The Devizes Guardians

Jeff Ody wrote to the G&H about housing proposals as follows (the letter was not published):

“The draft Core Strategy for Devizes suggests 408 houses already permitted but not yet built, plus 569 more houses for the town over the period to 2026. Meanwhile most local opinion believes that the Town’s infrastructure has been stretched to breaking point by too many new houses built in recent years. The Strategy recommends no more new large ‘Strategic Sites’, so the additional ones are expected to be scattered around smaller sites in the town, although developers like Merchant Venturers and Mactaggart’s are already making warning noises about challenging this to suit their own plans.
 
The developer contributions process is flawed.
 
In theory, the housebuilders will be expected to deal with the deficit of infrastructure by their contributions under Planning Section 106 agreements and under the new Community Infrastructure Levy. Unfortunately the history of 106 Contributions in Devizes is not encouraging. Too often the payments are too small and too late. Worse, they do not get fitted into a coherent infrastructure plan which can be carried out before the new housing is completed.
 
Recent examples have been the curious highway lighting on the Horton Road;  and the new London Road bus stop arrangements,  which have to be finalised by October otherwise the Council loses the money to carry them out. These are not thoughtful  or timely contributions to the Town’s capability to accept new housing estates, they are more akin to a tax on the developer.
 
The new estates, which are already being drawn up by the housebuilders, should be preceded by an adequate framework  of infrastructure improvements prepared in advance. This framework should be specified in advance, in such a way that it can be parcelled out among the separate developers and financed piecemeal, whilst fitting into an overall plan.
 
This is a demanding task which the Council’s planning resources would find quite difficult to carry out quickly, and the developers’ lawyers will not hang about in pursuing their Planning Appeals against refusal of building consents.”

Letters from Helen Collier and Jeremy Pilgrim in the G&H last week highlighted local people’s concerns about Devizes future.

Guardian Town Councillor Ted East has responded with a letter to the G&H as follows:

“Helen Collier’s letter last week forecast Devizes ten years from now. Perhaps she had written the letter ten years ago and it has been lost in the post? We already have most of the problems she mentioned: air pollution, lack of medical facilities, parking on pavements in the new estates, roadworks and traffic gridlock. Helen could also have included the problem of using up all the open green spaces that are essential to the well-being of any community. A decade or two of excessive house building in the Devizes area has gone way beyond local needs, it has drawn in people from far and wide and increased demands on all our local facilities so that they are stretched to the limits.

Another letter last week from Jeremy Pilgrim expressed concerns about a Glasgow company’s proposal for houses on the Coate side of Windsor Drive. At least that company has been open about its plans. In contrast Merchant Venturers has surreptitiously submitted a proposal, via the Wiltshire consultation web site, for 400 houses north east of Roundway Park . How many more developers are waiting to pounce, take their profits and leave our community with the all the long term infrastructure problems but without the funds for the remedies?

One arm of Wiltshire Council, our Community Area Board, has recently recognised that there should now be no house building until our infrastructure deficit has been tackled. Devizes Guardians will continue to campaign until Wiltshire Council heeds local demands and stops yet more harmful housing sprawl in our area.”

This letter was published in the Gazette and Herald on 08.09.11

URGENT! Wiltshire Core Strategy consultation is nearly over.  All submissions, comments etc must be with the Council by MONDAY 8th AUGUST 2011.

You can still comment by completing and returning the response form on the website -

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planninganddevelopment/planningpolicy/wiltshirecorestrategy/

wcsconsult2011.htm,

- either by email or post, using the following contact details:

Email:

spatialplanningpolicy@wiltshire.gov.uk

Mail:

Spatial Planning Team
Wiltshire Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN

Our website needs a revamp, but we don’t have the cash to do so.  We would be eternally grateful if someone would volunteer to help with turning it into an all-singing, all-dancing site!

!f you think you can help, please contact via email

devizesguardians@googlemail.com

marked for the attention of Judy Rose.