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.
Wiltshire’s town and parish councils are suffering because of significant loopholes in planning legislation. These mean that carefully drafted Neighbourhood Plans can be over-ruled unless Wiltshire Council is able consistently to maintain five years’ worth of available housing land. Currently, Wiltshire does not have that critical five–year supply, which means that aggressive developers are challenging Neighbourhood Plans as soon as they are two years old. The town and parish councils say what was the point of communities working hard to produce Neighbourhood Plans only to find that after two short years the locally agreed policies can be over-turned.
Wiltshire’s town and parish councils are suffering because of significant loopholes in planning legislation. These mean that carefully drafted Neighbourhood Plans can be over-ruled unless Wiltshire Council is able consistently to maintain five years’ worth of available housing land. Currently, Wiltshire does not have that critical five–year supply, which means that aggressive developers are challenging Neighbourhood Plans as soon as they are two years old. The town and parish councils say what was the point of communities working hard to produce Neighbourhood Plans only to find that after two short years the locally agreed policies can be over-turned.
File photo dated 06/05/10 of a voter placing a ballot paper in the ballot box at a polling station, as each general election could become a nation holiday that has been endorsed by MPs as part of a package of reforms to boost turnout. PRESS ASSOCIATION Ph MEASURES are being put in place to ensure that May’s local government elections can take place safely. The elections on May 6 will be the first since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic after last May’s elections were cancelled. Bradford residents will have the chance to have their say on who represents them at Council elections and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Mayoral election.