GLADMAN DEVELOPMENT

Gladman have appealed to the planning inspectorate against Wiltshire Council’s non-determination of their application. The Planning Inspector will hold a public meeting in June. Wiltshire Council have called a strategic planning committee meeting on Wednesday 22 March at 1030 in County Hall to determine their response had they still been the authority. The recommendation from the officer is that they object only on the technical matter of the need for a s106 agreement i.e. they have no other objection to the proposal being approved. The officer’s report may be downloaded by clicking here.

This website is being updated. In the meantime, Meeting Minutes will be posted here.

December 2022 Adopted minutes

January 2023 Adopted minutes

February 2023 agenda

The agenda for the February meeting taking place on Thursday 16th February can be found here.

COuncillor vacancy




Do you want to make a difference in Holt…?
…….. then here is your opportunity – Holt Parish Council has a vacancy!
Why do it?
Because you can contribute something positive to your village.  You can make a difference by influencing decisions that affect our community.   Although Wiltshire Council provides most of the principal services (e.g. education and highways), parish councils, like Holt, can provide local services – from community centres to festivals, and allotments to playgrounds. The job of the parish council is to represent the interests of the whole community, whilst at the same time being seen to provide value for money.  Understanding and balancing the needs of different groups is an important part of the role of a councillor. 
What’s involved?
The council meets monthly (except August) – meetings are on the third Thursday of the month, at 7:30pm in the Village Hall – an agenda and any reading material is issued in advance.  For those who have the time, there are opportunities to be on smaller working groups, being involved with issues such as planning, finance, traffic or village facilities.
Am I the right sort of person?
Almost certainly – yes!  No special skills are needed.  Essentially you need to be open, honest and objective.  Diversity is important – we need men and women with differing backgrounds, interests, ages and attitudes.   Some people work with ideas, while others are very practical, and some prefer administration.  Holt Parish Council needs a range of skills to work as a team.

If you think you might be interested, but aren’t sure, please contact Georgina on 07375 934468 to talk it over or drop an email to clerk@holtparishcouncil.gov.uk.

2023/24 Meeting dates

The meeting dates for 2023/24 are as follows:

April 20th
May 18th – Annual Council Meeting
June 15th
July 20th
August – NO MEETING HELD
September 21st
October 19th
November 16th
December 14th
January 18th
February 15th
March 21st

Annual Parish Meeting – TBC – there is a legal requirement to hold this meeting between 1st March and 1st June each year.

Improvements to the East Junction of the B3107 and the Midlands

We Need Your Help!

Holt Parish Council works hard on behalf of villagers to ensure Holt remains a fantastic
place to live and we deliver improvements as voted by the village in the Holt Neighborhood
Plan. One of the main issues raised by villagers is traffic safety and we were pleased to
secure Wiltshire Council Highways Substantive Scheme matched funding for
improvements to the east junction of the B3107 and the Midlands, which is now due for
completion during 2023.
The main objective is to make the junction safe for pedestrian access, given the current
footway is narrow, sloped, uneven and in poor state of repair; most pedestrians and all
wheelchair/pram/buggy users are forced onto the road, creating a hazard with vehicles.
Secondary objectives include: improving safety of vehicle access by reducing the speed
through slightly narrowing the road and restricting parking at the entrance; creation of a
20mph zone through the Midlands; improving the safety of the B3107 in the area of the
Midlands and Station Road junction by encouraging reduction in speed through a change
to the texture of the road surface (in the same way as has been completed at the west
junction); allowing more inclusive access to the village by those with mobility issues,
encouraging walking for general wellbeing and reduce traffic volume/emissions to enhance
the environment, through establishment of a useable footway.
We have received a preliminary design from Wiltshire Council which can be accessed via
this link. It principally shows the build-up and widening of the pavement, which requires
changes to parking restrictions and the application of additional double yellow lines to
ensure sufficient room for traffic and to improve safety. We recognize that this may be
inconvenient to some residents and add pressure to the remaining on-street parking,
which is a premium in Holt, but the Parish Council believes there will be significant benefit
overall. Wiltshire Council are currently consulting on these parking restrictions, which can
be accessed via this link.
We would ask for as many residents as possible to support these proposals via the online
form at the link by 9th January 2023 in order to deliver the much-needed improvement to
the junction.
Thank you!
Holt Parish Council

Exceptional public meeting

PROPOSAL TO BUILD 90 HOUSES ON THE FIELD NEXT TO GREAT PARKS

Gladman Ltd have submitted a planning application to develop 90 houses on the field adjacent to Great Parks. Holt Parish Council will meet to determine its response to the application at 7.30pm on Wednesday June 8th in the Village Hall. Villagers are invited to attend and may speak in the public meeting. In order that as many people as possible have a chance to speak, individual comments will be limited to three minutes.

Parishioners are also invited to comment to Wiltshire Council by 10 June on planning application PL/2022/03315 either by e-mail to developmentmanagement@wiltshire.gov.ukquoting the application number or via the Council website where the application details may be found. Letters may also be addressed to Development Management at County Hall,BA14 8JN.

Further enquiries on this matter should be addressed to clerk@holtparishcouncil.gov.uk, tel 783200.

Chair’s report to the annual parish meeting

Holt Parish Council – Chair’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting – 19 May 2022

Since the last annual Chair’s report, we have seen the continued impact of the pandemic and more recently a gradual recovery across society, which has been most welcome in the village as it has elsewhere. This has allowed the dynamism to return to village life; we are now meeting in person again and our many wonderful groups are now re-connecting people, improving wellbeing and raising money for good causes to support activity in the village and beyond.

Of course, society is now grappling with the impact of the war in Ukraine which has been catastrophic for their population and, in our small way, we are showing our support to them through the Ukrainian flag flying proudly on our village green. Here in the UK we are facing a cost-of-living crisis and the Parish Council has responded through a freeze on our element of the Council Tax precept and also a donation of £500 to ‘Help for Holt” in time for Christmas. We will continue to monitor this situation with other local groups. Finally, on Christmas, I’d like to thank the local businesses* and individuals for their generosity and Cllr Hendon for coordinating a Christmas tree and lights on the village green, which was a welcome respite from the darkness of CV19 restrictions at the time.

The global supply chain and economic situation has also had an impact on the development of the Old Tannery site, but we have seen the number of properties completed and occupied grow over this time and we welcome our new fellow villagers. We have also seen the completion of the Midlands junction work by the shop and the shelter, all at no cost to parishioners. Separately, we have been working with Stonewater and Wiltshire Council to understand the demand for affordable housing and the potential for a solution at the end of Station Road to meet this need, in accordance with the Neighborhood Plan. We remain statutory consultees for planning applications and have worked hard to respond appropriately to benefit the overall amenity of the village. I’d like to thank Cllr Siddall and the Planning Committee for their ongoing efforts across all these areas.

The Council remains committed to improving the Highways and Street Scene of the village and has developed a number of schemes to improve safety and reduce the intimidation of traffic in accordance with the Neighbourhood Plan. We have been successful in our bid for matched funding with Wiltshire Council for the next phase, which will see an improvement to the junction with the B3017 and the east junction to the Midlands, which is scheduled for October 2022 and we will consult villagers as the design is matured by Wiltshire Council. Our pavements remain in a generally poor, and in places unsafe, state and we will continue to progress this alongside our other schemes, working closely with Wiltshire Council. We have continued to promote access across our public footpaths around the village, conduct our annual survey and have supported some improvements, including the recent additions of kissing gates towards Holt Manor thanks to efforts of Cllr Nicholson and the generosity of the landowner.

Our facilities are of huge benefit to the village I’d like to thank Cllr Mizen for his sterling Chairmanship of the Facilities Advisory Group for many years, often going “above and beyond the call of duty”. He has now passed the baton to Cllr Fletcher who has already rolled out a number of significant enhancements, including the new fencing around the play area, additional tree planting around the village and more. We have also continued our monthly village inspections and implemented improvements through the Parish Steward, village caretaker, contractors and self-help to keep our parts of Holt in good order. I’d like to thank Cllr Fletcher and everyone involved in keeping our village looking at its best.

The Parish Council finances remain in a healthy position thanks to the stewardship and forward planning by Cllr Goodman, the Finance Committee and the Clerk as the Responsible Officer. We continue to add to the Village Development Fund through the solar panel income and part of the precept to provide for matched-funding with Wiltshire Council for Highways improvements and other future capital projects.

I am proud to be part of such a great village and serve on the Council. I’m pleased to see a few new joiners over the past year and very much look forward to working with them. I’d like to thank all my fellow councilors who give up their time voluntarily for the benefit of all villagers and thank our outgoing Clerk, Neil Baker, for facilitating our operations over the past 4 years and wish him well for the future.
Phil Game
Chair HPC

* Manor Farm, Stonewood Builders, Holt Superstore, The Old Ham Tree, The Tollgate, Formosa Kitchens, Box Steam Brewery