Wiltshire communities, businesses, town and parish councils and other local stakeholders are invited to have their say on the possible sites that may be marked for growth in their area.
Wiltshire Council has to allocate sufficient land to satisfy housing and employment needs up to 2036, and is seeking the views of local communities and stakeholders to see if the suggested distribution of numbers across the county is correct, and which of the proposed sites are most suitable.
Feedback during this review consultation will help to shape the draft Local Plan, which will then be consulted on later in 2021. The Local Plan will be used to guide decisions on whether future planning applications for housing, infrastructure and land for employment can be granted.
The council will launch the consultation into its Wiltshire Local Plan review from Wed. 13 January until 11:59pm on Tues. 9 March.
As Covid restrictions mean that face-to-face events will not be possible during this review, the council is holding a series of online events for people to find out more about the Local Plan. Each event relates to a particular settlement, and there are also two events for rural areas, which include all other Wiltshire villages and settlements that are not covered in the other 15 events.
The online events, which will be held from 7pm-8pm on the dates shown are as follows:
• Planning for Melksham, Thursday 28 January
• Planning for rural areas, Monday 1 February and Tuesday 2 February
Sign up for the online events here, and you will be sent a link to your chosen online meeting in advance of the meeting. The consultation documents will be posted here before the consultation begins: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning-policy-local-plan-review
Cllr Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for planning said, “The Wiltshire Local Plan review consultation is an important opportunity for people to have their say on the future of possible areas of growth in their area before proposals are finalised in the draft Local Plan, later in 2021.
“We would usually hold a series of face-to-face engagement events for the Local Plan review, but we are unable to do so at present because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, I would urge as many people as possible to sign up for their local online event to find out more. Anyone who can’t make their local online event will be able to view all the relevant documents online and complete the online consultation to have their say.
“As well as potential developments, the Local Plan review consultation also takes into account the importance of climate change, and this will also form a key part of the consultation. If anyone has any queries, they can speak to one of our planning officers about the Local Plan review.”
Once this consultation is complete, a draft Local Plan will be produced, and people will be given another opportunity to take part in a consultation in late 2021. The plan will then be submitted to the Secretary of State in the third quarter of 2022, before it is examined by an inspector in late 2022, ahead of final adoption in 2023.
