2024 started with a bang and sparked lots of ideas for change, including proposals in Highways and Planning which will be of interest to us all.
Poor funding from central government has led to less gully and drain clearances by Wiltshire Council. Likewise, there has been no incentive for landowners to reduce water run-off from fields, and clear ditches. Wiltshire Council is putting an extra £1million into drain and gulley clearance, including a third vacuum machine, whilst DEFRA is looking at incentivising landowners. I am pushing for a long-term funding increase to acknowledge the fact that weather patterns are changing and we need to deal with more rain annually than we ever have before.
At Black Dog, the closure of the spur road north of the junction is a step closer thanks to the support of local residents, Parish Councils and the Highways team. I anticipate this being implemented in the next few months once the legal paperwork is complete (the Department for Transport ensures this isn’t a straightforward or quick process!).
A proposal for a huge change to our local countryside and agriculture came last month in the form of a planning application for a 200-acre solar farm in Potterne, Easterton and Market Lavington. Opposition is strong with many, including myself, asking why we are losing good land in which we can grow crops in order to generate electricity we cannot use due to grid capacity.
Another proposed change in Market Lavington came from an application for houses and a larger Co-Op. This came as no surprise since a hundred or so residents attended a presentation back in 2022 when the idea was floated. Since that meeting, I have been regularly asked when the new Co-Op will be built by excited locals! I am told a larger Co-Op has been supported by three-quarters of locals who took part in a survey last year. However, there is a lot for residents, the Parish Council and Planners to consider because the proposal is a deviation from the Neighbourhood Plan (voted for by locals) which earmarked the site for housing. I expect some interesting debate will follow!
I have written about 5 Year Housing Land Supply before; a flawed target for building new homes. We have lost many Planning appeals because we have been kept from hitting the target through the manipulation of figures by unscrupulous developers. I am pleased to report our lobbying of Michael Gove has been a success and we now have a 4-year target (which we are exceeding). This should protect us from further overdevelopment in the Devizes area.
Finally, a potentially life-saving change in West Lavington. The defibrillator in the telephone box in Rutts Lane, which was due to be removed because of the loss of its required electricity supply, has been relocated to the wall of The Old Bridge Inn pub. Residents can now rely on a defibrillator in the lay-by in Littleton Panell, one at the Village Hall and another on Church Street. The Parish Council website has a map showing the exact locations.
You may contact me about this or any other matter by email to dominic.muns@wiltshire.gov.uk or by phone on 07585 394 178.
