Agenda item

1. Brief overview on the implications for Westbury Community Area by Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philippe, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Strategic Planning

2. Chairman Cllr Julie Swabey will introduce issues for discussion:

• Employment land allocation
• Housing land allocation
• Transport and A350 associated traffic issues
• Landscape Policy
• Other issues
  • Matravers Secondary School
  • Lafarge cement works

To view the Wiltshire wide consultation document  follow link:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planninganddevelopment/planningpolicy/wiltshirecorestrategy/wcsconsult2011.htm by clicking on the Wiltshire Core Strategy Consultation Document (June 2011).

To respond to the consultation on the emerging Wiltshire Core Strategy:

·         enter your comments online at http://consult.wiltshire.gov.uk/portal,

or

·         complete a response form which will be available at the meeting.

Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe gave an overview of the Core Strategy in relation to the Westbury Community area. Salient points of note were;

·         Westbury has been identified as a location for new strategic employment to encourage higher value jobs within the area and reduce the level of commuting to Bath, Bristol and elsewhere

·         No new strategic housing sites have been identified

·         Firms want to come to Wiltshire and also existing firms want to expand but need the correct sites on which to develop

·         18.5 ha of employment land had been identified

o       14.7 ha Mill Lane, Hawkeridge

o       3.8 ha North Acre Industrial Estate

The Chairman thanked Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe for her overview and led the Board in discussions over a variety of topics.

Employment Land Allocation

Cllr Russell Hawker explained that he had taken part with Westbury Town Council in extensive discussions regarding this consultation document.  Whilst initially he had been against the use of the land at Mill Lane he now realised the need for higher quality employment land and he fully supported Westbury Town Council’s Highways and Planning Development Committee’s response to the Core Strategy Consultation and explained that any development should attract high quality employment use only, must have a proper road junction or roundabout on to the Hawkeridge Road, preferable a roundabout and the development must have high quality landscaping to the perimeter.

The Chairman informed the board that she had an opposing viewpoint and that the land at Hawkeridge should act as a natural rural buffer. The area surrounding Hawkeridge Mill is very ancient, the mill having been mentioned in the Domesday Book.  A network of public footpaths criss-cross these fields and have great amenity value. This area stands close to Bitham Brook, a tributary of the River Biss and is a designated floodplain. This is an area of low lying meadows traversed by three water courses. This open low lying meadowland is tranquil, strongly rural in character and has an abundance of wildlife, including an important population of water voles. The fields enclose the village of Hawkeridge and the small settlement of Norleaze and needs to be protected to repel any encroachment of the West Wilts Trading Estate from development to the east.

Heywood and Hawkeridge Parish Council informed the board that they had responded to the consultation document and had recommended that the land at Mill Lane be removed from the document.

After further discussion the Area Board’s view on this issue was,

Decision

To designate that the land south of Hawkeridge village , to the east of the B3097, to its boundary with the dismantled railway as a rural buffer to be protected from development and encroachment from the West Wilts Trading Estate.

It should be noted that Cllr Hawker wished his support for the Westbury Town Council proposal to be recorded.

Housing Land Allocation

No strategic site has been identified.  Housing development will be at a reduced rate compared to the past with a focus on improving and consolidating the town’s infrastructure and services.  Housing growth at Station Road (H14) will help to deliver enhancements around the railway station  and a new rail crossing.

Transport and the A350 associated traffic issues

Members of the public expressed concern that there was not a solution to the A350 issue within Westbury. Elements of the road were dangerous to walk along as footpaths were narrow and in some places non-existant.  It was pointed out that there was no money for road building, improvements would be made in conjunction with development. An update on the Aldi move to Westbury would be brought to the Area Board at a later date.

Cllr Hawker endorsed the recommendation made by Westbury Town Council that research early on in the implementation of the strategy to identify appropriate ways of improving issues should be taken.

Landscape Policy

Wiltshire Councils Core Policy on Landscape is detailedat http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planninganddevelopment/planningpolicy/wiltshirecorestrategy/wcsconsult2011.htm  (page 144 - 145)

Members of the public expressed their concerns over the Government reviewing it’s policy on Landscape.  Cllr Hawker explained the Area Boards position was to support the extension of the nearby AONB to include the Salisbury Plain escarpment and Wellhead Valley.

Action:

Anna Thurman/Sally Hendry to provide an update.

After further discussion the Board agreed the following,

Decision

To support the 10 landscape character assessments (LCA’s) in support of the current Special Landscape Areas (SLA’s).

Other issues

Matravers School

Cllr Hawker explained that moving Matravers School was currently not an option, he informed the board that a consultant was investigating all possible opportunities.

Lafarge Site   

It was recognised that the chimney was purpose built for the wet process involved with the production methodology that Lafarge had used – this was no longer the case.  However the buildings that house the grinding, mixing and bagging machinery had not been made redundant.   The site was still being used as a distribution depot due to it’s rail links.  Concern was raised by local residents regarding the decommissioning of the site, the Chairman explained that the Environmental Agency would be heavily involved and would scrutinise the process thoroughly.

It was known that a planning application was pending.