Warminster Area Board Profile
2014 – 2026
(Draft_V1)
Report produced on behalf of Wiltshire Council by Ethos Environmental Planning
1.0 WARMINSTER AREA PROFILE
1.1 Introduction
The Wiltshire Open Space and Play Area Study is presented in two parts. The first part comprises an overview of the whole study and includes details on local needs, methodology, open space typologies and analysis of provision which combine to make recommendations for future provision and policies for open space in the district. The second part of the study comprises 18 Area Board profiles which provides more localised information. The Area Board profiles should be read in conjunction with the main report (part 1). Each profile includes:
Map of the parish showing open space;
Quantity statistics of provision of open spaces with standards by parish;
Map showing access to open spaces with standards across the parish;
Map showing access to open spaces across the main settlement;
Assessment of quality issues;
Summary of issues and priorities for the Area Board. All of the maps provided within this section of the report are intended to be used for indicative purposes only. Larger scale maps have been provided as a separate database to the council.
1.2 Warminster Area Board
Warminster Area Board is made up of 20 parishes, which include:
Heytesbury Norton Bavant Brixton Deverill Boyton Longbridge Deverill Stockton Sutton Veny Upton Lovell Upton Scudamore Knook Chitterne Codford Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield Chapmanslade Kingston Deverill Warminster Horningsham Bishopstrow Corsley Sherrington
The Wiltshire Core Strategy places settlements within the Warminster Area Board in the following hierarchical structure:
Market Towns: Warminster Large Villages: Chapmanslade, Codford, Corsley, Heytesbury, and Sutton Veny Small Villages: Chitterne, Crockerton, Horningsham, Longbridge Deverill, Maiden Bradley, Stockton and Upton Scudamore.
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Figure 1 below shows the area map of Warminster Area Board with parish boundaries and main transport routes mapped.
Figure 1: Parishes in Warminster
1.3 Warminster Market Town
The historic town of Warminster is surrounded by a high quality landscape, with Salisbury Plain to the east. The town has an attractive town centre, which functions as an important hub for a number of nearby rural settlements. The town itself is one of the larger employment centres in the county. Warminster is located near two regionally significant transport corridors, the A36 and the Cardiff to Portsmouth railway line. Warminster has been identified as a location for new strategic employment growth. It is one of the larger market towns and has excellent road (A36/A350) and rail connectivity. The MoD continues to be the largest employer, but there are a number of other significant employers in the town. Although, there have been relatively high volumes of empty industrial units in Warminster (especially during the late 2000’s), re-development of the town has recently stimulated more demand in the town centre. Overall, Warminster has the capacity to enhance its contribution to the employment base within Wiltshire.
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1.4 Population
Figure 2: Parishes and their populations in Warminster Area Board Parish Name Size (Ha) Population Heytesbury CP 3337.571 696 Brixton Deverill CP 1006.445 83 Longbridge Deverill CP 2228.478 821 Sutton Veny CP 1602.904 734 Upton Scudamore CP 952.312 295 Chitterne CP 2291.216 307 Maiden Bradley with 1862.326 331 Yarnfield Kingston Deverill CP 1839.367 248 Horningsham CP 1394.279 327 Corsley CP 1446.869 681 Norton Bavant CP 749.904 116 Boyton CP 1594.591 178 Stockton CP 1331.541 204 Upton Lovell CP 576.171 165 Knook CP 613.413 77 Codford CP 1534.493 870 Chapmanslade CP 459.005 643 Warminster CP 2289.366 17490 Bishopstrow CP 404.846 122 Sherrington CP 532.936 66 20 28048.033 24454
As the table shows there is a total population of 24,454 inhabitants in Warminster and the Area Board covers 28,048 hectares of land.
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1.5 Warminster and Villages Joint Strategic Assessment (2013-2015)
The JSA provides local data about the area and plays a key role in ensuring informed decisions are made about the community. The data presented consists from a range of community level data and have contributed to the CAJSA for 2013- 2015.
The current CAJSA includes new chapters on culture and leisure giving a broader picture of the community. Updated population figures are included as well as a result of a local survey which asked residents about some of the most important issues facing the council and its partners.
Through the area boards is a growing level of community involvement in decision making and the information presented in the CAJSA will allow for focusing on creating healthy and vibrant communities. There are many opportunities to make the community stronger, including the community campus programme.
Key features within Warminster are; There are 13 Wiltshire Council managed play areas in this community area. There are 14 additional play areas across the Warminster Community Area that is managed by the various parish councils. The overall coverage of wildlife rich areas is amongst the highest in the county, largely due to the extent of Salisbury Plain SSSI which makes up 16% of the community area. However, over 84% of this is in unfavourable recovering condition. The Ministry of Defence and Natural England are working to bring the SSSI into ‘favourable’ condition through scrub removal and juniper regeneration; the next SSSI condition assessment is scheduled for 2014.
1.6 Core Strategy in Warminster
The strategy for Warminster is to increase the level of employment, town centre retail and service provision, along with retail and service provision, along with residential development, as part of sustainable growth. New employment development in Warminster supports the overall strategy will respond to the community areas location within the A350 corridor. The strategy will respond to the community areas location (in full or part) within a nationally designated landscape. In the Warminster community area this includes the cranbourne chase and west Wiltshire downs area of outstanding natural beauty. It will deliver, within the overall objective of conserving the designated landscape, a modest and sustainable level of development.
The constraints and issues highlighted in the Core Strategy in relation to Warminster include:
there is a need for expansion or relocation of existing GP surgeries, facilities for young people in the town are also particularly lacking, the library is in need of enhancement and further cemetery provision is needed; the options for expanding primary and secondary school provision in Warminster need to be resolved;
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it is essential that housing development to the west of Warminster facilitates the early delivery of employment growth, allowing an increased supply of jobs for local people. However, existing issues associated with traffic congestion and cross-town traffic will need to be addressed and carefully managed; a sustainable transport solution for pupils attending Kingdown Secondary School is required; Warminster has limited locational opportunities for new development due to a range of environmental constraints, such as the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB, a Special Landscape Area, a number of SSSI’s and County Wildlife Sites. New development will need to be carefully managed to ensure appropriate mitigation is implemented; development in the vicinity of the River Avon (Hampshire) or Salisbury Plain must protect the habitats, species and processes which maintain the integrity of these Special Areas of Conservation; development which increases recreational pressure upon the Salisbury Plain Special Protection Area will not be permitted unless proportionate contributions are made to offset impacts through the Wessex Stone Curlew Project, and; concentrations of water phosphate in the River Wyle are high, derived from the sewage treatment works in the town and agricultural activity in the surrounding area. These current phosphate issues may lead to potential impacts on the River Avon Special Area of Conservation (SAC) located downstream. Therefore, any additional development must ensure that the impact of phosphates in the water system are pro- actively managed to ensure the current issues are addressed in accordance with Core Policy 69. 1.7 Development Potential
Development in the Warminster community area should be in accordance with the settlement strategy set out in core policy1.
The following principal employment areas will be supported in accordance with core policy 35: Crusader Park, Warminster business park, woodcock road industrial estate and northlands industrial estate
Over the plan period (2006-2026), 6 Ha of new employment land (in addition to that already delivered or committed at April 2011) and approximately 2,060 new homes will be provided. Of these about 1,920 dwellings should occur at Warminster, including land identified to the west Warminster, between the existing built form and the A350 for strategic growth.
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The strategic allocation will be brought forward through a master planning process agreed between the community, local planning authority and the developer and should be in accordance with development templates shown by appendix A.
Approximately 140 homes will be provided in the rest of the community area. Growth in the Warminster community area over the plan period may consist of a range of sites in accordance with core policies 1 and 2.
New housing targets for the Warminster Area Board as identified in the Wiltshire Core Strategy are as follows:
Figure 3: Delivery of Housing (2006-2026) Warminster Area Board
1.8 Warminster Town Plan
Re-generation of the central area of Warminster is identified as a priority and a town plan is being prepared, which is being led by the community. This may be adopted as additional planning guidance in the future. The focus for the town plan is to strengthen and re-define the identity of the retail core of the town centre including:
the provision of suitable premises for larger format comparison retailers; rationalisation of parking provision; improvements to public transport connectivity, and; Improved pedestrian linkages.
Proposals for the Central Car Park site, in particular, provide an opportunity to effectively integrate new comparison retail provision within the existing fabric of Warminster town centre. It has been proven that the car park area is currently under-used and offers a unique opportunity to improve the retail offer to enhance the vitality and viability of the town centre.
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2.0 Map of Community Area Board
3.0 Quantity of Open Space
3.1 Introduction
The figures for ‘Park and Recreation Ground (combined)’ comprise the sum of the following typologies:
Park and Recreation Ground; Outdoor Sports Space (Pitches); Outdoor Sports Space (Other); Outdoor Sports Space (Private).
It is the ‘combined’ figure that is used for the purpose of analysing quantity, as such it is only this figure where required provision and supply is relevant. Figures have been provided for the individual typologies which make up the combined figure for information only, however, there is no supply assessment for these, hence an ‘NA’ (Not Applicable) is provided. Existing quantity figures are also provided for a number of typologies where there are no standards, as such these also do not show figures for required provision (a figure of 0.00 is provided) and supply is ‘NA’, these typologies are:
Education; Churchyard and Cemetery.
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3.2 Urban Area Analysis
Table 1 Provision in Warminster
Existing Existing Required Required Provision Provision Provision Provision Supply Sufficiency Typology (Ha) (Ha/1000) (Ha) (Ha/1000) Supply (Ha) (Ha/1000) of provision UNDER Allotments 3.06 0.17 3.50 0.20 -0.44 -0.03 SUPPLY Amenity Green UNDER Space 25.40 1.45 26.24 1.50 -0.84 -0.05 SUPPLY Park and Recreation SUFFICIENT Combined 35.38 2.02 20.99 1.20 14.39 0.82 SUPPLY Park and Recreation Ground 22.40 1.28 20.99 1.20 1.41 0.08 N/A Outdoor Sport (Pitches) 7.36 0.42 0.00 0.00 7.36 0.42 N/A Outdoor Sport (Fixed) 1.11 0.06 0.00 0.00 1.11 0.06 N/A Outdoor Sport (Private) 4.51 0.26 0.00 0.00 4.51 0.26 N/A SUFFICIENT Play Space (Children) 1.97 0.11 0.87 0.05 1.10 0.06 SUPPLY UNDER Play Space (Youth) 0.21 0.01 0.35 0.02 -0.14 -0.01 SUPPLY SUFFICIENT Education 21.79 1.25 0.00 0.00 21.79 1.25 SUPPLY Churchyards and SUFFICIENT Cemeteries 2.87 0.16 0.00 0.00 2.87 0.16 SUPPLY
3.3 Rural Area Analysis
Table 2 Provision across the Community Area Board (Rural Area) Existing Required Existing Provision Required Provision Supply Sufficiency of Typology Provision (Ha) (Ha/1000) Provision (Ha) (Ha/1000) Supply (Ha) (Ha/1000) provision Allotments 0.51 0.07 1.74 0.25 -1.23 -0.18 UNDER SUPPLY Recreation Space (public and private) 30.72 4.41 20.89 3.00 9.83 1.41 SUFFICIENT SUPPLY Recreation Space 30.72 4.41 20.89 3.00 9.83 1.41 N/A
Recreation Space (Private) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 N/A Play Space 0.47 0.07 0.49 0.07 -0.02 0.00 UNDER SUPPLY Education 5.06 0.73 0.00 0.00 5.06 0.73 N/A Churchyards and Cemeteries 3.66 0.53 0.00 0.00 3.66 0.53 N/A
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Table 3 Summary of requirements (hectares) for each parish in rural area Recreation Churchyards Accessible Natural Recreation Space and Natural Green Green PARISH CAB Allotments Space (Private) Play Space Education Cemeteries Space Space BishopstrowCP Warminster -0.03 -0.37 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 32.90 BoytonCP Warminster -0.04 -0.53 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
BrixtonDeverillCP Warminster -0.02 -0.25 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
ChapmansladeCP Warminster -0.16 -1.93 0.00 -0.05 0.44 0.13 0.00 0.00 ChitterneCP Warminster 0.23 0.41 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.61 0.00 0.00 CodfordCP Warminster -0.22 -0.25 0.00 -0.04 1.34 0.23 0.00 0.59 CorsleyCP Warminster -0.17 -0.41 0.00 0.22 0.00 0.56 0.00 0.00 HeytesburyCP Warminster -0.17 -1.45 0.00 -0.05 0.46 0.10 0.00 0.00 HorningshamCP Warminster -0.08 -0.65 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.42 16.89 0.00
KingstonDeverillCP Warminster -0.06 0.74 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.00 44.81 0.00 KnookCP Warminster -0.02 -0.23 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.13 1.49 0.00 LongbridgeDeverill CP Warminster -0.21 -2.46 0.00 -0.06 0.48 0.00 0.00 0.00 MaidenBradleywit hYarnfieldCP Warminster 0.13 10.70 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.50 113.84 0.00
NortonBavantCP Warminster -0.03 -0.35 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 SherringtonCP Warminster -0.02 -0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 StourtonwithGaspe rCP Warminster -0.05 -0.58 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 SuttonVenyCP Warminster -0.18 -2.20 0.00 -0.05 2.32 0.40 0.00 0.00 UptonLovellCP Warminster -0.04 9.93 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.24 1.49 0.00 UptonScudamoreC P Warminster -0.07 -0.66 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.32 0.00 0.00
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4.0 Access Analysis
4.1 Access to open space in urban areas
Allotments
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Amenity Green Space
Park and Recreation Grounds
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Play Space (Children & Youth)
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4.2 Access to open space in rural areas of Community Area Board
The following maps show access to different typologies of open space within the rural areas of the community area boards. Due to the scale of the areas, the maps are intended to be indicative. Maps have been produced for each of the parishes for each typology, and these are held in a separate database for reference for assessment of individual parishes as required.
Allotments
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Recreation Space
Play Space
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5.0 Quality Warminster is a large market town with military barracks in the north of the area and several prep schools such as Warminster School and Kingdown School. The main park and recreation within Warminster is Lake Pleasure grounds which is a large park with many facilities. The site has a MUGA, a children’s play space, a youth play space, five tennis courts, a band stand, lake with rentable boats, a community centre, scouts hut, food vendor and a putting green. The site is beautiful with numerous wildlife around the lake and sitting in a valley surrounded by natural accessible green land. Some of the facilities on site however were poorly maintained and looked after. The tennis courts were missing the nets and all the fences were damaged in some way. The wooden fencing between the two play spaces was broken meaning children could easily wander into the skate park. The play facilities themselves were good with a numerous amount of different apparatus to encourage play. The children’s play space had an assault course, two multi-functional apparatus and even a paddling pool for summer time. The skate park had numerous ramps and a shelter with CCTV monitoring the area. The putting green was covered in leaves and the grass was long making it un-useable to putt on. The site as a whole was pleasant but needed general maintenance work to keep all facilities up to scratch.
There were numerous play facilities, for example Boreham field which had two play spaces and a mini football pitch. Boreham field’s play space was split into two sections by a metal fence. One of the play spaces had very dated apparatus and wasn’t very appealing to be used but the second play space was very modern with numerous equipment more aimed towards older children. The mini football pitch was for informal use and there are fields adjacent to the site but are owned and maintained by Kingdown School. There are no other sites within Warminster town which are multi-functional and accessible to the public. The town is dominated by military and educational facilities but are sadly un- accessible to the public. Moving out from Warminster town, the surrounding parishes all have a park and recreational sites with multiple facilities. Parishes such as Codford and Corsley both had parks which were based around a community centre or social club. These were well looked after and well facilitated with the impression that it was often a key focal point of the local community The site in Maiden Bradley was a large open space with a children play space, a kick wall/ MUGA and a senior football pitch. The site also has an outdoor swimming pool which has fell into dilapidation and a shack which is badly vandalised and accessible for all. The play space is very basic with only three sets of apparatus and doesn’t encourage play within the site.
Overall Warminster town need more green space and more opportunities for recreation. The parishes, apart from maiden Bradley, were well facilitated and easily met the demands of the local community.
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6.0 Priorities for the area
This section draws on the analysis of quality, quantity and access within this area profile and highlights a number of key issues and priorities, and makes recommendations, where appropriate of how these may be addressed. It is intended that this information would be used as the starting point to inform other strategies, neighbourhood plans which could be taken forward by the Council, Town/Parish Council or the local community.
Issues Recommendation Who Allotments: With approximately 2000 Wiltshire Council Allotments within Warminster are dwellings planned for this area Planning drastically under supplied with there is opportunity for providing only one site within the town. additional facilities through new Developers Because of this access is very poor development to meet shortfalls in with majority of the town having the area. Local Community little or no access to allotments. The rural area is similar in that it is Consideration should also be Town and Parish under supplied and with only two given to encouraging community Council’s sites at either side of the area growing areas and/or community board access is extremely poor. orchards in existing open spaces. Amenity Green Space: Again, on site provision of amenity Wiltshire Council Amenity green space is under green space should be sought Planning supplied within Warminster through new development in Access throughout Warminster areas of under provision. Developers town is reasonably good with majority of the town having good Town Council access to sites. There is a small gap in the centre of the town. Park & Recreation Grounds: The priority in this area is to retain Wiltshire Council Throughout the area board there is and enhance existing provision to Planning/ Economic a sufficient supply of park and meet current and future needs. Development/Open recreation facilities. There is also an opportunity for Spaces Within the town there is good new provision to be provided as access with majority of the sites part of larger developments. sweeping through the middle of Developers the town. A small gap is south west corner of the town and a Town Council small section in the north of the town. Within the rural part of the Warminster there is recreational facilities in each of the major establishments and access is good. Children and Youth Facilities: Where development Wiltshire Council There is an abundance of opportunities arise, new on site Planning/Open children’s play facilities within provision should be sought for Spaces Warminster and is largely youth facilities. accessible through out Warminster. The priority should be for fewer, larger and higher quality play
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Youth facilities are extremely spaces as opposed to a under supplied with only a single proliferation of smaller play youth play space within the whole spaces. of Warminster. Because of it’s under supply accessibility is a key There may an opportunity to problem with this one site having rationalise provision of children’s to provide the whole of the town play areas in this area. with youth provision. Within the rural community there is an under supply of play spaces with most of the villages having access to play spaces. There is a large space in the south of the Area Board which has no access to any play facilities.
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