Press Release – For Issue Wednesday 3rd March Andover Advertiser/Bath Chronicle/BBC Wiltshire/Gazette & Herald/Wiltshire Times/Marlborough News Online/Melksham Independent News/Salisbury Journal/Wilts & Glos Standard/Swindon Advertiser/New Valley News/Western Gazette/White Horse News/Somerset Live/The Guardian/The Independent/ The Daily Telegraph/ The Observer/ The Times Town and Parish Council Continue Effort to Protect Neighbourhood Plans Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire’s MPs have declined the opportunity to meet last Friday (26th Feb) with the 30 town and parish councils seeking a joint effort to develop a shared and public plan to protect Neighbourhood Planning in Wiltshire. However, a letter to the councils from the Leader of Wiltshire Council, Philip Whitehead and the Chief Executive, Terence Herbert, confirmed Wiltshire Councils views that: • Greater clarity needs to be given to communities in the guidance about what Neighbourhood Plans can and can’t influence; • The current anomaly regarding the weight given to those over two years old in decision making must be urgently addressed; • The process of updating Neighbourhood Plans should be simplified or they should be extended to run over a longer time span, in line with the Wiltshire Local Plan; • The current situation where neighbourhood plans are being made increasing less valid over time and requiring frequent updating with all the effort that entails it not functional; and • Neighbourhood plans need to be linked more directly into the duration of the Wiltshire Local Plan. Wiltshire Council has also offered meetings with the town and parish councils at ‘sometime in the future’ but wishes to wait until the government has responded to the consultation on proposed long-term changes to the national planning system before considering its own next steps. Speaking on behalf of the councils, Campbell Ritchie, Mayor of Malmesbury said: ‘’Our single point of disagreement with Wiltshire Council, and the Wiltshire MPs who have responded in similar vein, is that they wish to wait for the government to respond to its ‘Future of Planning’ White Paper proposals before considering its own next steps. Unfortunately, the implementation of the proposals being consulted about are at least three years away. The damage being done to Wiltshire’s Neighbourhood Plans is happening now. There is already a long list of live and likely planning applications across Wiltshire seeking to make full use of the continuing shortfall in the 5 year land supply in Wiltshire. Until action is taken current Neighbourhood Plans and the efforts to update the Wiltshire Local Plan will continue being wrecked.” Cllr Ritchie added “With the current Local Plan consultation underway, it has also become clear that the Government’s formula for calculating Wiltshire’s housing numbers (the “Standard Method”) is considerably out of date, and is set to undermine Neighbourhood Plans through undeliverable targets, building in even greater risk of failure to meet the 5 year land supply in the next iteration of the Local Plan. We hope we can also have constructive discussions with Wiltshire Councils and our MPs on this issue as well. We look forward to agreeing a specific meeting date with the Council shortly. In the meantime, because of the urgency of the current situation we have written directly to the government and are inviting Wiltshire Council and our Wiltshire MPs to join us in this effort.” ENDS 1. Wiltshire Town and Parish Councils writing together to the Secretary of State Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government: Ashton Keynes Marlborough Bradford on Avon Melksham Without Bremhill North Bradley Brokenborough Oaksey Calne Pewsey Chippenham Potterne Chirton & Conock Purton Corsham Sherston Cricklade Southwick Parish Council Crudwell St Paul Malmesbury Without Devizes Staverton Downton Sutton Benger Great Somerford Incorporating Startley Tisbury Hilperton Trowbridge Holt Westbury Idmiston Warminster Laverstock and Ford Wootton Rivers Malmesbury 2. Letter from Wiltshire Council dated 22nd February 2021 in response to the request for a meeting with Wiltshire Councils and Wiltshire MPs on the 26th February. 3. Letter to Wiltshire Council dated 3rd March 2021. 4. Letter to Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government dated 3rd March 2021. 5. The Town and Parish Councils writing to Wiltshire Council and the Secretary of State have been meeting together over video conference since July 2020 and have created an informal alliance on this and related matters called the Wiltshire Area Localism and Planning Group (WALPA). Together the signatories are the first level of local government for half of the residents in Wiltshire. 6. Questions and more information: Please contact the Clerk of the Town or Parish Council most relevant to your outlet. For the purposes of this Press Release, Cllr Campbell Ritchie, Mayor of Malmesbury, is also a spokesperson and contact for questions and more information: [email protected]. T: 07802638424. .