Extent of proposed Salisbury Road housing development still uncertain

Marlborough’s strategic housing development on the green field site west of the Salisbury Road opposite the Tesco roundabout dominated Marlborough’s day at the hearings into Wiltshire’s Core Strategy. And it became clear that the Crown Estate who own the land want to be able to expand the site towards the south.

The hearings before the government appointed inspector, Andrew Seaman, are being held over twenty-three days at Trowbridge’s Civic Centre.  Mr Seaman is examining the ‘soundness’ of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

Among other criteria, he has to judge whether the strategy is deliverable and is consistent with national policy.

The main speakers supporting their representations to the inspector about the Salisbury Road development were Richard Bate for the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Dr Fielden for the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), and Mrs Joan Davies for Savernake Parish Council.

Acting for the Crown Estate was Neil Hall of the international project management  company AMEC.

Marlborough Town Council were not taking part in the hearings or observing them.

Mr Seaman made it clear that this was not a planning hearing and steered the discussion away from details which could only be resolved at the planning application stage.  The site includes two large fields of Brown’s Farm.

Introducing the Salisbury Road plan, Mrs Carolyn Gibson for the Council outlined two main issues for the Salisbury Road development. 

First, it was wholly within the AONB (in fact Wiltshire’s only strategic housing developing so sited), but she said the Council had given “great weight to conserving the landscape.”  

Second was the issue of the affordability of housing.  She called Marlborough “one of the least affordable settlements in Wiltshire” with over-crowding and high average house prices.

“The Council feel they have shown restraint in limiting housing in the Marlborough area.” Between 2006 and 2026 the Core Strategy requires 610 new dwellings within Marlborough town.  

So far 339 have been built or have planning permission. 220 homes at Salisbury Road would bring that up to 559 – the additional 51 would probably come from small, ad hoc developments.  Beyond the town, 240 new homes are scheduled for the Marlborough area.

Mrs Gibson said that the decision to build on this green field site in an AONB was ‘not taken lightly’ and two later speakers for the Council called it ‘a difficult decision’.

Mr Bate’s view was that “Broadly speaking Marlborough can add hundreds of homes to its stock without affecting the AONB.”  

He was sure the site had been chosen on the ‘wrong basis’, that the Council had not looked hard enough for sites that did not affect the AONB, and that “They should keep on looking.”

Mrs Davies told the inspector that the water catchment zone on the site (supplying drinking water for Marlborough) meant the development would have to be restricted.  Thames Water had expressed worries about it. 

Mrs Davies was told the issue would have to be decided during the planning application stage when Thames Water would get involved. Mr Bate thought the water issue “may well preclude development at all.”

The Council were asked for a categorical statement that there will be no objection from Thames Water at the planning stage.  Mrs Gibson replied: “We cannot prejudice or pre-judge the planning process.”

Other issues included the fact that there are two pipelines under the site.  Amec said these may have to be moved.

All these issues meant that when it came to detailed planning the number of homes might go up or down determined by restrictions on the 6.3 hectare site.

In their submission AMEC had asked for the southern boundary to be flexible. Now Mr Hall was asking for ‘latitude to move south’.

Though the Council had put the southern limit at the 150 metre contour, the Council’s Jon Taylor claimed there was ‘flexibility within the plan to ensure it developed within environmental limits.’ And Mrs Gibson talked about the boundary moving ‘slightly further south’.

Dr Kate Fielden for the CPRE intervened: “I don’t see why we should accept a change in the area.”

All will depend on the planning process.  But Wiltshire Council was bullish about the outcome.  Their senior Council official at the hearing that day, Dave Milton, noted the Marlborough people ‘who aren’t here’: “That speaks for itself. They feel quite comfortable with the plans.”