Wiltshire Council Local Plan proposals for Trowbridge
Ahead of the local plan consultations that take place next week, WC has published its proposals for housing development in and around major settlements up to 2036. The background to the proposals for Trowbridge are here.
Figure 1 (page 8) shows two sites (4 & 5) to the north of the town where development is proposed. These are not so much an extension of Trowbridge, as a doubling of the size of Hilperton stretching it half-way to Semington. It looks as if Hilperton will be swallowed whole (although the Gap remains). A third site deemed suitable for development (but not proposed) is to the NE of Hilperton. This gets very close to Little Marsh, includes Hag Hill, and crosses the A350 to Cold Harbour.
A considerable amount of work has been done on these plans. Site 4 envisages 500 dwellings, a primary school and a nursery school. Site 5 envisages a local centre, 2100 dwellings, a primary school, a nursery school and an 8-form entry secondary school. This is a quote from p. 42 of the report which suggests that educational provision is a key driver:
“to ensure that the long-term education needs of the town are met, the forecast indicative housing requirements (1,805 over the period 2016-2036) may need to be increased by approximately a further 800 homes. This is due to the fact that the planned schools at Ashton Park will only serve that development. In addition, at this stage of the plan making process, the existing schools around the town demonstrate a limited capacity to expand. Therefore, any new planned growth at the town will need to address anticipated capacity deficiencies at the town. At this stage of the plan making process, sites 4 and 5 offer the best option for delivering additional schools capacity and increasing self-containment.”
The parish council will be discussing the plan at its next meeting on February 10th.