Live Event Question Responses Main Settlements
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February 2021 Main settlement live events Q&A sessions: responses 1 Wiltshire Council Local Plan - Emerging Spatial Strategy Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3 2 Common themes - questions which came up in most events ....................................... 3 2.1 Timescale of the Plan ........................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Scale of growth ................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Housing allocations ......................................................................................................... 11 2.4 Neighbourhood Planning ............................................................................................... 15 2.5 Infrastructure (including community facilities) and developer contributions . 17 2.6 Climate change, the environment and biodiversity loss ....................................... 19 2.7 Transport and sustainable and active travel ............................................................ 23 2.8 Enforcement of the plan ................................................................................................. 25 2.9 Employment land ............................................................................................................. 26 2.10 Retail and the high street ............................................................................................... 28 2.11 Design ................................................................................................................................. 30 2.12 The Consultation format ................................................................................................ 31 3 Calne Event specific questions – 18/01/21 ........................................................................ 32 4 Corsham Event specific questions – 19/01/21 ................................................................. 34 5 Royal Wootton Bassett Event specific questions – 19/01/21 ....................................... 37 6 Chippenham Event specific questions – 20/01/21 ........................................................... 39 7 Tidworth and Ludgershall Event specific questions – 20/01/21 .................................. 51 8 Amesbury Event specific questions – 21/01/21 ............................................................... 54 9 Malmesbury Event specific questions – 21/01/21 ........................................................... 54 10 Bradford-on-Avon Event Specific Questions 25/01/2021 .......................................... 56 11 Marlborough Event Specific Questions 25/01/2021 .................................................... 61 12 Westbury Event Specific Questions 26/01/2021 .......................................................... 65 13 Salisbury Event Specific Questions 26/01/2021 ........................................................... 68 14 Devizes Event specific questions 27/01/21 ................................................................... 76 15 Trowbridge Event Specific Questions 27/01/2021 ....................................................... 82 16 Warminster Event Specific Questions 28/01/2021 ....................................................... 87 17 Melksham Event Specific Questions 28/01/2021 ......................................................... 89 2 1 Introduction 1.1 As part of the Local Plan Review consultation, Wiltshire Council hosted 17 live online consultation events for communities and other stakeholders to attend. This included one event per Market Town or Principal Settlement and two rural events which encompassed all other Wiltshire villages and settlements. 1.2 Each event included a presentation which summarised the content of the consultation and gave further explanation about the proposals relevant to each area. This was followed by a question and answer session. Participants were able to submit questions, many of which were answered during the event. However, because of the volume of questions, it was not possible for all of the questions to be answered in every event. The aim of this document is to ensure that every question asked receives a response. 1.3 It has become evident that there are a number of questions which relate to some common overarching themes which tend to come up several times in every event. These questions have been collated and are addressed in Section 2. 1.4 Following this is a section dedicated to each event, listing the questions and responses that are far more place-based and specific to an area. It is important to note that where numerous questions were asked about a similar topic, an all-encompassing question has been written. Therefore, the precise wording of some questions has been adapted to have greater inclusivity of a wider issue. 1.5 Representations on the consultation are most welcome and are encouraged to be made through our online forms available on the consultation webpage. 1.6 For further information about the consultation or to submit comments via email please see our contact information. 2 Common themes - questions which came up in most events 2.1 Timescale of the Plan Q1. What is the timescale of the Plan? A1. A summary programme for the Local Plan Review can be found within the Local Development Scheme found here. This includes milestones such as publication of the Plan for pre-submission consultation (Regulation 19) towards end 2021, submission to Secretary of State following Cabinet and Council approval (Regulation 22) towards end 2022 and adoption by Council, mid 2023. Q2. When does the consultation finish? A2. The Consultation dates are Wednesday 13 January to Tuesday 9 March 2021. 3 Q3. Is there a timeframe whereby housing numbers could be re-allocated? A3. Plan preparation is at an early stage. There will be several opportunities to reconsider, review and change the plan before it is adopted in 2023. The Emerging Spatial Strategy document distributes scales of growth to each main settlement (Principal Settlements and Market Towns) using the upper end of forecast housing needs. This will be reviewed in response to consultation replies. Q4. Why does the plan start in 2016, when we are in 2021? The review uses a twenty-year period as per the Wiltshire Core Strategy and takes the start as the midpoint of this current plan (2016). The plan started its preparation in 2017 and the dates for evidence collated to support the Plan are based around this time period. Q5. Why not plan in 5-year cycles so that we don’t need to plan for huge numbers? A5. The Local Plan Review uses a twenty-year period as per the Wiltshire Core Strategy and takes the start as the midpoint of this current plan. The Local Plan should be consistent with guidance contained in National Planning Policy Framework. This suggests that Local Plans should look at least fifteen years ahead from the date of adoption. See response to Q7 also. Large and complex development schemes have long lead in times for development that very often take more than five years to progress. Q6. Is the Chief Planner advice available online re the Local Plan Adoption by 2023? A6. Letters from central Government to chief planning officers of local planning authorities, providing guidance on various aspects of the planning system, are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/planning-guidance-letters-to-chief-planning-officers. The letter dated 1 October 2020 encourages local authorities to continue progressing local plans and not to pause due to uncertainty over the timing of the implementation of reforms proposed in the Planning for the Future white paper. Q7. NPPF states that strategic policies should look ahead over a minimum 15-year period from adoption. Wiltshire Council’s Local Development Scheme (LDS) says adoption of the emerging Plan is expected in 2023. Will the Council need to extend the Plan period to 2038 (this consultation plan period only runs 2036) to meet NPPF requirements, and will additional housing sites need to be identified to account for this extended plan period? A7. The review uses a twenty-year period as per the Wiltshire Core Strategy and takes the start as the midpoint of this current plan, with a plan horizon of 2036. The plan started its preparation in 2017 and the dates for evidence collated to support the Plan are based around this time period. Given the importance of reviewing the plan every five years in line with Government policy to ensure it is up to date, it is considered that a new plan should be put in place as quickly as possible with an early review to extend the time horizon. The Plan is likely to need a further review at adoption, in order to adapt to Government reforms springing from the Planning White Paper published last year. This will extend the time horizon beyond 15 years ahead. Q8 Why will there only be one consultation draft before submission to the Secretary of State? 4 A8. An initial consultation on the proposed scope and content of the Plan was held in 2017. The current consultation is an additional stage to enable stakeholders to comment and help shape the content of important elements of the draft Plan. Following this, there will be a publication of the draft Plan for its pre-submission consultation (Regulation 19). This is currently planned to take place late 2021. Q9. Will the Government’s Planning White Paper affect this process? A9. The Government