Ilmington is a rural parish located in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire. The Parish lies approximately 12km to the south of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is recognised as a northern ‘gateway to the Cotswolds’ due to its location at the northern tip of the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Ilmington is the highest village in Warwickshire sitting at the foot of the Ilmington Downs. A number of protected features of archaeological importance are also present within the parish.

Lepus was appointed to undertake a SEA of the Ilmington Neighbourhood Plan and work closely with the NDP Steering Group. As part of this process we consulted with Natural England, the Environment Agency and Historic England. The SEA focused on a number of key local issues which included the presence of the Cotswolds AONB, Ilmington Conservation Area, Listed Buildings, and flood risk.

Following a Call for Sites exercise, 25 sites were assessed in the SEA process as reasonable alternative development locations for housing. In addition, the 28 policies that formed the NDP and preferred site allocations were assessed against the SEA framework. Through this work we identified a series of measures to enhance the NDP and mitigate adverse environmental effects were identified. Lepus worked closely with the Steering Group and statutory bodies to incorporate these measures into the Plan. Following completion of the Regulation 16 (Formal Submission) NDP consultation in June 2019, the Ilmington Neighbourhood Plan has been sent for examination by an independent examiner.