AS we approach the end of the year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Notwithstanding the recent floods, I trust that you will be able to have a joyful celebration with your friends and relations and are looking forward to the New Year.
The recent flooding in parts of the parish has been largely contained by the work undertaken by, and support provided to, volunteers in the areas affected. The parish council has continued to support flood prevention across the parish area, and we fully appreciate the input of volunteers supporting flood operations in some of the parish villages. Please remember that the parish has an emergency contact number available for situations such as this to provide help and signposting to other agencies for help and support.
The Neighbourhood Plan has been proving its worth by shaping development coming forward in planning applications and being used to prevent those that were speculative and not plan-led.
However, once the five-year and latterly the four-year housing land supply figures could no longer be supported, both by Wiltshire Council and on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, more speculative development ensued.
The necessary review of the Neighbourhood Plan has been completed and submitted to Wiltshire Council for their review. This has been undertaken and has now been put out for consultation. It is most important that this consultation is successful, as it will provide more robust support for our policies for plan-led development. (Whatever our views on overdevelopment in Melksham Without, we are required to meet government targets.) The plan is available online and as a hard copy in the Melksham Campus. Please respond.
However, in line with the current and new Neighbourhood Plan and the proposed Local Plan, your council will continue to put the needs and requirements of the parish to the fore when assessing developments of any nature.
As I write this, we are looking forward to the opening of the full Eastern Way, thus reducing the through traffic on Snowberry Lane, and the start of the upgraded footpath from the East of Melksham development to the Melksham Oak Community School. (The latter we have been pressing for since the planning application for the school was submitted.)
One last issue, close to my heart, is the provision of real time information at bus stops throughout the parish. We have three installed so far, but we reviewed the length of time the implementation through partnership with Wiltshire Council was taking (two per year!). Consequently, we have initiated a review of procurement and have authorised funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy for nine more in villages across the parish in line with responses from community organisations.
Inspections of the proposed sites are currently underway.
Once again, I wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
