THE draft Neighbour-hood Plan for Dilton Marsh has been issued and residents are being encouraged to submit their comments now as part of the consultation process, which runs until Wednesday 14th March.
In the vision for Dilton Marsh section in the Neighbourhood Plan, the parish council says, “By 2038 Dilton Marsh will be a parish with an enhanced rural environment; a protected and distinct rural landscape setting, protected green spaces and valued assets; and a commitment to the protection and enhancement of wildlife and habitats.
“Limited and sympathetic development at Dilton Marsh will have been managed to meet the needs of our community ensuring that high quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places are created.
Affordable homes
“New housing will have reflected the downsizing and ageing of the community and addressed the need for smaller and affordable homes. All new development will have employed a high level of flood resilient, sustainable design and energy efficiency as we adapt to climate change. Our vibrant small business community will have been supported to develop and grow and more people will be working from home.
“The village will continue to offer a good range of services and community facilities with existing ones maintained and encouraged to improve to cater for all. To make Dilton Marsh accessible and a safe place for everybody our active transport options, including public transport, footways, cycle routes and bridleway will have been further developed, maintained and enhanced to encourage their use. Measures will have been introduced to improve traffic movements, safety and parking to the benefit of all road users.”
Praised
The plan has been praised by one resident who has commended the parish council on their work. David Young says, “The parish council and committee for the Neighbourhood Plan should be commended for their excellent work in identifying 27 sites for possible development and this alone goes to show that any proposal to develop large sites such as the deer field, for example, should not be considered and any application for planning permission of sites outside the curtilage of Dilton Marsh should be vigorously opposed.
“I would add that The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) latest revision has huge consequences for Dilton Marsh and for Wiltshire, as a whole. The revised NPPF gives more power to local planning authorities, protects the green belt, removes the requirement on councils to demonstrate a five-year land supply on an annual basis and gives greater protection to the best agricultural land, especially in relation to food production.
“The reduced land supply the council now has to show will put a stop to speculative applications from developers. I am delighted that land quality will now be a material factor in determining planning applications.
“We have very high-quality agricultural land in our area so the change will mean less building on what should remain productive land.”
Copies of the draft Neighbourhood Plan, supporting documents and the comments form are available to view and download from the parish council’s website www.diltonmarshparishcouncil.gov.uk/
A hard copy of the plan and supporting documents are available at The Weavers Pub. Email clerk@office.diltonmarshparishcouncil.gov.uk or phone Ruth Collins on 07950 167893 if you require assistance accessing the documents.
