Have your say on Westbury’s future

The results of two heritage public consultation events and a community event held in the summer have now been collated and are being analysed so that conclusions can be gathered to help with the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan.

Philip McMullen, project coordinator for Westbury Neighbourhood Plan said, “Further consultations are being planned throughout the next few months.

“The steering group will be writing to all the local businesses asking them to fill in a short questionnaire to identify the services that they provide, how further housing might affect their business and what local changes might assist their business. 

“Those currently working from home will also be asked whether, if their business expanded, they would need office space or other accommodation so that any requirement for this can be taken into consideration. 

“It is hoped that the results of this questionnaire will allow the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to help the development of local businesses and therefore local jobs.

“Wiltshire Council is currently undertaking a review of the housing and employment requirements in the Wiltshire Core Strategy (now renamed the Wiltshire Local Plan) for the period 2016 to 2036 which will help to inform the number of new homes that will need to be delivered in Westbury in future.

“Westbury Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group is therefore undertaking a “Call for Sites” – in other words, asking local landowners whether they have pieces of land which could potentially, one day, become available.

“We will need to be open minded about where any new housing goes, so we have to provide everyone with an equal opportunity to promote their site in order to learn how the sites could be developed, how this may benefit the town and what advantages each particular site might provide. We can then arrive at a decision about the location of new housing based on robust evidence, which we must do if the Neighbourhood Plan is to pass all the necessary tests.”