MORE than 30 town and parish councils - including Downton and Laverstock - have joined together to appeal for help in protecting the future of neighbourhood planning . The councils have formed the Wiltshire Area Localism and Planning Group (WALPA), and represent more than 200,000 residents across the county. They say urgent action is needed, with Wiltshire s town and parish councils suffering because of significant loopholes in planning legislation . They add that carefully drafted neighbourhood plans - reflecting the views of local communities - can be overruled, unless Wiltshire Council is consistently able to maintain five years’ worth of available housing land. At the moment, they say, Wiltshire does not have that critical five–year supply, which means that developers are challenging Neighbourhood Plans as soon as they are two years old.
In response to the plans, Laverstock and Ford Parish Council will hold the meeting with the developers to enable councillors and residents to discuss the plan with them and ask questions. Nick Baker, chairman of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council Nick Baker, chairman of the parish council, said they know the proposal is one which members of our community have strong feelings about . He added: We are already seeing a high level of discussion on social media and in the local press. We have arranged this meeting on 11th February to provide an opportunity for local residents to ask the developers questions about their proposals.