Great news on the city's new river park

HOORAY, here’s some good news for a change.

Wiltshire Council is now in a position to “deliver on the first phase” of the river park which will kickstart the regeneration of the Central Car Park and Maltings.

Improvements to the Avon corridor will significantly lessen the risk of flooding, creating the right environment for progress on other redevelopment projects around it. 

This will also be great for wildlife, with ‘naturalised’ riverbanks encouraging biodiversity and helping our fishy population as well as creating a prettier route into town for residents and visitors alike. What’s not to like?

On Tuesday (Nov. 3) the council’s leaders are expected to launch a seven-week public consultation on their river park masterplan, in conjunction with the Environment Agency.

This will largely have to be conducted online because of Covid, although displays in empty shop windows are being considered.

The council’s cabinet is also being asked to pass on grant aid of about £6million to the Agency towards the project. The money has a ‘use it or lose it’ March deadline.

Work on the project will mean changes to parking arrangements.

A site compound will occupy the coach park, so coaches are likely to be directed onto the central car park temporarily.

Making room for them will mean a temporary loss of 347 long-stay car spaces – just over a third of the total. 

When the work is completed there will still be 154 fewer long-stay spaces than at present, but according to the council only 29 per cent of the available spaces are occupied on average anyway.

Short stay spaces, disabled parking and the Maltings car park will be unaffected.

Well, this does sound like progress at last, and it’s to be hoped everything goes according to plan. 

With traditional retail in decline, Salisbury ought to be promoting itself to tourists as the ‘Green City’,  because we do still have so much lovely greenery here, and this will surely help.

Which doesn't mean I think those wretched bike lanes are the right answer!

New homes planned for city outskirts are 'bland' and 'horrible' say councillors

NEW housing to be built on the outskirts of Salisbury is “bland” and  “poorly designed,” according to councillors.

The city planning committee is objecting to the appearance of the 166-home Phase Three of the ongoing St Peter’s Place development, northwest of Fugglestone Red and Bemerton Heath.

Persimmon Homes is seeking approval from Wiltshire Council of the layout, scale, appearance and landscaping of the latest batch, which will include 102 private and 64 affordable homes.

But in an online meeting on Monday the city councillors, who have no right of approval or veto over the plans and can only submit comments, were scathing about the look of the buildings and voted to oppose them on design grounds.

Cllr Ian Tomes said: “I think they are horrible designs, uninspiring at the very least. They are just boxes, with no chimneys, no features. They are completely bland.”

Cllr Stephen Berry also spoke of “blandness” and “mediocrity”, saying they were “desperately, awfully poorly designed”.

Cllr John Lindley welcomed the fact that the houses will have studies, given the trend for home working.

But Cllr Tom Corbin suggested some people might think they were, in fact, getting an extra bedroom, although the rooms were too small for that.

And chairman John Farquhar wondered: “Are we potentially creating a ghetto here?”

No one spoke during the meeting in favour of the designs or on behalf of the developers.

The target date for Wiltshire’s decision is January 13.

If you want to see the architects' drawings for yourselves, look under 'planning' on the Wiltshire Council website and type in application number 20/08976.

Wiltshire 'sees Salisbury planning team as an irrelevant inconvenience'

ALL is far from well between Wiltshire and Salisbury. At least, on the planning and helpfulness front.

The volunteers working on a neighbourhood plan to give local people an input into future development decisions say they are getting precious little help from Trowbridge staff, who treat them as a nuisance.

A quick read of some paperwork for tonight’s (Monday) city council planning committee spells out their frustration.

It’s buried in the city’s draft response to government ideas on how to speed up house-building. (These basically amount to getting rid of what Boris Johnson sees as unnecessary red tape, and sorting out those pesky great crested newts -  a protected species with an irritating habit of living slap in the middle of whatever patch of countryside his big builder buddies can’t wait to cover in concrete. A bit like all those ancient woodlands and HS2. You know the kind of thing.)

Anyway, here’s what Salisbury’s team are telling the government about how neighbourhood planning could be improved. I’ve edited it just to clarify:

“The biggest blockage to evidence gathering” is Wiltshire’s “reluctance to support” them.

“The mindset of the officers is not helpful (it is reluctant)” and the city team have to ask repeatedly for the evidence they need. 

“Local plan policies are not prepared in a collaborative manner with the community” and “liaison meetings are often uncomfortable because the Wiltshire officers appear to consider the neighbourhood planners as a blockage to what they are trying to achieve”.

In addition, the Wiltshire website is “hard to navigate and the search facilities do not usually return the correct links”. (As a journalist, I can vouch for that.)

So what’s to be done?

The Government must recognise that neighbourhood plans are largely prepared by volunteers in their spare time, the team say.

“Developers and planning officers get paid for working on neighbourhood plans – neighbourhood planners do not.”

Each planning authority such as Wiltshire should be required to have specific staff to support neighbourhood plans, which “should not be treated by officers as an irrelevant inconvenience”.

I think they’ve made themselves clear!

To me it’s an inevitable result of taking all power away from a historic city that ought to be, and used to be, the centre of democracy for miles around. But you’re probably sick of me banging on about that one.

The Salisbury lot are pretty unimpressed with the government’s proposals, too. I’ll talk about why in another post.

People Friendly Streets maybe, but the signs are anything but friendly

THERE'S an odd contradiction between the name 'People Friendly Streets' and the language on the signs all around the ring road and entrances to the city centre.

There's nothing on any of them to say that visitors are welcome or that the car parks are open as usual. 

Nothing to encourage day-trippers, just a whole wodge of stuff giving the impression that anyone coming here in a car is going to have a hard time.

'Access restricted' suggests that they're not going to be able to get in.

And I've seen absolutely nothing in terms of signage to warn people that they face a fine if they break the rules.

What's more, I drove from Waitrose car park this morning to Harnham via the top end of Castle Street, zigzagging along Scots Lane, the top end of Endless Street, along past the chippy to the next right turn, and straight out along Brown Street. Just to see what was what.

It wasn't particularly inconvenient. I wonder whether this is what all the locals will do, leaving only the tourists upon whom our city's economy depends to be baffled by it all. Just asking.

What a wonderful place Salisbury could be!

A BRAVE new world of lush green city living was the image dangled tantalisingly before us on our Zooming computer screens last night.

This, we were encouraged to feel, was how Salisbury could be, if we only dared to dream big enough.

It was so gorgeous it actually, however briefly, made me want to live in an urban flat.

Naturally, it would need to have rooftop allotments and greenhouses, internal courtyards, green energy, chic shops and spaces for home workers and office-based businesses down below, all sandwiched into a tall converted building tastefully remodelled to take a step back from the busy street frontage.

And we’re talking about someone whose lifelong fantasy has been a ancient stone farmhouse complete with Aga and an orchard!

The occasion was a hugely worthwhile online meeting organised by the Civic Society and hosted by Wiltshire Creative.
Some fascinating contributions were made by Andrea Pellegram, the planning consultant advising the city’s Neighbourhood Plan group, city council leader (not for much longer, alas!) Jeremy Nettle, and a bunch of highly articulate architects and developers who are behind the extraordinary Biophilic Living project in Swansea.
There’s so much to inspire us going on there that it’s hard to explain in this short post.
Look up their beautifully illustrated website (biophilicliving.co.uk), and ask yourself: What’s to stop it happening here, other than a lack of leadership with the requisite willpower?
Doubts were expressed about whether inner city regeneration of this type could work within the limits of a historic conservation area like ours.
It could, was the answer, by thinking laterally. Instead of transforming one great big building (although we’ve got one or two of those that could do with it), we could start on individual street scale, interweaving nature with existing development.
We’ve got to think up ways to encourage more young people to come here to live and work affordably, and Biophilic Living is admittedly an ambitious one.
But post-Covid, which has accelerated the decline of retail and changed the way we all live, possibly for the long term, we’ve got to do things differently. Which was the theme of the evening.
I guess the Maltings is the obvious place to try it out, and perhaps Wiltshire Council’s ongoing attempt to bring all the land holdings there under one ownership is the one thing that could make it possible, if Trowbridge had a mind to try.
I know their deputy leader Richard Clewer was watching, and I’d love to hear his take on it.
Meanwhile the Neighbourhood Plan team hope to go out to public consultation with their draft ideas for the city in the spring. I don’t envy them.
Now we’ve seen what could be done, I guess the job of persuading us to settle for less would be a thankless one!

PS And as my husband points out, architecturally innovative development along these lines would attract visitors in its own right at a time when the city is no longer a retail destination.

Hope for the future after City Hall closure

BEEN chatting to Richard Clewer, deputy leader of Wiltshire Council, about the City Hall closure and plans for its future.

He tells me that the council is well aware that it’s a war memorial, it’s not hatching any nefarious scheme to get rid of it, and definitely intends to reopen it when circumstances permit, though he admits that there’s no timescale because there’s no way of gauging how long the impact of Covid will be with us.

He explains that there was no prospect of it getting Arts Council aid, of the type that was given to the Playhouse, Arts Centre, Winchester Gate, etc., because the Arts Council wouldn’t see it as a creative hub  - i.e it’s not producing new creative content.

It’s been hosting a lot of tribute bands rather than original artists – and there are all sorts of economic reasons for that. It’s not big enough to make money for a really big-name band. I’ve enjoyed all sorts of stand-up comedy there. But it’s not where people go, by and large, to see new stuff showcased, and that’s where the government money’s going.

However, he’s really keen to see it staging more original work when it does relaunch, and that’s music to my ears. As long as Salisbury folk will feel safe getting out and about again, and be able to support so many venues in sufficient numbers.

Acoustics are a bit of a problem at the City Hall. I’ve watched Billy Bragg play there and at the Arts Centre, and definitely preferred the latter, so that's a good point of comparison.

Money needs to be spent putting the sound right. The building would also benefit hugely from a wholesale refurb to get rid of the drab, depressing municipal colour scheme and to divide up the spaces in a more exciting, flexible way that would accommodate a wider variety of uses. So much could be done with it during the daytime when it’s normally pretty dead. Just think of what's being done all over the place with redundant churches!

It could be a community asset with a genuine feeling of community ownership, but it needs a great deal of commitment, effort and imagination, not to mention cash, and with Covid controlling everything at the moment, it’s hard to see how this will come about.

So closing City Hall, rather than the Playhouse or those other venues, was the least worst option for the council in the circumstances, according to Cllr Clewer. And when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound so unreasonable.

It is very rough on the people who have worked there, and I’m told a consultation with them is starting next week, with redeployment being preferred to redundancy where possible.

I wish them all the best, and hope it works out.

Join the debate on how Covid will change Salisbury

HOW will Covid and its long-term impact on our behaviour and wellbeing affect the future of our city? And how should we plan for it?

That’s the fascinating and very timely subject of an online meeting being organised by Salisbury Civic Society, along with our Neighbourhood Plan team and Wiltshire Creative.

Starting at 7pm on Wednesday (21st) it will cover the impact of trends such as online shopping and working from home which have  really taken off during the pandemic.

It will also look at the value of connecting with nature close to home and bringing it into the heart of the city.

Taking part will be a panel of experts including architects and developers working on the Biophilic Living Project - an urban regeneration project in Swansea.

It involves a mixed-used development including affordable homes and workspace alongside a community farm, right in the heart of the city, with the aim of combating urban isolation and social exclusion. 

I’ve had a quick look online and it sounds like a wonderful idea, though where on earth you’d put a farm in central Salisbury is another matter!

But the principle of interweaving development, nature and wildlife to the benefit of all is obviously relevant to our own River Park project, part of the flood-proofing Maltings redevelopment. 

Also on Wednesday’s panel will be the consultant leading the Neighbourhood Plan, Andrea Pellegram, and city council leader Jeremy Nettle.

Audience members will be able to submit questions live online during the event.

You need to book, but it’s free, via the Wiltshire Creative website.

I hope they get a good turnout.

Authorities act at last to save Old Sarum airfield hangar

FINALLY! A plan to save one of Salisbury’s historic treasures is ready for take-off. 

The Grade 2* listed Hangar Three at Old Sarum Airfield has been added to Historic England’s register of buildings which are officially at risk.

That means the heritage body’s experts can work with Wiltshire Council officers to draw up plans for its restoration, using legal powers if necessary to ensure that the work happens.

They describe its condition as “very bad” and have put it in their highest risk category.

They are offering to work with the hangar’s owners, a company based in the Bahamas, but can get on and get things done without them if necessary.

For the SOS - Save Old Sarum group and the local Wiltshire councillor, Ian McLennan, who have been desperately trying to get the authorities to take a more active interest in the building’s fate for several years now, this is wonderful news.

And it comes not a moment too soon, with stormy weather starting to set in, and the hangar’s roof looking unlikely to survive another winter. 

A leader the city council can ill afford to lose

A disappointing development at our city council, where leader Jeremy Nettle is about to stand down.

Cllr Nettle is one of those reasonable Conservatives who believe in acting in the best interests of their whole community. There aren’t enough of them about at the moment, either locally or nationally.

Having sat next to him on a plane to Malta this time last year I can vouch that he’s the same with everyone, whether in the council chamber or accompanying our choir tour as an ‘other half’.

He has shown no interest in the sort of petty tribal point-scoring which preceded his time at the top and which should have no place in a parish council.

There’s been no grandstanding, no throwing about of weight. Just decency, good manners and common sense. 

The same can’t be said of some of his colleagues, however, and the rift within the party's ranks is very much out in the open now after a vote of no confidence.

Cllr Nettle, who will officially give up the leadership next month, will carry on as councillor for Fisherton and Bemerton Village. He deserves a vote of thanks.

Goodness knows who we'll get now. Any bets?

Quote of the week

COMMENT of the week comes from city and unitary councillor Sven Hocking, at last Thursday's area board meeting.

"Lord knows we could do with some decent journalists in the city."

Thanks, Sven.

Cllr Hocking is Wiltshire's portfolio holder for 'Highways Streetscene'. I would like to think that journalists, decent or otherwise, will be keeping a keen eye on the state of our streets from now on. 

Big Brother's coming to your People Friendly Streets

DO you, like me, worry about the Big Brother tendency in British society, particularly in the midst of all these Covid diktats?

I’m not saying that restrictions to quash the pandemic aren’t needed, just that I can’t quite believe how meek and mild we lovers of liberty are in accepting the increasingly confused authoritarianism of a plainly incompetent government.

And it was in this somewhat jaundiced frame of mind that I logged in to the Salisbury area board’s discussion of our forthcoming People Friendly Streets scheme on Thursday.

A “mini Holland” was how Wiltshire officers described the shift they envisage towards a more environmentally friendly future.

What’s not to like about that?

Well, at a pinch I could put up with the inconvenience of having to apply for a permit to get from Exeter Street into Catherine Street every time I want to unload a few bags at Mencap.

But I probably won’t bother. I’ll just head up to the Trussell Trust at Bemerton Heath. I imagine they’ll be inundated!

City centre residents will need permits to access the central low traffic zone as well as the paid-for permits already required to park near their homes. Cameras will recognise their vehicles and let them through the ‘bus gate’ checkpoints. Presumably they’ll have no spur-of-the-moment guests dropping in, since visitors’ cars will apparently need permits, too, which implies a degree of premeditation.

Builders, plumbers, wedding parties and funeral guests will all need to apply.

And however much Wiltshire promises a ‘light touch’ in policing Blue Badge holders, especially those who come from elsewhere for a day out when no-one’s told them that the rules have changed, I foresee a bureaucrats’ paradise. Some much-needed job creation, perhaps?

Permits are blessedly free of charge. But break the rules, and after an initial bedding-in period when you’ll get away with a warning notice or some “advice and education”, it’ll be penalty charge time – that’s £25, rising to £50 if you don’t cough up quick.

You could say this is necessary. You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. And we certainly need to do something to tackle air quality in the city. Whether this project simply shunts even more motorists onto the ring road, causing worsening jams and pollution further out, will be monitored, though what the authorities will be able to do about it is, like the air, not yet clear.

But what’s really niggling me at the moment is the positioning of ever more cameras all over the place, not positioned to catch shoplifters but to monitor where you and I are going and whether we’ve got permission from On High and a good enough reason to go there.

And gosh, these cameras will have the capacity to record whether citizens are keeping a Covid-safe distance apart.

I’m concerned that law-abiding taxpayers will need to declare the purpose of any motorised visit to the central zone and to accept that they will be spied on every time.

But that’s what’s coming, and before half-term.

To be fair, there are some undoubtedly good things envisaged, too.

Like a long-overdue refurb of Culver Street, more benches for people to rest if they struggle to get from car park to shops, an e-cycle hire scheme, and charming ‘parklets’ – little on-street oases to park your bike and sit while you catch your breath. New wayfinding signs, too, and reconfigured bus stops.

And at least, as Cllr Sven Hocking pointed out, after the experimental 18-month period we will be able to tweak things.

“We realise it may take a bit of getting used to,” one Wiltshire officer told the meeting.

And the prize for Understatement of the Year goes to …….

I'm so sad that Salisbury is losing the India Shop

THE saddest yet, to me, of the many sad shop closures blighting Salisbury is that of the India Shop in the High Street.

This is one of the city’s few, truly different and interesting places to browse for gifts, homewares and small, unique pieces of furniture.

It’s one of the best of the steadily diminishing “quirky independent” brigade that Wiltshire Council’s consultants are always enthusing about as being key to Salisbury’s future as a retail centre. 

And over the years I’ve probably spent a small fortune in there.

I popped in yesterday and I kid you not, I could see how glum all my fellow-customers were underneath their Covid masks.

The ones I spoke to all said pretty much the same: “Oh, what a shame. This is the one shop that makes coming into Salisbury worth it.”

I don’t quite agree – there are three or four more I’d make the effort for, but that’s all, these days. 

Then again, I think this was just people’s way of saying how fed up they were.

Fortunately, the company’s Honeystreet warehouse out Pewsey way is remaining open, so devotees will be able to trail out there for their Eastern fix.

But that’s not the point, really, is it?

The point is what’s happening to Salisbury.

Sure, retail experts have been saying for ages now that the pandemic has only hastened the inevitable, given the inexorable rise of online shopping. And that high streets have got to adapt to survive.

But how can they? How many cups of coffee can we drink?How many identikit chain restaurant meals can we eat till even the money-off vouchers lose their allure?

And what’s the point? We can’t just sit and stuff our faces and gaze vacantly around at hundreds of other people all doing the same thing, then retreat to our computer screens at home to ‘one click’ everything else we need because it’s cheaper from some giant warehouse where workers are treated like dirt. 

Do you think we will still be offered genuine consumer choice if we allow that to happen? If control over what’s on offer is concentrated in just a handful of hands, greedy for economies of scale?

I hate it when I hear people say: “Soon there won’t be any point in coming into town.”

It’s about more than shopping. It’s about what sustains a community.