Wiltshire Council planning decisions THE consultation for Wiltshire Council s Local Plan review has now ended, with more than 2,500 people responding. The Local Plan review will set out a vision for the future of Wiltshire , for the period to 2036 and a framework for addressing housing needs and other economic, social and environmental priorities. It will be the basis against which planning applications are determined and neighbourhood plans developed. It is a legally required document containing planning policies and site allocations to deliver the numbers of new homes the Government says Wiltshire must provide in the coming years. Drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community, the Local Plan provides a platform for local people to shape their future surroundings.
Malmesbury Mayor Cllr Campbell Ritchie leads the charge to protect neighbourhood plans Wiltshire Council will meet with representatives from over 30 parish and town councils to discuss how to protect neighbourhood planning in the county. Wiltshire Area Localism and Planning Group was formed to seek to protect their neighbourhood plans from developers using the fact the county does not have a demonstrable five-year plan for housing. A meeting between the group and cabinet member for planning, Toby Sturgis and the corporate director for place & environment, Sam Fox is due to take place next week.
Mayor of Malmesbury Campbell Ritchie (left) and Wiltshire Councillor of Malmesbury Gavin Grant
RESIDENTS are being urged to help stop plans for 1,000 new homes in the Malmesbury area. Wiltshire councillor for the town, Gavin Grant, has written to residents in 11 areas cited for new housing developments urging them to speak out. Wiltshire Council is currently consulting on 11 potential sites in and around Malmesbury that could take new houses. If all were developed another 1,000 houses would be built. In his letter Councillor Grant says residents must speak out to oppose these plans before the end of the Wiltshire Council consultation on Tuesday, March 9. Explaining why he had written his letter, Cllr Grant said: “Malmesbury is a special and beautiful place. There are only a few days left to speak up to tell Wiltshire Council that we want to keep it that way.”