Issue - meetings

a.     Local Traffic and Highways Working Group - to note the written update and to approve the recommendations of the Working Group relating to the Local Transport Scheme selection referred to in the Notes (at 4).

b.     Rural Buffer Zone Task Group – to receive a verbal update and request the following:

The Rural Buffer Task Group is pleased to note that Wiltshire Council will be reverting to the joint Wiltshire and Swindon Structure Plan 2016 until our Core Strategy is complete (as indicated in Wiltshire Council Briefing Note No. 43) and confirms our request that the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board support the retention of the Rural Buffer Zone as detailed in Policy DP13 but requires that the urban extension required in Policy DP10B should not be allowed to infringe on the effectiveness of that Rural Buffer Zone.  Further, the Rural Buffer Task Group calls for Rural Buffer Zones to be adopted in the emerging Wiltshire Core Strategy to prevent further coalescence between major urban conurbations with smaller towns and villages and so preserve their ancient diverse and individual rural identities and cultures.

Updates were received from the Area Board’s task groups as follows:

a)    Local Traffic and Highways Working Group

The Chairman introduced the report in the agenda which consisted of the notes and recommendations from the Working Group’s meeting held on 21 September 2010.

The Area Board had been allocated the sum of £12,000 that was specifically for the use of small local transport schemes. Following consideration of 32 schemes, the Working Group recommended that five be put forward for further evaluation by Highways Officers, full details of which were contained in the notes of the meeting.

Decision

The Area Board agreed that the following five Local Transport Schemes should be put forward for further evaluation by Highways Officers:

                      i.        A3102, Lyneham – Improvements.

                    ii.        Common Hill, Cricklade – Improve pedestrian safety.

                   iii.        The Sun Inn, Lydiard Millicent – Pedestrian crossing.

                   iv.        One scheme out of a possible three in Wootton Bassett (New Road crossing, traffic calming at Longleaze or Gainsborough Avenue) – to be confirmed by Wootton Bassett Town Council.

                    v.        Cross Lanes, Purton – Junction improvement.

b)   Rural Buffer Zone Task Group

Councillor Mollie Groom provided an update from the Rural Buffer Zone Task Group, which she stated was pleased that Wiltshire Council would be reverting to the joint Wiltshire and Swindon Structure Plan 2016 until the Wiltshire Core Strategy was complete. A meeting had been held recently in West Swindon, where there was the same level of support from councillors and the public to preserve the rural buffer zone.

The Area Board was supportive of the recommendations made by the Task Group, as detailed in the agenda. The Chairman also asked for a show of hands from the floor, which indicated majority support.

Decision

The Area Board agreed:

                      i.        To support the retention of the Rural Buffer Zone as detailed in Policy DP13.

                    ii.        To require that the urban extension required in Policy DP10B should not be allowed to infringe on the effectiveness of that Rural Buffer Zone.

                   iii.        That the Rural Buffer Zone should be adopted in the emerging Wiltshire Core Strategy to prevent further coalescence between major urban conurbations with smaller towns and villages.