Mobile: 0794 120 1995
From Ernie Clark.
Firstly, may I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The Wiltshire Council Local Plan (WCLP) has been submitted to the government for examination by a Planning Inspector. The examination is likely to happen during the second or third quarter of 2025 but not, as I understand, until after the Wiltshire Council (WC) elections on 1st May. There will be a ‘local hearing’, probably at the Civic Centre, for the Trowbridge area.
The submitted scheme seeks approx. 600 houses in the fields between the village hall, the rugby club, and Devizes Road. As usual, there seems to be no provision for new infrastructure or roads. Also, the land running down, and in, Staverton is still mooted for future development.
The developers who wish to swamp Hilperton with thousands of houses are, obviously, against this plan and, looking at the public comments on the Regulation 19 consultation, it is interesting to see the various landowners/farmers who are more than happy to ‘sell their soul’ for a nice ‘crop’ of houses and ££££ in to their bank accounts – no doubt with ‘roll-over relief’ to avoid them paying any capital gains tax! So much for the farmers’ cry of feeding the country – until they get an opportunity to sell the land, it would seem.
The final tranche of land at Elizabeth Way has commenced development; that means that Hilperton has no large undeveloped ‘permitted’ sites. Barratt still has an outstanding application along Marsh Road but, as this site was recently excluded from the WCLP, one must hope that the planning officer will refuse it without it being referred to a WC planning committee.
The parish council is still looking at various uses for the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) money it holds – it is approx. £200,000. If you have any thoughts, please contact the clerk at clerk@hilperton-pc.gov.uk
The parish council will be setting the 25/26 precept at its January meeting. It will be interesting to see whether it will need to increase.
The two SIDs (Speed Indicator Device) seem to be having a positive effect on traffic speed, but the solar charging of the Trowbridge Road one seems to need attention.
One way and another, it has been an ‘interesting’ year at both unitary and parish councils with ‘good’ and ‘bad’ events occurring at both. 2025, I am sure, will be just as ‘interesting’ with the added unknown of the May elections.