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.
Face masks The number of recorded coronavirus cases in Wiltshire increased by 284 in the last seven days. Wiltshire remains in tier 2. Five people who tested positive in the past month have died, bringing the total to 433, and another 36 have been admitted to hospital. Marlborough had 17 new cases, and surrounding villages including Ramsbury, the Ogbournes and Avebury have seen 13 people test positive in the seven days to December 22. The rate per 100 thousand is 150.6. Devizes has had four positive tests, with a rate of 63.9. In the Pewsey, Woodborough, Wootton Rivers and Oare areas 14 people tested positive with the rate at 200.4. In Chippenham, 22 people tested positive with 234.2 per 100 thousand. The villages around Melksham saw 10 confirmed cases and a 87.6 rate, with Melksham seeing three.Calne saw another 12 cases bringing its rate up to 159.2. Malmesbury, Crudwell and Oaksey had nine.
Rob and Dave at their hut by the canal in Wootton Rivers Christmas tree farmers in Wootton Rivers say sales are booming this year. David Whitehead and Rob Mitchenhall have been planting trees on their three-acre plot next to the canal since 2009. They say this year people have been flocking to them. Quite a lot of people are buying two trees from us, said Dave. They also seem to be going for taller trees than usual. We are selling quite a few big ones! They must have big houses! Since planting in yearly plots they have now sold around half their 8,000 trees.