Wiltshire Council has published a document entitled ‘Wiltshire Local Plan Review – Consultation report and next steps.’

The consultation ran from13 January to 9 March 2021.  About 3,500 responses went in from organisations, local councils, and individuals.  The proposals for Trowbridge got about 400 responses, whilst Bradford was the town with the largest response, about 800.  Lower levels of interest came from Westbury with just 39 and Warminster, where just 24 people bothered to respond.

In analysing the results WC officers have taken pains to balance the constructive opinions of hundreds of residents on the one hand with the generally destructive points coming from developers and landowners.

There is also a strong feeling from consultees that the council is not doing enough to protect the local environment, though developers would prefer fewer constraints.

Council officers say they’ll do more work on housing numbers.  Also the need for employment land will be reconsidered.  They say, however, that “Whilst recognising the clear concerns of the local community the Local Plan must be prepared based on objective assessments of needs for housing and employment and a comprehensive appraisal of the evidence.”  This statement implies there won’t be any major changes despite all the concerns from across the county.

A draft plan will be produced and approved by the WC cabinet.  No timescale is given but that’s likely to be in 2023.  There will then be a formal consultation and an examination by a government inspector.

The full document is available on the WC website.