Community’s chance to help shape the town’s future

EVERYONE is invited to participate in the next draft of the town’s Neighbourhood Plan which will shape the development of Melksham over the coming years. The plan is being consulted on by Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council for a seven-week period between Monday 16th October and Sunday 3rd December.  

The current Melksham Neighbourhood Plan came into effect in July 2021 and runs until 2026. However, it has been reviewed, refined, updated with additions to run until 2038. Consultation will be on the whole plan, as there may be new issues or circumstances that affect current planning policies.  

The Neighbourhood Plan is focussing on regeneration and in particular, the vitality of the town centre, bringing the former library and the Cooper Tires sites back into use.  These housing and mixed development sites in the town centre meet the “Brownfield First” priority and many of the new policies in the plan are working to achieve a good balance of conservation and protection against delivering growth as we emerge from the cost-of-living crisis. 

The revised plan includes new policies that seek to protect local green spaces and heritage assets, which the local community has identified as important in previous consultations. 

More details on how to participate in the consultation and the drop-in sessions are in the four-page pull out special in this issue of Melksham News. 

Priorities

Mayor of Melksham, cllr Simon Crundell said, “The Melksham Neighbourhood Plan is our chance, as a town, to shape the development of Melksham over the coming years. We can’t stop housebuilding, but we can set our priorities. It gives us the chance to prioritise building on brownfield sites such as the library and Cooper Tires – instead of green fields. 

“Additionally, it allows us to breathe new life into our town centre, directing more investment into cherished areas. Through design codes and local heritage policy, we can shape future development to complement Melksham’s character, creating spaces that benefit us all.” 

Councillor John Glover, chair of Melksham Without Parish Council said, “The Melksham Neighbourhood Plan consultation is your chance to comment on, and hopefully confirm, that the steering group, together with both Melksham Town Council and the Melksham Without Parish Council have reached conclusions that you can support. Neither council can change the number of houses to be built – that comes from central government through Wiltshire Council – but we can say where those that we have to find space for, can go.” 

Preserving town’s character

Graham Ellis, vice chair of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group said, “A great deal of knowledge and hard work has been put in by our task groups and the result is a draft plan which we can be proud of as it goes to consultation – preserving the character and history of the town, taking account of our environment, and looking to make for a quality and sustainable future for current and future residents. 

“There has been a great deal of community engagement in the process so far, which has shaped our work, but there is still an opportunity over the next two months to add your comment and help us tune the plan element by element.  Please do provide your thorough feedback to the consultation” 

Chair of the Neighbourhood Plan steering group, cllr David Pafford said, “After more than two years of preparation, the updated Neighbourhood Plan is almost ready for publication. Many people have been involved in its preparation: town and parish councillors and staff; members of the Steering Group and the various working parties, as well as our professional consultants Place Studios. Fundamental to our work has been the contribution of many members of the public who have attended consultation events, participated in online questionnaires and given us the benefit of their views and local knowledge. This will be a document FOR the Melksham community prepared BY the Melksham community.

“We are about to present the Neighbourhood Plan for another round of consultations and we hope you will see the result of community input in what we are proposing. Please play an active part to help us get this Plan right. It will help to guide the development of Melksham over the next fifteen years, so it will influence all our futures.”

More details on how to participate in the consultation and the drop-in sessions are in the four-page pull out special in this issue of Melksham News. 

The revised plan is also working in tandem with the current draft Local Plan which is out for consultation by Wiltshire Council, until 22nd November.  Wiltshire Council’s plan aims to allocate the strategic numbers of housing that is needed in the area which brings substantial affordable housing, employment land and infrastructure to meet the community’s needs.   

Councillor Mike Sankey, Wiltshire Council member of the NHP steering group said, “There are two plans that affect Melksham.  The Wiltshire Local plan and the Melksham Neighbourhood Plan, both shaping the course of development until 2038. 

“The Wiltshire Plan focuses on larger strategic sites, whilst the Melksham Neighbourhood Plan seeks to allocate smaller sites that can contribute to the overall housing need.  Both plans need feedback from residents so that future developments contribute to the necessary infrastructure and other community benefits.”