News

Help defend your Village!
Date posted: 5th May 2017

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Help defend your Village!

The Village is under siege from developers trying to build in our tranquil rural area.

How can they do this?

Swindon Borough Council does not have a 5 year housing land supply.

What does this mean?

The Government requires that every planning authority should plan to have land set aside to provide for the Government set target of houses. Swindon, like many other authorities, cannot prove this.

In real terms what it means is that rules and policies that SBC have set to protect areas like Blunsdon, can be overruled. So if SBC reject a planning proposal and the developer takes it to appeal (like the proposal for 69 houses north of the High Street next to Ermin Street) they are very likely to have the application granted by the inspector.

What can we do?

The Neighbourhood Planning Group (NPG) with the Parish Council (PC) would like to ask for your help.

The Secretary of State has openly supported NP groups by giving them the opportunity to strengthen the Planning Authority's powers
To do this, the Community through the NPG can agree to allocate land for housing. In turn it reduces the need for SBC to demonstrate a 5 year supply to a 3 year supply (which it has) and therefore protect the Parish.

Although the number of houses allocated by SBC in the Local Plan to be built in Blunsdon has been far exceeded, to stop more uncontrolled development, the Parish and NPG are asking you to agree to a site appraisal of the Parish with a view to allocate site(s) and therefore take advantage of having the lower 3 year housing land supply.

This reinforces the rules and policies that are set to protect the Village
The PC and the NP Group would like your thoughts and ideas about how we can try to make a stand and change this onslaught.

If you cannot attend the meeting please email us as it is very important to get our community views on this only option to protect the Village.

Free tea and cakes too! - 24th May, Village Hall 4pm to 7pm

There will be a small exhibition of the current position regarding planned development applications and where fears of potential developments might be. This will be followed by a short Parish Annual Meeting.

The PC and the NP Group would like your thoughts and ideas about how we can try to make a stand and change this onslaught.

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