Harnham residents 'making voices heard' amid housing plans
Halt Harnham Housebuilding are opposing Wiltshire Council's Local Plan
Plans to develop new housing in Harnham are being met with opposition from a group of campaigners, who feel Wiltshire Council’s Local Plan makes little sense.
The document proposes the development of housing between Coombe Road and Odstock Road on two greenfield sites.
The plan has reached the a point called ‘Regulation 19 consulting’, which is a chance for local people to get their views across.
But Matt Ravenhill, from Halt Harnham Housebuilding, says its vital people living there make their voices heard:
“What's really crucial about this is this plan will dictate planning in Salisbury for the next 15 years through to 2038. It will decide where planning applications can come in.”
A detached council decision that makes little sense
The group says the Council aren’t up to speed with local issues, saying residents would be amazed and disappointed at the reasons for choosing certain sites for development:
“This is a Council based in Trowbridge, making decisions about sites in Salisbury that really show a lack of understanding of some of the local issues and needs, we believe.
“Some of the assumptions about the sites that have been made are not realistic.
“They're based on predictions that families are going to use walking and cycling to reach local amenities, shops and schools.
Matt explained to Greatest Hits Radio that, if the plans went ahead and the homes were built, the village of Harnham would grow by a third.
“We're talking about a village here on the outskirts of the city that has one principal Rd in and out, and one pretty old bridge that takes all the traffic.
“It makes very little sense compared to the alternatives.”
He adds that a more “common sense” approach would be to have improved the infrastructure around the village, but decisions already taken around Netherhampton Road, mean that chance has already gone.
Council ‘asleep at the wheel’
Matt hopes that the consultation period will allow residents to put forward sensible modifications to the plan, which they’re helping make easier.
Wiltshire Council’s process features technical detail and language, but HHH have put in a mechanism which simplifies the process.
“The key modification that we're most interested in is removal of sites eight and nine, until such time that they can prove that housing here is going to be deliverable, that it won't have the impact on the traffic or the services that the ecology and the impacts on the wildlife have been mitigated.”
Matt feels that the council hasn’t done it’s due diligence and are just accepting the plans developers are putting forward.
“This has become more an issue of democracy and frankly, Wiltshire Council, being asleep at the wheel.”
Wiltshire Council response
A public consultation on the Wiltshire Local Plan continues until November 22nd.
More than 2,000 people have already responded, either through an online survey or by taking part in webinars.
Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said:
"The Local Plan is the most important place-shaping document for Wiltshire, and we know just how important the right growth and developments are to our communities.
"The consultation is open until Wednesday 22 November, so there is still plenty of time to have your say.
"In our Business Plan, we have committed to an effective Local Plan that provides sustainable growth in Wiltshire and addresses the strategic needs of the county - and there is still time for people to let us know what they think of the Plan."
You can find out more about the Local Plan on the Wiltshire Council website.