Chippenham will capitalise on its history, location and beautiful surrounding countryside to maintain itself as an attractive and vibrant, riverside Market Town in which to live, work and for people to visit. Its future growth will be appropriate in scale, of high quality design, be environmentally sustainable and planned so as to mitigate the causes, and be adapted to the impacts of climate change.
The Chippenham Neighbourhood Plan has been developed by a steering group made up of Chippenham Town Councillors and local community representatives, working under the guidance and funding of Chippenham Town Council. Community views and comments were received via public surveys, workshops and consultations that form part of the evidence base that supports and shapes the Plan which covers the period up to 2036.Councillor Desna Allen, Leader of Chippenham Town Council said,
“I’m extremely pleased that the Town Council took the decision in 2017 to commence the process and has provided funding since then to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for Chippenham. I encourage everyone to take the time to read the draft plan and participate in the consultation. Once adopted, the Neighbourhood Plan will have a tangible positive impact on the future development for our town.”
The Neighbourhood Plan will be refined as a result of feedback received during this ‘Regulation 14’ public consultation, and there will be a further round of public consultation. An examination by a Planning Inspector will follow, with the final stage in the process being decided by residents of the town in a referendum. On approval the Neighbourhood Plan would provide local planning policies for the Parish and become a statutory component of the Development Plan, to be used by Wiltshire Council when determining planning applications in Chippenham.
Councillor Nick Murry, Chair of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, commented:
“Almost four years of hard work has gone into the Plan’s preparation by Councillors, officers, and members of the community. Steering Group members, in particular, have generously donated large amounts of their time, with dedicated support from the Town Council’s Head of Planning throughout.
The Steering Group have set out a vision for the future of the town, which seeks to capitalize on its history, accessible location, and its beautiful surrounding countryside, whilst also maintaining it as an attractive and vibrant, riverside Market Town in which to live, work and for people to visit. The Group has identified seven topic areas where we feel our planning policies can make the most difference to the development and use of land in the town: sustainability and climate change, green infrastructure, housing, town centre, transport, community infrastructure, and the local economy.
We hope this Draft Plan broadly meets with the community’s approval and I would very much encourage the Chippenham community to give us have their thoughts on the policies being put forward by the Plan.”
Visit the Chippenham Neighbourhood Plan website to find out more and to take part in the consultation.
