MIND THE GAP: County plan in place to keep our town contained

Purton-based environmentalist Richard Pagett explains why he hopes the Wiltshire Core Strategy will constrain Swindon...

IN RECENT years the parish of Purton has been under pressure from developers. Some larger proposals have been successful (Moredon Bridge, Ridgeway Farm) and some have not (Widham Farm).

In the case of the first two, this was never about whether or not Purton needed the houses. It was more about what developers felt they could obtain approval for, within the limits of existing plans and government policies.

Although the previous government’s Regional Spatial Strategy was dispensed with in 2010, in planning terms it left a legacy of argument that helped Moredon Bridge and Ridgeway Farm become a reality. There was never any planning logic for either site.

Both Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council had clear growth plans, and they didn’t include Moredon Bridge and Ridgeway Farm. Yet, developers were able to argue differently, quite cynically, that Purton was able to take more houses and had a housing need, even though they were right next to Swindon.

Following the cabinet’s acceptance, with minor conditions, the full Wiltshire Council met on 20 January to approve the Wiltshire Core Strategy. This set out the framework for all future housing developments in the county, excluding Swindon which has its own Core Strategy in place. Any local (neighbourhood) plans will need to align with the policies described in the strategy.

The general direction of the Wiltshire Core Strategy is that major housing will be centred on the existing larger settlements, those with plenty of facilities to support a growing population. Any remaining housing is then spread among the community areas according to laid down criteria.

The logic is that such housing should be at locations capable of supporting that housing. For instance, the Strategy classifies Cricklade as a Local Service Centre which means it is capable of supporting some limited housing. Purton is considered a Large Village and is protected from speculative development by a settlement boundary, outside of which general housing development is forbidden.

The Strategy does not allow development outside the settlement boundary unless proposed in an approved neighbourhood plan or resulting from a settlement boundary review by Wiltshire Council.

There will be such a review around late Spring to mid-Summer.

Until then, there is unlikely to be any large-scale housing applications approved in Purton. Indeed, a housing application for over 30 houses in Purton was recently refused.

Pictures: Top, MPs James Gray and Robert Buckland protest against taylor Wimpey's proposal to build next to Lydiard Park, and inset, Richard Pagett