January 30, 1970.

WESTBURY: Housing estates each side of the Trowbridge Road and a population increase of 3,600 by 1981 now seem a likely part of Westbury’s new development plan. After two unsuccessful attempts the county council has just come up with a local policy map which meets the approval of Westbury Urban Council. The only major modification is the exchange of a proposed housing area at Frogmore for one in Bratton Road. It is possible the county council will agree to the exchange. A total of 126 acres is provided for housing, but anticipating a rush for prospective developers, housing committee chairman Ron Candy hastened to point out on Tuesday that much of this will be needed for council estates. At Eden Vale a new junior school is already planned. There will also be a new primary school somewhere between the Trowbridge Road and Bratton Road and Westbury Secondary Modern School was under review too. The library is to move to its new home, Westbury House. Here in the grounds a new health centre will include doctors and dentists surgeries, child welfare, speech therapy, relaxation and mothercraft clinics. Playing fields are still the greatest problem, Westbury’s complement being less than the recommended 4.7 acres per 1,000 people. 

 

February 2, 1990.

WILTSHIRE: Hopes of using Wiltshire’s household refuse to produce fuel have been dashed. Members of the county council’s refuse disposal committee have decided against building a plant to make “refuge derived fuel” after a visit to Bembridge, Isle of Wight, where they saw one in operation. Their search was sparked by the high cost and frequent breakdowns of the Swindon incinerator and the end to the contract with Blue Circle, Westbury, to take refuse. They discovered that Bembridge, operated from last spring, still had only one outlet for the fuel – a local technical college where the local authority commissioned the heating boilers to take the fuel. Planning director David Gardner told members such plants had always experienced problems over funding, unreliability in operation and limited outlets for the fuel produced. Members dropped the idea. But they also decided that if a private company decided to set up on its own it would co-operate.

February 4, 2005.

WARMINSTER: Residents celebrated on Monday as plans to close a well used through road were scrapped. Town councillors had asked for a report into the possibility of closing one end of King Street after people living there complained the road was too narrow. At a packed meeting they noted the report but decided to take no action. Residents living in the area criticised any changes which they said would cause more problems than benefits. More than 40 people attended the meeting. No one from King Street supported these plans.