Christmas message from Melksham Without Parish Council chair

I would like to wish all the residents of the Melksham area a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year on behalf of all the staff and councillors of Melksham Without Parish Council.

Usually at this time I write of the changes that have happened across the Melksham area since last Christmas. Last year at this time the development of “Bowood View” in Semington Road had just started. As I write, there are now 17 occupied houses on the site with many more in an advanced stage, including three bungalows. It is very cheering to be able to report that some of our new parishioners are already showing great interest in community affairs. 

One of the Parish’s major tasks in the coming year will be to prepare plans for the building of the new village hall for Berryfield which will replace the old “temporary” village hall. The developers have given us the land and budget for the task but it falls to us the get it built. The whole estate is scheduled to be ready by the beginning of 2021; we hope to start the hall in 2020.

The Pathfinder Way development is also advancing well. For both of these developments we have been in discussions about the new play areas to be provided and also the art contributions.

The present cycle of development ends in 2026, and a new housing allocation for 2026 to 2036 will soon go out to consultation from Wiltshire Council. Work on the Neighbourhood Plan has speeded up lately and will go to referendum next year. This will give us some control over what is proposed for our area and also greater amounts of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to be spent across our area. We hope that there will be a good turnout for the referendum.

The joint project between the town and parish councils to develop Shurnhold Fields as an open recreation space continues apace. This Autumn saw the preparation of part of the site as a wild flower meadow (the seeds were sown last week), and the installation of two picnic tables. Early next year we hope to install a small car park with a durable grass surface for the convenience of the users. The area will have extensive mown paths, the rest of the area being cut once a year to encourage wild life. The Southbrook will also be rejuvenated. Thanks are due to Paul Carter and Roy Dobson for leading this work on the ground. We are looking at the mowing regime in several parts of the Parish, with a view to making grassy areas more friendly to flora and fauna. We would welcome your views on this suggestion.

Looking to the future, the Campus will finally get going in 2020. At least we hope so, as Melksham Without’s office will be housed on the first floor! Progress on the Wilts and Berks extension seems to have stalled, but we are assured that there is much unseen activity, so perhaps 2020 will see some real progress. 

Wiltshire Council are now working on plans for an eastern bypass to the town as part of improvements to the A350. This would greatly ease the familiar rush hour congestion around our town, but the route will have to be carefully thought out. Of course, when built, such a road would enable more development, and as we all know it is essential that infrastructure, medical facilities, employment and retail opportunities all improve if there are to be more houses.

The Governance review which is now under way was initially to decide on new parish and County Council boundaries, but we have taken the opportunity to suggest the transfer of the new Hunters Wood development, as well as the Sandridge Road development to the Town Council, as we feel that they will fit more easily with the rest of the town. However, we believe in the two-Council model for the area, with Melksham Without continuing to provide an excellent service to our rural villages and hamlets. The Town’s suggestion of a merger, which was turned down by Wiltshire Council only four years ago, will be vigorously opposed.

This being said, we have been pleased to work together with the town Council on several joint projects, including keeping open the Market Place toilets, and hope to continue to do so. 

We wish everyone in the Melksham area a happy and prosperous 2020.

Richard Wood, 

Chair, Melksham 

Without Parish Council