Neighbourhood Plan

The fully adopted Neighbourhood Plan may be found here.

Holt Neighbourhood Plan – update

The Parish Council have sub-groups looking at the feasibility and costings for implementing the wishes of residents as expressed in the Neighbourhood Plan : Update of where we are as at October 2017 below.

Task

Progress

TrafficSupport changes to the B3107 through the village, to mitigate the impact of vehicular traffic, including:

• Road improvements for the western junction of The Midlands with The Street should include a safe pedestrian crossing to The Courts

• Relocate the northern pavement by the recreation ground inside the hedge

• Negotiate a 20mph limit throughout the village

• Limit the speed of traffic leaving the village eastwards by reducing the width of the carriageway by the junction with Little Parks

• Create a parking area sheltered by build-outs on the northern side of Melksham Road to limit the carriageway width

• Upgrade the village gateway and improve the signage for the mini-roundabout at the western end of the village

• Review and amend the signage along the B3107

• Negotiate a ban on vehicles of over 8.5 tonnes MGW on the B3107

HPC is in discussion with Wiltshire Council, with a view to planning and costing a scheme. The biggest hurdle to overcome is likely to be funding, as Wiltshire Council has had severe pressure on its budgets, and HPC has minimal resources of its own compared with the expected cost of such a project.

It is hoped that part of the project, especially the area near to The Midlands, will be carried out as part of the new Tannery Development, and funded by the developers.

Parking• Introduce single white lines to discourage parking in places where it is particularly undesirable

• Negotiate with the National Trust (NT) to provide sufficient off-road parking, including good walking access to The Courts

Other Transport• Campaign for better public bus services.

• Consider whether Holt Community Bus could provide more services for villagers.

• Investigate the possibility of providing cycle lanes / paths.

• Research the possibility of reopening Holt railway station.

Commercial and Economic• Explore the possibility of offering preference or incentives to existing Holt-based businesses in any new developments

• Optimise the number of residents being employed within the village to maintain a sustainable community and limit the commuting both into and out of the village by, for example, having a jobs page in the magazine and on the website, a noticeboard outside the village hall (also for job seekers) and supporting business networking events.

HPC has made this point to HAB housing, as part of the commercial development of the Tannery.

Environment• Identify and publish the responsibilities of landowners and public bodies to maintain drainage and local watercourses;

• Appoint flood wardens to monitor and notify potential flood risks

• Ensure routine maintenance to drains and gullies is carried out by Wiltshire Council and Wessex Water as appropriate.

Emergency flood equipment is now located at Holt Superstore. HPC has decided a flood warden isn’t necessary.

Liaison with WC and Wessex Water is ongoing.

Green Spaces• Develop measures and/or agreements that will ensure unhindered access across existing public rights of way; encourage landowners to remove unnecessary/illegal barbed wire fencing from public rights of way; encourage landowners to ensure footpaths and stiles are accessible to dog walkers and disabled users; encourage landowners to waymark and signpost footpaths.

• Campaign to establish new rights of way; seek to establish a recognised and accessible riverside walk alongside the River Avon; research the possibility of providing more safe walking routes out of the village to neighbouring communities; research the possibility of providing more bridleways.

• Survey and register all existing green spaces with public access within the Plan area, and propose new ones eg for tree planting, and obtain permissions and funding

• Establish the scale of support and number of residents who would use allotments; identify suitable land for allotments; engage and negotiate with landowners; obtain necessary permissions and funding; and establish an Allotment Users Association to develop and run the allotments.

Footpaths in Holt are well used, and are formally walked each year by members of HPC. Issues arising are reported and dealt with.

Potential new paths are being explored, especially to link Holt to the River Avon and canal towpath. However, such schemes are complex, involving several potential land owners, including the railways. Whilst on the council’s radar, they are essentially aspirational at the moment.

A survey of green spaces is being undertaken.

Several possible sites have been considered for allotments, and one is being progressed with the land owner, and residents. An initial public meeting was held in early October 2017. The project is ongoing.

Community Amenities• Identify and register those assets to ensure their retention and protection in future.

• Establish priorities which could include:

o Additional facilities for young people, such as a meeting place or skate park

o Improvements to update the sports pavilion

o A new Village Hall/community centre

An area has been identified, for use as a pump (cycle) track. This is also where possible allotments would be. As noted above, an initial public meeting has been held, and the project is ongoing.

Wiltshire Council have taken the decision pursuant to Section 38A(4) of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act, 2004, to ‘make’ the Holt Neighbourhood Plan. The Holt Neighbourhood Plan now forms part of the Wiltshire Council Development Plan and the policies in the Neighbourhood Plan will be given full weight when assessing planning applications that affect land in the Holt Neighbourhood Area. A copy of the Holt Neighbourhood Plan and Wiltshire Council’s post-referendum Decision Statement will be available on Wiltshire Council’s website at: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planninganddevelopment/planningpolicy/neighbourhoodplanning

The Neighbourhood Plan has been in development since about 2009. We have at last reached the end of the process which is to submit the final version of the Plan to a referendum of the whole village. This will be held on 24th November 2016. We have collated the archive of the development here so you can track back through the evolution and see all the various documents which have informed the process. They are grouped by year and have reasonably explanatory titles. There is an up-to-date index to the archive called: HNP Audit Trail Index 28.9.16

Please explore and feel free to download any of the documents. If you have any queries or comments, please contact The NP team via the contact form for the Parish Council.

Current Steering Group

Heather Morris, Chair

Andrew Pearce, Deputy Chair

Bob Chequer

Fiona Drysdale

Martin Moyes

This page is being regularly updated with new documents.

Documents

2016

Information Statement – publication date 17/10/16

Notice of Referendum – publication date 20/10/16