FEB ‘10: THIS CONSULTATION IS NOW CLOSED.
Taken from Wiltshire Council PR 3146 13/10/2009
Have a say in shaping Wiltshire’s future
Residents of Wiltshire are being given the opportunity to help shape the future of the county.
Wiltshire Council is asking local people their views on the future development of the county and how the council should address issues such as providing housing, employment growth and building a prosperous and attractive county through careful planning.
A major consultation exercise began on October 30 2009 and will run through until December 31, 2009.
The core strategy will be an important document - a blueprint for Wiltshire - setting out what can and cannot be built and what should be protected. The document brings together and develops the work previously undertaken by the former district councils in their individual core strategies.The document mainly relates to the east, north and west of Wiltshire as the proposals for south Wiltshire have already been prepared. It includes proposals for the location of strategic sites for additional housing and employment growth.
John Brady, Wiltshire Council’s portfolio holder for economic development, planning and housing, said: “Wiltshire is a beautiful county and a pleasant place to live. Our key objective is to preserve this and ensure that any future development does not destroy our wonderful heritage.
“We will be consulting with local communities to provide an opportunity for people to give their views as to how they see their area evolving over the next 20 years. This consultation will form the basis for the council’s decisions about how the area develops up to the year 2026 so we want as many people as possible to share their views with us.”
The response to the consultation will be used to develop a core strategy for Wiltshire which is due to be prepared in draft form by September 2010. Members of the public will then have another chance to comment on the strategy at that stage.
Ends
Notes for editors
Government policy requires core strategies to be produced in order to ensure the supply of housing and other developments to meet needs
Core strategies are the principle Development Plan Document (DPD) in the Local Development Framework (LDF) setting out a long term vision for the area and providing strategic policies and proposals to deliver the vision.
The Cabinet papers can be viewed on the council’s website at: http://194.72.162.210/documents/dscgi/ds.py/View/Collection-1894
For comment contact John Brady on 01722 782386 or 07976 692077.
For further information contact the Wiltshire Council press office on 01225 713114/5/6 or 01225 713664.
Devizes Guardians Answer Questions on the Wiltshire Core Strategy
The Wiltshire Council has published a draft Core Strategy, a key part of a set of documents that will form the planning framework for the County until 2026. Following the consultation period, which ended on 31st December, the Core Strategy will be completed and areas for future developments in and around Devizes will be decided. After that it will be too late to change the strategic plans.
Devizes Guardians held a public meeting on 3rd December to hear an explanation by Councillor Nigel Carter.
Councillor Carter showed the particular areas in and around Devizes that were identified in the draft Core Strategy as possibilities for future housing and employment, but employment land had been lost to housing following planning appeals. He said that a better balance was needed between the building of houses and the provision of local, good quality, better paid, job opportunities.
A lively question and answer session followed. The audience was encouraged to submit their own comments to Wiltshire Council. They expressed the usual concerns about traffic and commuting, and all felt strongly that more and better jobs were needed in Devizes before any new housing could be justified.
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