Mobile: 0794 120 1995
Are YOU prepared to try to protect them?
If you are prepared to do something you need to act NOW.
The process to register land as a town or village green is straightforward, costs nothing (other than time), and does not leave anyone exposed to a claim for legal costs - it really is a 'no lose' situation.
However, there are fourteen 'trigger events' which stop an application from being lodged. One of them is if a planning application is made for the land. Another is if a draft local plan identifies the land for development.
Wiltshire Council is planning to publish its Wiltshire Housing Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) in June with the WC Cabinet seeing them in May. Therefore the DPD will be deemed a 'trigger event' as soon as it is made public in May. Of course, the DPD might not want to allocate any land around Hilperton for development - and pigs might fly.
I would therefore suggest that any application to register land is lodged with WC by the end of April - that is three months away and gives sufficient time to complete the required stage of the process.
I am happy to provide advice and guidance.
The WC Cabinet forward work plan states as under:-
'Purpose of the Plan. The purpose of the Wiltshire Housing Site Allocations DPD is to support the delivery of new housing set out in the Wiltshire Core Strategy (adopted January 2015).
The DPD will address two key matters:
•The document will identify sufficient land (in the form of sites) across Wiltshire to ensure delivery of the Wiltshire Core Strategy housing requirement and maintain a five year housing land supply up to the end of the plan period to 2026. Further information is available on the Housing Site Allocations page; and
•In addition to identifying sites for housing delivery, the document will review settlement boundaries, as defined in the adopted Wiltshire Core Strategy in relation to: the Principal Settlements of Salisbury and Trowbridge; Market Towns; Local Service Centres in the South Wiltshire Housing Market Area; and Large Villages.
Further information is available on the Settlement Boundary Review page. The plan will present proposals and associated policies designed to be in general conformity with the adopted Wiltshire Core Strategy and national planning policy. It will consider sites in relation to the geographic area of Wiltshire, but excluding Chippenham.'
As Hilperton is both adjacent to Trowbridge and classed as a 'Large Village' it is bound to be targeted by the WC spatial planners.
Don't say that you haven't been warned if no one pays attention to what you are being told now.
IF YOU WANT HILPERTON TO PRESERVE ITS IDENTITY YOU NEED TO ACT NOW - NOT MOAN AND GROAN IN SIX MONTHS TIME WHEN IT WILL PROBABLY BE TOO LATE!!!