The government normally requires councils to have a supply of development land to keep building going for at least five years.  There was some relaxation of this need in late 2023 and the requirement for Wiltshire dropped to 4 years.

Wiltshire Council then dropped its estimate of its own supply to about 4.3 years, dangerously close to the limit.  Predictably, developers contested this figure and succeeded during a recent appeal in establishing a figure of 3.85 years.

So the council has yet again lost control of the land supply.  This means developers can get away with building on green field sites where they wouldn’t normally be allowed to.

The land supply figure is not just land which has been given planning permission – it has to be ‘deliverable’ within the prescribed period.

So the conversation becomes:

WC – You’ve got planning permission to build houses on this land.  Why aren’t you building them?

Developers –  Sorry mate ‘snot deliverable. 

WC – Oh well, that means we can’t count that site so we’ll have to give you planning permission to build on other sites in the countryside.

Developers – Yeah, that’s a real shame innit.

The new government is likely to raise the bar to a five year supply anyway, so the towns and villages of Wiltshire will continue to be hit by poorly sited new developments.

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