Wiltshire Local Plan withdrawn by the cabinet – start again…..

Back in March the Independent Planning Inspectors who had been examining the original draft of the Wiltshire Local Plan gave the council two options: either to withdraw the Local Plan from examination or request that the Inspectors draft a final report, which would recommend non-adoption. In other words, it was a non-starter.

This morning (Thursday 7 May), following a cabinet meeting of the LibDem leadership group a notice was issued announcing that ‘Cabinet has agreed to recommend to Full Council that the draft Wiltshire Local Plan (2020-2038) is withdrawn from examination. This will allow the council to focus its efforts on preparing a new Local Plan under the government’s new plan-making system, which is designed to support faster and more streamlined plan-making. Cabinet will consider the beginning of a new Local Plan at its meeting in June.’

Cllr Adrian Foster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “This is not the outcome we had hoped for, but it is important that we are realistic about the position we are in and make a clear decision about how to move forward.

“I’d like to thank all the officers who have worked incredibly hard to prepare this Local Plan for examination in challenging circumstances. Their professionalism, dedication and resilience throughout this process should not be underestimated, and the work they have done will provide a strong foundation for what comes next.

“Withdrawing the draft Plan will allow us to focus our resources on preparing a new Local Plan under the updated national system, so we can start afresh and continue planning positively for Wiltshire’s future.”

The decision to withdraw the current Local Plan will now be considered by Full Council on 19 May.

To find out more and read the Cabinet papers, people should go to: Agenda – Democratic Services – Wiltshire Council.

The Local Plan is important to us all. Difficult to decipher, what it actually means – for us in Marlborough – requires analysis and interpretation as it isn’t our plan – the Marlborough Area Network Plan (MANP). Once the next draft is out we will endeavour to provide a readable synopsis of what it does mean for is all here in the Marlborough area.