “oven-ready” sites with approvals in place, saving them uncertainty and allowing them to focus on what they do best delivering and selling homes.