Masterplan will shape strategy

Town councillors are planning to devise a masterplan to influence the strategic development of sites suitable for residential housing and employment.

Council leader, Cllr Dominic Newton, said the masterplan would tie in with the town’s Neighbourhood Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework and Wiltshire Council’s Core Strategy plan.

“We will be future-proofing to look at the town and see what we can do and where.

“If we don’t start to look at this, other people will be.”

Cllr Newton outlined his plans for a Masterplan at the town’s full council meeting. He has asked the area’s four unitary ward councillors, Sarah Gibson, Jim Lynch, Tevor Carbin and Johnny Kidney, to get involved.

The town’s environment and planning, town development and highways and transport committees will also be asked to nominate representatives.

“The whole point is that don’t yet have a masterplan for the town. We’re just starting to see what we can do to tie in with the Neighbourhood Plan, which goes to 2026, and the NPPF and the Wiltshire Core Strategy.”

At the annual town gathering in May, Cllr Newton said the town council was working with Bradford on Avon Business and larger employers to create a long-term strategy to support a thriving and sustainable local economy.

“This will include a joined-up approach to public transport that could, for example, see the establishment of a bus route between the station and Holt and provide a blueprint for the Town Bus from 2019.

“It may also see us working to assist development of employment spaces to give start-ups and entrepreneurs the space to grow while staying in the town that has nurtured them,” he told the gathering.

“Our strategy will link closely with future housing needs, which will become a key focus of the renamed Environment and Planning committee over the next two years.

“You will be aware of our recent disappointment – and frustration – at the decisions in relation to the Bellway Homes development on Holt Road. Our determination – which has been expressed to Wiltshire Council at the highest level – is to make sure Bradford on Avon is never again side-lined on development matters, either by Wiltshire Council or the planning appeals process. We are prepared, where necessary, to seek legal recourse to ensure our democratic voice is heard.

“The approval of the Neighbourhood Plan last September has, to a significant extent, provided firm ground until 2026. But with the review of both the National Planning Policy Framework and the Wiltshire Core Strategy, we cannot sit on our hands.

“It is clear, given the national housing crisis, that there will be changes and that there will be an expectation of further development in the town – if not before 2026 then immediately after.

“Our view is that it is better that we start to consider what that may look like now, rather than rely on the market and developers who have no stake in or understanding of our community.

“We will work with our planning consultant, local architects and other experts to examine options and areas of opportunity, as outlined in the Neighbourhood Plan, and consult with you as these ideas begin to take shape.”