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From Ernie Clark.
Welcome to my March e-newsletter.
The main news this month is the fact that the government inspectors of the Wiltshire Council (WC) Local Plan have, basically, kicked it out as not fit for purpose.
Full council will, in May, have to officially decide what to do, but WC has been told that if it doesn’t withdraw the plan, the inspectors will reject it. The latter course would take an extra couple of months and cost WC a few thousand pounds in fees. I’m sure that it will be withdrawn.
Of course, this now leaves the whole of Wiltshire wide open to speculative planning applications as WC doesn’t have the required five-year land supply to be able to direct development to where it wants it to go.
So, Redcliffe Homes has applied for up to 80 houses along the north of Devizes Road with access from the ‘rugby club’ roundabout on the A361. If you want to look at the application, the reference is PL/2026/01072.
In addition, at a meeting with WC planning officers yesterday, they stated that an application for a scoping opinion for 1,300 houses heading up towards Semington, and crossing the A361 to include Hag Hill up to the A350, has been submitted.
If the landowners tell you that they ‘care about Hilperton’ – I leave it to you what you think. I would suggest that they only care about ££££ in their bank account.
Allowing for the fact that Doric Developments/Ashford Homes has purchased, or has an option on, the Palmers Close land off Trowbridge Road, one can reasonably expect an application for 75 -100 houses along there sometime this year.
The Barratt site at Maxcroft Farm has still not been given official outline permission yet as there are various Section 106 agreements outstanding – which seems contrary to what the planning committee at WC was told when the application was considered.
About the only positive news is that another two planning applications for the same piece of land along Ashton Road have been dismissed by HM Inspector. There have now been four appeal decisions to refuse houses on the site – two for one house, one for three houses, and one for 3 – 9 houses. I presume that the applicant, Stone Developments, has now got the message that myself and the parish council raised when the first application was submitted!!