Online Comments

Application No: 19/05824/OUT

I am writing to strongly urge outline planning to not be given to this application, for the following reasons:

1. Currently the Housing Sites Allocation Plan is under review, with an inspector in the process of determining his findings. The minutes from the 30th April 2019 of Local Plan Review Update state that review of the SA-A to D options for should ''inform the development of a preferred development strategy for the Local Plan.'' Approving this outline application whilst an overview is still ongoing would be contrary to section 69 of the minutes: ''The Council has a statutory duty to engage with local communities and other stakeholders during plan preparation in accordance with its Statement of Community Involvement.'' We have not had a chance to say no to this development except through this outline planning.

The arguments for this large development, possibly part of an even bigger 2 stage development, do not stand up.

a) There is very little employment or employment potential on this side of Salisbury. References to this in the submissions are mistaken: the Bookers employment site has lain empty for a decade, with no takers. Why build such a huge site far away from where the jobs are ? The consequence is:

b) occupants of the new properties will be commuting either left up to Wilton and the Park Wall junction or right to the Salisbury gyratory. At a time when councils are looking to promote Comments: sustainability, this development relies heavily on cars. Why ? because

c) the bus company''s submission states that the design of the new estate is so tight that no buses will be able to navigate round it. Hence people will need to walk many minutes to the main A3049 to catch the R5. As the bus company clearly states, a desire to use public transport diminishes the longer the walk to the stop. The bus company is therefore not confident that they will get the demand and therefore are asking the developer to fund 7 years of the R5. What a sorry state of affairs at a time when we should all be dramatically reconsidering our use of fossil fuels, that a bus service has already been effectively ''designed out'' of the plans. A big no for climate change improvements, evidently. and a huge yes for increased emissions and traffic flow:

d) unlike other parts of Salisbury, traffic here in is trapped when getting to Salisbury between Wilton and the gyratory roundabout where traffic from the busy Britford, Harnham and Coombe roads meet to funnel in to Salisbury. The level of increased car use, say up to 2 cars per house so circa 1200, will result in unworkable deadlock. We have lived here for 15 years and it is common to see cars stacked up along Wilton Park Wall right down to the bend to the Harnham road, with traffic backed up the other way to the gyratory traffic lights.

e) the use of the slope of the fields for housing breaks a careful planning tradition where housing has been kept to the flat road margins. If approved, this proposal would be highly visible from Salisbury and detract from its setting

f) the ''country park'' is not required as the land as it exist already provides many paths and flowers that we enjoy g) the flooding risk, given the allocation of Bookers for housing and the field opposite, needs to be looked at in its totality. The flood risk zoning is currently being re-evaluated under the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and again, like the housing sites plan, the results should be awaited.

h) the need for a new school ? Harnham junior school which my children attended has recently decreased its class size from 3 per year to 2 due to lack of demand.

i) the WHSAP acknowledges that demand for housing in Salisbury has fallen by 11%.

In conclusion, I realise Wiltshire Council is under pressure to fill quotas, but this huge development is wrongly situated for employment and day-to-day use because of its design. It will cause real havoc with Salisbury''s transport system as people commute daily over to the north. Provision for walking and cycling is inadequate, details in other submissions to mine and the bus service will not go round the new estate.

Please I urge you to refuse outline planning for this application.

Name: Anna R Cochrane

18 Harnwood Road Harnham Address: SALISBURY SP2 8DB

Date: 22/07/2019