THE inclusion of a potential site for a much-needed policing hub serving the south of the county in an application for a large industrial development at High Post appears to be an attempt to make this highly controversial scheme on greenfield land more widely acceptable at the second time of asking.
The Police and Crime Commissioner is on record as saying that he is continuing to negotiate with landowners about other suitably sized sites, already zoned for ‘employment’ use, closer to Salisbury and with better, sustainable transport links for the city’s residents.
If these other sites are not taken up for such use, developers will soon come back to Wiltshire Council planners saying there is ‘no demand’, and seek permission to fill them with more housing instead, making a mockery of the careful site allocation process that has already taken place.
There is no commitment on the PCC’s part to the High Post site, and approval does not necessarily mean the policing hub will be built there.
What is the point of having land designated for employment use alongside current housing developments on the fringes of the city if it is to be ignored in favour of building on agricultural land, at a junction that is already an accident black spot, that is realistically only likely to be accessed by car? This makes a mockery of Wiltshire’s ‘sustainable’ development criteria.
Further, allocating sites for such large-scale expansion of industrial/business provision should be done in the review of the Local Plan when it would be subjected to wider public consultation which would include all the nearby parishes.
If Wiltshire Council wishes to further develop the A345 corridor between Salisbury and Amesbury, at the very least there should be masterplanning.
Other objectors to the planning application have detailed concerns about the impact of this scheme on the Woodford Valley roads and on the wildlife – in particular, bats – using the development site, and I concur with these.
The Police and Crime Commissioner is on record as saying that he is continuing to negotiate with landowners about other suitably sized sites, already zoned for ‘employment’ use, closer to Salisbury and with better, sustainable transport links for the city’s residents.
If these other sites are not taken up for such use, developers will soon come back to Wiltshire Council planners saying there is ‘no demand’, and seek permission to fill them with more housing instead, making a mockery of the careful site allocation process that has already taken place.
There is no commitment on the PCC’s part to the High Post site, and approval does not necessarily mean the policing hub will be built there.
What is the point of having land designated for employment use alongside current housing developments on the fringes of the city if it is to be ignored in favour of building on agricultural land, at a junction that is already an accident black spot, that is realistically only likely to be accessed by car? This makes a mockery of Wiltshire’s ‘sustainable’ development criteria.
Further, allocating sites for such large-scale expansion of industrial/business provision should be done in the review of the Local Plan when it would be subjected to wider public consultation which would include all the nearby parishes.
If Wiltshire Council wishes to further develop the A345 corridor between Salisbury and Amesbury, at the very least there should be masterplanning.
Other objectors to the planning application have detailed concerns about the impact of this scheme on the Woodford Valley roads and on the wildlife – in particular, bats – using the development site, and I concur with these.
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