South West Wiltshire Area Board Profile
2014 – 2026
Report produced on behalf of Wiltshire Council by Ethos Environmental Planning
1.0 SOUTH WEST WILTSHIRE 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 South West Wiltshire Area Board South West Wiltshire Area Board is made up of 38 parishes, which include:
Donhead St. Andrew Fonthill Bishop Ebbesborne Wake Chilmark Tisbury Teffont Board Chalke Dinton Stratford Toney Kilmington Stourton with Gasper Bishopstone Donhead St. Mary Burcombe Without Tollard Royal Barford St. Martin Berwick St. John Wilton Alvediston Netherhampton Bowerchalke South Newton Sedgehill and Semley Zeals Mere Fonthill Gifford West Knoyle Chicklade East Knoyle Berwick St. Leonard West Tisbury Ansty Hindon Swallowcliffe Sutton Mandeville Compton Chamberlayne Fovant Quidhampton 1 | P a g e
Figure 1 below shows the area map of the South West Wiltshire Area Board with parish boundaries and main transport routes mapped.
Figure 1: Parishes in South West Wiltshire Area (extracted from Wiltshire Intelligence Network)
1.3 South West Wiltshire
The Wiltshire Core Strategy does not cover the South West Wiltshire Area Board in one complete section. It looks specifically at the three major towns within the South West Wiltshire Area Board, these towns are Mere, Tisbury and Wilton. 1.3.1 Mere Mere lies at the extreme western side of South West Wiltshire and is predominately rural in character. A large part of the area is included within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB. Mere is the Local Service Centre for the area but settlements across the border in Dorset and Somerset, particularly Gillingham, also provide employment, education, retail, leisure and cultural opportunities. The A303 Trunk Road and A350 provide good routes across
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the area, particularly to and from Mere, Zeals and East Knoyle, but access to other settlements is not generally of a high standard. The nearest railway station is on the Salisbury to Exeter line, at Gillingham. There are employment opportunities in Mere including some internationally and nationally renowned businesses, such as the Hill Brush Company. However, supporting further employment growth is also important to maintain the self-sufficiency of the area. The National Trust house and ornamental gardens at Stourhead, which is one of the Trust’s most visited properties, is located within the community area and contributes to the local economy by bringing tourists to the area and providing additional employment opportunities.
1.3.2 Tisbury Tisbury is also a Local Service Centre and lies to the west of Salisbury. As with Mere (and partly due to the rural nature of the area) its proximity to neighbouring towns in Dorset, mean that many residents turn to towns such as Shaftesbury, Gillingham, and Wincanton, for their immediate day to day needs. Tisbury benefits from excellent rail connections to Exeter and Salisbury, with a direct service to London Waterloo in less than two hours. There are also two A-roads passing through the area; the A303 running east to west and the A30 Salisbury to Shaftesbury road. Although Tisbury is close to these links, locally the road network is poor making it appear remote. Due to this, car ownership and long-distance commuting are above average. There are six primary schools in the area and two independent schools, but currently no secondary schools.
Although there is modest employment in Tisbury, the community feel that there are limited job opportunities and therefore further employment land should be allocated in the WCS. This should however be small scale, well designed, and in keeping with the village and surrounding countryside.
1.3.3 Wilton Wilton lies to the west of the city of Salisbury. The area is characterised by chains of settlements along the river valleys and main arterial roads emanating towards Salisbury and Wilton from Salisbury Plain and the south western corner of the county, from Shaftesbury. Wilton is a Local Service Centre but Salisbury also provides significant employment, retail, leisure and cultural opportunities. One of Salisbury's park and ride sites is located in Wilton. There is good A-road connectivity through the area, although there is room for improvement in access to some of the rural settlements. The A36 and A30 meet at Wilton and much of the traffic is 'through traffic' going to Salisbury and beyond in the east or heading west to Shaftesbury or north-west towards Bath and Bristol. The nearest railway station is in Salisbury.
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1.4 Population
Figure 2: Parishes and their populations in the South West Wiltshire Area Board
Parish Name Size (Ha) Population Donhead St. Andrew CP 1152.202 413 Ebbesborne Wake CP 1516.781 222 Tisbury CP 1636.123 2233 Broad Chalke CP 2816.802 680 Stratford Toney CP 477.998 55 Stourton with Gasper CP 1344.875 192 Donhead St. Mary CP 2111.25 1155 Tollard Royal CP 750.403 115 Berwick St. John CP 1843.767 332 Alvediston CP 1030.44 106 Bowerchalke CP 1317.575 379 Sedgehill and Semley CP 1682.932 601 Mere CP 2450.154 2961 West Knoyle CP 815.712 146 East Knoyle CP 2029.504 681 West Tisbury CP 1128.889 573 Hindon CP 418.073 485 Sutton Mandeville CP 815.891 232 Fovant CP 891.223 669 Fonthill Bishop CP 727.499 93 Chilmark CP 1298.119 525 Teffont CP 1001.522 248 Dinton CP 1416.346 696 Kilmington CP 1162.792 328 Bishopstone CP 1882.435 629 Burcombe Without CP 704.421 156 Barford St. Martin CP 1646.712 548 Wilton CP 1060.878 3579 Netherhampton CP 646.015 493 South Newton CP 1110.781 819 Zeals CP 642.03 658 Fonthill Gifford CP 619.121 102 Chicklade CP 754.305 75 Berwick St. Leonard CP 377.313 47 Ansty CP 558.766 117 Swallowcliffe CP 545.375 174 Compton Chamberlayne CP 758.501 112 Quidhampton CP 103.829 408 38 43247.354 22037
As the table shows there is a total population of 22,037 inhabitants in South West Wiltshire and the Area Board covers 43,247 hectares of land. Population density in the area board is relatively compared with other area boards in Wiltshire.
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1.5 South West Wiltshire Joint Strategic Assessment (2013-2016) 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.
1.5.1 Mere Key features within Mere;
There are no Wiltshire Council managed play areas in this community area although there are four play areas across the seven rural settlements in this community area covered by the Rural Facilities Survey, which are the responsibility of the relevant parish council’s. However, three of the seven settlements do not have a children’s play area. The 2012 Rural Facilities Survey also recorded four recreation fields for informal use and two outdoor sports fields for formal and competitive use in Mere Community Area. However, three of the seven settlements have no recreation fields and five have no outdoor sports field. The main uses of land in Mere Community Area are high quality landscape and farming. Important wildlife habitats in the community area are predominantly calcareous grassland and woodland. 57% of the assessed calcareous grassland is in favourable condition compared to only 11% of woodland; 87% of which is in unfavourable recovering condition. 1.5.2 Tisbury Key features within Tisbury;
There are no Wiltshire Council managed play areas in this community area although there are eight play areas across the 17 rural settlements in this community area covered by the Rural Facilities Survey, which are the responsibility of the relevant parish council’s. However, 10 of the 17 settlements do not have a children’s play area. The 2012 Rural Facilities survey also recorded five recreation fields for informal use and three outdoor sports fields for formal and competitive use in the 17 rural
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settlements it covers in Tisbury Community Area. However, 13 of the 17 settlements have no recreation fields and 16 have no outdoor sports field. Of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) land types within the community area, 54% of broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland is in favourable condition along with 65% of calcareous grassland. 1.5.3 Wilton Key features within Wilton;
There are two Wiltshire Council managed play areas in this community area, in addition to nine play areas across the 16 rural settlements in this community area that are covered by the Rural Facilities Survey, which are the responsibility of the relevant parish council’s. However, eight of the 16 settlements do not have a children’s play area. The 2012 Rural Facilities survey also recorded five recreation fields for informal use and eight outdoor sports fields for formal land competitive use in the 16 rural settlements it covers in Wilton Community Area. However, 11 of the 16 settlements have no recreation fields and 11 also have no outdoor sports field.
1.6 South West Wiltshire Core Strategy 1.6.1 Mere The strategy for the Mere community area is to provide for limited growth of both housing and employment to ensure development is balanced, thus helping to minimise out commuting and also to provide support for local services and community. The strategy will respond to the community areas location (in full or part) within a nationally designated landscape. In the Mere 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.
There are no settlements that perform a secondary large village role and, the majority of growth will take place in Mere as the dominant settlement over the plan period. Some employment land allocated in Mere has not been taken up and good access to the A3030 may be seen as both a strength and a threat, as local wages are generally low and there is a predominance of out commuting, therefore needs to be balanced with a good mix of housing and employment. There are a number of businesses that have been within Mere for a number of years, providing important local jobs. However, their buildings and sites are old and not necessarily appropriate for modern business needs. Therefore, in Mere itself, where a business wishes to modernise and the proposal concerns loss of employment land of more than 0.25ha, redevelopment of the original site for alternate uses should be permitted. This is provided that the business and job numbers remain in Mere and the
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loss of site is replaced with employment land of similar size elsewhere in Mere, subject to meeting other policies within development plan. Although bus links to nearby towns such as Gillingham and Wincanton form Mere are generally good, opportunities to improve public transport connectively need to be pursued for the more rural areas. The need to address the shortage of affordable houses in the area by planning for some housing growth. The area has a high quality natural and built environment and any future growth will be carefully managed in accordance with core policies to ensure these assets are protected. All developers within the community area will need to conserve the designated landscape of the Cranborne Chase and west Wiltshire downs AONB and its setting, and where possible entrance its locally distinctive characteristics. 1.6.2 Tisbury The strategy for Tisbury community area is to provide for modest growth of both housing and employment to ensure development is balanced, thus helping to minimise out-commuting and also to provide support for local services and community. Identifying suitable non- strategic allocations will include working closely with existing employers to ensure they have the potential to meet their future needs the strategy will respond to the community area location (in full or part) within a nationally designated landscape. In the Tisbury community area this includes the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire downs area of outstanding natural beauty. It will deliver, within the overall objective of conserving the designated landscape, modest and sustainable level of development.
It will be important to maintain Tisbury’s role as a local employment centre and managed growth will be important, in close cooperation with local employers and to ensure any negative impacts are avoided. Although the area benefits from some good quality tourist accommodation, there is a lack of bed spaces, especially B&Bs. The core strategy will seek to ensure that modest new growth in Tisbury will be sympathetically designed and located so it blends with the village and takes account of the constraints presented by narrow access roads and the sensitive landscape of the AONB All development within the community area will need to conserve the designated landscape of Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire downs AONB and its setting, and where possible enhance its locally distinctive characteristics. All development will be required to maintain the integrity of the Chilmark quarries special area of conservation, having particular regard to the Wiltshire bats SAC guidance. The Tisbury parish plan (page6) identifies hat there is a major concern about insufficient parking being available in the area of the station as the number of rail users from outlying areas continues to increase. The scope and need for further
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station parking, particularly on the station works site and fields adjacent to the south western hotel should be examined to address this. 1.6.3 Wilton The strategy for the Wilton community area is focused around ensuring balanced employment and housing growth which is appropriate to its location and protects the individuality of the area. This strategy seeks to ensure that growth will help to address the shortfall in affordable housing. Protecting the natural environment has also been identified as a top priority. The strategy will respond to the community areas location (in full or in part) within a nationally designated landscape. In the Wilton community area this includes the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire downs AONB. It will deliver, within the overall objective of conserving the designated landscape, a modest and sustainable level of development.
The need to ensure that Wilton’s character and individuality as the “ancient capital of Wessex” is maintained and that the town retains its identity and does not coalesce with Salisbury. A landscape gap between the proposed developments at Salisbury and Wilton will be ensured via the master planning of the UKLF and Fugglestone red sites. The individuality of the two settlements should be maintained. continued individuality needs to be achieved whilst maintaining key linkages and access between the two settlements and acknowledging that Salisbury does provide key services such as supermarket shopping The relocation of the mod from UKLF site in Wilton to Andover has resulted in the loss of some1, 200 jobs as well as creating potential knock on effects regarding the viability of services. This strategy seeks to offset these impacts through the strategic allocation on the UKLF site Future work to identify additional sites to accommodate growth in the area should take account of the unique relation-ship between Wilton and Salisbury, as well as acknowledging the environmental capacity of the Wilton community area. It may be the case that Salisbury could help accommodate housing and employment growth needed in the Wilton area, in a more sustainable manner than this being located in Wilton itself. The need to protect the built and natural environment of the community area, and to conserve and enhance views into and out of the wilton conservation area including wilton park and house as well as conserving the historic gateway to wilton along the avenue. All development within the community area will need to conserve the designated landscape of Cranborne Chase AONB and its setting, and where possible enhance its locally distinctive characteristics. Development in the vicinity of River Avon (Hampshire) or Prescombe Down incorporate appropriate measures to ensure that it will not adversely affect the integrity of those natura2000 sites
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1.7 Development Potential 1.7.1 Mere Development in the Mere community area should be in accordance with the settlement strategy set out in core policy 1.
Over the plan period (2006 to 20206) 3 ha of the new employment land 9in addition to that delivered or committed at April 2011) will be provided including
There are no principal employment areas in the Mere community area. Over the plan period (2006 to 2026), approximately 285 new homes will be provided of which about 235 should occur at Mere and approximately 50 homes will be provided in the rest of the community area. Growth in the Mere community area over the plan may consist of a range of sites in accordance with core policies 1 and 2. Figure 3: Delivery of Housing (2006-2026) Mere
1.6.2 Tisbury Development in Tisbury community area should be in accordance with the settlement strategy set out in core policy 1.
There are no principal employment areas in the Tisbury community area.
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Over the plan period (2006 to 2026), approximately 420 homes will be provided, of which about 200 should occur at Tisbury and approximately 220 home will be provided in the rest of the community area. Growth in the Tisbury area over the plan period may consist of a range of sites in accordance with policies 1 and 2.
Figure 4: Delivery of Housing (2006-2026) Tisbury
1.6.3 Wilton Development in the Wilton community area should be in accordance with the settlement strategy set out in core policy 1.
There are not any principal employment areas in the Wilton community area. Approximately 255 new homes will be provided in the community area. Growth in the Wilton community area over the plan may consist of a range of sites in accordance with core policies 1 and 2.
Figure 5: Delivery of Housing (2006-2026) Wilton Remainder
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1.6.4 South West Wiltshire Housing Totals The total number of homes predicted for the South West Wiltshire Area Board is 890. This includes Mere and Tisbury (but not Wilton) and homes allocated across all other areas in the South West Wiltshire Area Board.
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).
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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.
3.2 Urban Area Analysis
Table 1 Provision in Wilton
Existing Existing Required Required Provision Provision Provision Provision Supply Sufficiency of Typology (Ha) (Ha/1000) (Ha) (Ha/1000) Supply (Ha) (Ha/1000) provision Allotments 0.00 0.00 0.72 0.20 -0.72 -0.20 UNDER SUPPLY Amenity Green SUFFICIENT Space 7.88 2.20 5.37 1.50 2.51 0.70 SUPPLY Park and Recreation Ground (Combined) 3.01 0.85 4.29 1.20 -1.28 -0.35 UNDER SUPPLY Park and Recreation Ground 2.00 0.56 4.29 1.20 -2.29 -0.64 N/A Outdoor Sport (Pitches) 0.63 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.63 0.18 N/A Outdoor Sport (Fixed) 0.38 0.11 0.00 0.00 0.38 0.11 N/A Outdoor Sport (Private) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 N/A SUFFICIENT Play Space (Children) 0.24 0.07 0.18 0.05 0.06 0.02 SUPPLY Play Space (Youth) 0.01 0.00 0.07 0.02 -0.06 -0.02 UNDER SUPPLY Education 4.06 1.13 0.00 0.00 4.06 1.13 N/A Churchyards and Cemeteries 0.66 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.66 0.18 N/A
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3.3 Rural Area Analysis
Table 2 Provision across the Community Area Board (Rural Area)
Existing Existing Required Required Provision Provision Provision Provision Supply Sufficiency of Typology (Ha) (Ha/1000) (Ha) (Ha/1000) Supply (Ha) (Ha/1000) provision Allotments 4.48 0.24 4.61 0.25 -0.13 -0.01 UNDER SUPPLY Recreation Space (public and private) 134.51 7.29 55.37 3.00 79.14 4.29 SUFFICIENT SUPPLY Recreation Space 115.95 6.28 55.37 3.00 60.58 3.28 N/A Recreation Space (Private) 18.56 1.01 0.00 0.00 18.56 1.01 N/A Play Space 0.82 0.04 1.29 0.07 -0.47 -0.03 UNDER SUPPLY Education 8.48 0.46 0.00 0.00 8.48 0.46 N/A Churchyards and Cemeteries 9.22 0.50 0.00 0.00 9.22 0.50 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 South West AlvedistonCP Wiltshire -0.03 -0.32 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West AnstyCP Wiltshire -0.03 -0.35 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West BarfordStMartinCP Wiltshire 1.07 -1.15 0.00 -0.04 0.07 0.51 969.00 0.00 South West BerwickStJohnCP Wiltshire 0.37 2.86 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.30 0.00 0.00 BerwickStLeonardC South West P Wiltshire -0.01 -0.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West BishopstoneCP Wiltshire -0.09 -0.13 0.00 -0.04 0.00 0.36 0.00 0.00 South West BowerchalkeCP Wiltshire -0.09 65.98 0.00 -0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West BroadChalkeCP Wiltshire -0.17 47.98 0.00 -0.05 1.20 0.57 0.00 0.00 BurcombeWithout South West CP Wiltshire -0.04 -0.36 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 969.00 0.00 South West ChickladeCP Wiltshire -0.02 -0.22 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West ChilmarkCP Wiltshire -0.13 -0.86 0.00 0.05 0.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 ComptonChamberl South West ayneCP Wiltshire -0.03 0.88 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.46 0.00 0.00 South West DintonCP Wiltshire -0.17 0.86 0.00 0.07 0.38 0.00 969.00 0.00 DonheadStAndrew South West CP Wiltshire -0.10 -1.24 0.00 -0.03 0.00 0.52 0.00 0.00 South West DonheadStMaryCP Wiltshire -0.29 0.36 0.00 -0.01 0.56 0.66 0.00 0.00 South West EastKennettCP Wiltshire -0.02 -0.25 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.17 0.00 0.00 EbbesborneWakeC South West P Wiltshire -0.06 -0.67 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.43 0.00 0.00 South West FonthillBishopCP Wiltshire -0.02 -0.28 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West FonthillGiffordCP Wiltshire -0.03 -0.31 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.42 0.00 0.00 South West FovantCP Wiltshire -0.17 -2.01 0.00 -0.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West HindonCP Wiltshire -0.12 -1.46 0.00 -0.03 0.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West KilmingtonCP Wiltshire -0.08 -0.98 0.00 -0.02 0.33 0.00 36.30 0.00 South West MereCP Wiltshire 1.81 0.36 0.00 -0.04 3.04 1.98 88.58 9.46 South West NetherhamptonCP Wiltshire -0.12 4.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.18 15.20 0.00 South West QuidhamptonCP Wiltshire -0.10 -1.02 0.00 -0.03 0.00 0.00 9.65 0.00 SedgehillandSemle South West yCP Wiltshire -0.15 -1.80 0.00 -0.04 0.37 0.48 0.00 0.00 South West SouthNewtonCP Wiltshire 0.01 -0.34 0.00 -0.06 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.00 StPaulMalmesbury South West WithoutCP Wiltshire 0.04 -5.71 0.26 -0.11 0.00 0.36 3.84 0.00 South West StratfordToneyCP Wiltshire -0.01 -0.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 SuttonMandevilleC South West P Wiltshire -0.06 1.59 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.24 0.00 0.00 South West SwallowcliffeCP Wiltshire -0.04 -0.52 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West TeffontCP Wiltshire -0.06 -0.74 0.00 -0.02 0.00 0.00 969.00 0.00 South West TisburyCP Wiltshire -0.56 -5.93 0.00 -0.16 1.85 0.58 0.00 0.00 South West TollardRoyalCP Wiltshire -0.03 -0.34 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West WestKnoyleCP Wiltshire -0.04 -0.44 0.00 -0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West WestTisburyCP Wiltshire -0.14 -0.97 0.00 -0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 South West ZealsCP Wiltshire -0.16 -1.89 0.00 0.09 0.21 0.00 0.00 0.23
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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)
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.
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Allotments
Recreation Space
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Play Space
5.0 Quality South West Wiltshire is predominantly rural made up of 38 parishes many of which are based around small villages with small populations. Because of this South West Wiltshire, even though it is one of the biggest area boards within Wiltshire, has the smallest number of open space facilities. Wilton lies just west of Salisbury and sits upon the A 36 which acts as the main transport route in and out of Salisbury. Wilton’s flag ship park is near Fugglestone roundabout and has a children’s play space, private tennis courts and a private bowls club. The children’s play space is a large size with many apparatus. The park however is dated and does not encourage play which could be improved with some more modern apparatus. Within the site is a private tennis court which was poorly maintained and had damage to one of the nets. Also there was Wilton bowls club which was also private and was well maintained by the club. The park as a whole was a pleasant environment with flower beds and the river offering natural beauty to the site. However the facilities within the site were dated and needed improving. On the other side of South West Wiltshire is Mere which has Mere peace memorial sports and recreational ground. The site had two senior football pitches, tennis club and facilities, a skate park and a children’s play space. The tennis club is private. The football pitches are used by Mere Town football club and the ground is also used by Mere cricket club. The youth
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provision is a modern concrete skate park offering lots of opportunities for youth. The children’s play space has multiple apparatus offering a high potential for play. Overall the site provides the required amount of recreational facilities and easily meets the demand of the community. Some smaller parishes had small recreational grounds. Kilmington for example is a small village towards the north west of South West Wiltshire and only has a population of 328. The village has a small recreation ground with a children’s play space a skate park and a basketball hoop with concrete surface. The site offers a small amount of facilities and the facilities it has are dated and of a poor standard. The play space has a small choice of apparatus and doesn’t encourage play. The skate park is dated and unappealing offering little provision for youth. The park even though only serving a small community is poor and needs better facilities. Donhead St Marys is another small parish with a single recreation ground. The New remembrance hall is the local gathering point for a lot of the locals looking to socialise. The site also has Donhead tennis club on it who are a privately ran tennis club with their own separate building. The tennis courts are in very good condition and the courts are locked to prevent unauthorised access. The site has two cricket facilities; an artificial wicket which although generally is in good condition, is getting grass growing over it on the boundaries. The other is a cricket net which has been left unmanaged and is overgrown and unusable. The MUGA was in good condition and provided many opportunities for the local community Another interesting feature of this site was the outdoor table tennis and the foosball table, which although required you to bring your own paddle and ball, offered facilities which could easily be enjoyed by older people. The children play space was limited with only a small selection of apparatus to choose from. Overall this site offered plenty to the community and had facilities which are accessible by all age groups. Upon the site visit the site was popular amongst dog walkers even though the site restricted dog access. This could either be lifted and dog bins could be installed to enforce people cleaning up after their dogs or more signs need to be put up around the sight to make people aware that the site restricts dog’s access. South West Wiltshire as a whole doesn’t offer sites which have the best facilities. This is solely due to how rural majority of the parishes are and that their demand is a lot lower than some where such as Salisbury. It is important though to get a balance in South West Wiltshire and even though the quantity of sites will not be in high demand, what facilities that are provided need to be of a high quality to warrant them being there.
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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 900 dwellings Wiltshire Council Wilton has an under supply with planned for this area there is Planning allotments. opportunity for providing additional Accessibility, due to the lack of facilities through new development Developers allotments within Wilton, are poor. to meet shortfalls in the area. South west Wiltshire is under Local Community supplied with allotments Consideration should also be given to encouraging community growing Town and Parish areas and/or community orchards Council’s in existing open spaces. Amenity Green Space: There may be opportunities for Wiltshire Council There is a sufficient amount of seeking alternative use for amenity Planning amenity green space within Wilton space, e.g. for providing play or and is widely accessible throughout allotments Developers the whole urban area. Town Council Park & Recreation Grounds: Where opportunities arise, new Wiltshire Council Wilton has insufficient supply of provision in parishes with an Planning/ Park and recreation identified under supply should be Economic A number of facilities have potential sought (although with limited Development/Op for improvement (see section 5). development in these areas, en Spaces opportunities may be limited).
Developers
Town Council Children and Youth Facilities: Where development opportunities Wiltshire Council Wilton has a sufficient supply of arise, new on site provision should Planning children play spaces but is under be sought. supplied on youth facilities. All of south west Wiltshire is under The priority should be for fewer, supplied and access is poor. larger and higher quality play spaces as opposed to a proliferation of smaller play spaces.
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