Conservative led Wiltshire Council leaders have today (Tuesday 29 June) agreed to move forward with the next stage of the Wiltshire Local Plan, after receiving a report on feedback from local communities and other stakeholders in the recent Local Plan Review consultation.
The consultation was held between 13 January and 9 March, and focused on key components to inform a draft Local Plan, particularly proposals for the scale and distribution of housing and employment growth across Wiltshire. It also sought views on the role of the Local Plan to adapt to and mitigate against climate change.
Following this consultation and the agreement by cabinet, the council will now undertake further work to update the Plan's evidence base to reconsider the scale and distribution of housing and employment growth during the life of the Plan, from 2016-2036.
Conservative Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Planning, said:
The recent Wiltshire Local Plan review consultation attracted more than 3,500 representations from 2,682 people and organisations, which is a fantastic response, and shows just how passionate the people of Wiltshire are about potential development in their area.
The Local Plan needs to be based on robust evidence to support the delivery of sustainable development across Wiltshire.
We have listened to the views of Wiltshire's communities and stakeholders, and as a result of the consultation, plus the need to consider the societal changes caused by the pandemic, we are updating the Plan's evidence base to ensure we plan for the right number of homes and other developments until 2036.
This is the latest step on a long road for the Local Plan. Officers will now work on developing the draft Plan for consideration by Cabinet and Full Council, and there will be a further consultation in 2022.
Read the full cabinet papers, or find out more about the Wiltshire Local Plan review.
