Here are the biggest local planning stories from the past week.

Controversial padel courts approved

Councillors pushed back on the advice of planning professionals to give permission for a new padel centre to open near Warwick and Leamington.

Planners at Warwick District Council had recommended T.I. Evans & Sons' application for Squab Hall Farm be quashed.

A report said building three courts, changing rooms, and a café inside the unit could not be justified.

Read the full story here.

New Lidl approved

Lild has won a battle against Tesco and Co-op to gain planning permission for a new out-of-town store to the south of Warwick and Leamington Spa.

Plans to demolish Europa House, the vacant Wanzl building on the edge of the Heathcote Industrial Estate, and replace it with a new supermarket were objected to by Lidl's competitors who commissioned external planning experts to try to stop it.

It relates to a 'sequential test' that developments must go through to justify out-of-town bases, rules that are designed to protect the vitality of town centres.

Read the full story here.

160 new homes

Agricultural land outside a Warwickshire village, recently withdrawn from development plans, has been approved for 160 homes by "resigned" councillors.

Land to the southeast of Oakley Wood Road at Bishop's Tachbrook is being primed for development by Sharba Homes, a company based in the rural village of Croglin, Cumbria, a decade on from being knocked back by Warwick District Council.

Elected officials on the planning committee questioned the evidence of need for more housing in Bishop's Tachbrook specifically, why officers – the council's employed professionals – were advocating approval for a site that was recently pulled out of the emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan and a pedestrian access to another new housing development on the other side of the road crossing a 50 miles-per-hour (mph) road.

Read more here.

Leamington charity retreat

A Leamington-based charity supporting women facing complex challenges, has unveiled its biggest project yet.

The Esther Project is preparing to open a brand-new countryside retreat, which will expand its reach and impact and is a match-fund opportunity to support its ambitious plans.

The organisation supports women who are recovering from trauma, domestic abuse, addiction, homelessness, and other social disadvantages.

Read more here.

Like this article? Why not subscribe to our free weekly newsletter here.