News Archive

23 March 25

14 days ago, I reported the following... The government recently stated that “rural communities without NPs may be more vulnerable to speculative planning applications” and they pushed a second message - "Go for Growth". Advisers added that:

A successful NP must be well constructed and show strong social, economic and environmental value for the community for the future.
It should aim to provide more housing over and above new housing targets, which are due at the end of this year.

Based on government figures, our expected target is around 132 houses, so a figure around 160 would provide a clear commitment by the village to Go for Growth, increase funding for community assets and protect us against speculative planning applications. If the government housing target is less than 132, then we can reduce the "160" figure. We have now been told that, if there is a Neighbourhood Plan in place, we will be given more % funding than if there is not. At the moment, any funding that might be available for the village is earmarked to contribute significantly to financing new and improved community assets.

In accordance with government requirements, and with government funding. AECOM has been commissioned to complete the Shrewton Housing Needs Assessment, which will take 16 weeks or so. We should be given an update sometime in June.

The NPSG members are each busy working away at their specialist roles and you will soon see new pages with information on different topics. At the same time, we/they are updating the policies and text in the draft NP V1. We are nearly there!

Other news...

The emailing list of subscribers is now operational and villagers are signing up. See above
The draft Version 1 of the NP is nearing completion, ready for review and comments by everyone.
125 Questionnaire responses so far. Here is The Questionnaire You can collect paper copies from the Bridge Garage and Profile Studio. If you haven't done one, please do - every little helps.
The NP Steering Group has 11 members and 2 vacancies - Leads for Community Engagement and Business. If you can help, please volunteer or recommend a friend.
The Walkers, Ramblers, Riders, Cyclists etc meeting on access (footpaths, bridlepaths, byways etc) took place in Maddington Church Rooms on 19 March. The few that attended were very knowledgeable about the situation and the issues, and the discussions helped to identify some clear actions.
The NP public meeting took place the Village Hall on 20 March to display various ideas on what small, medium and large village halls could look like, offering many more facilities. Also displayed were maps of the Salisbury Plain Training Area, the Wiltshire Rights of Way definitive map, the SHELAA (land bank) maps of sites around the village, available for development. It was a Browse, Chat, Ask walk around that produced some interesting questions and thoughts. This kind of session worked well and it will be repeated.
The Village Hall's application to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) has been submitted to the Charities Commission, which will present new opportunities. The details will soon be available on the Village Hall's brand new website www.shrewtonvillagehall.org.uk
The next public Zoom call is on 3 April at 1900 and the next physical meeting is in the VH on 17 April.

9 March 25

The government recently stated that “rural communities without NPs may be more vulnerable to speculative planning applications”. In government "Yes Minister" language, this is a strong statement ("may" = "will be"), and similar messages are appearing from other quarters. There is a second message - "Go for Growth". Putting these two messages together and consulting with officials and planning experts, the emerging government message is that:

A successful NP must be well constructed and show strong social, economic and environmental value for the community for the future.
It should aim to provide more housing over and above new housing targets, which are due at the end of this year. Based on government figures, our expected target is around 132 houses, so a figure around 160 would provide a clear commitment by the village to Go for Growth, increase funding for community assets and protect us against speculative planning applications. If the government housing target is less than 132, then we can reduce the "160" figure.

If we opt for development that accords with the government growth targets, we likely to get more "goodies" in terms of community facilities. If we don't, then we are likely to continue as we are and, eventually, to have a larger housing target and a solution imposed upon us, in which we will have almost no say. The strong advice is that we should opt for a Growth strategy in the short term to ensure we have a vibrant community into the future. The NPSG is working to produce a set of options within the coming months, for the villagers to consider. Stay tuned!

Other news...

The draft Version 1 of the NP is nearing completion, ready for review and comments by everyone.
123 Questionnaire responses so far. Here is The Questionnaire You can collect paper copies from the Bridge Garage and Profile Studio. If you haven't done one, please do - every little helps.
The first mailing list should be operational in the next few days. It will be to send out the monthly Shrewton NP Newsletter. The second will be an email-based discussion forum as an alternative to social media; if it gets too big, then we can create more specific discussion groups as needed.
The NP Steering Group has 11 members and 2 vacancies - Leads for Community Engagement and Business. If you can help, please volunteer or recommend a friend.
The next public meeting in the Village Hall is 7 pm on 20 March - it has been given over to the Village Hall Committee to show various ideas on what a new village hall could look like, offering many more facilities. The Football Club is also participating.
The Village Hall held an Extraordinary General Meeting on 5 March to explain the Charity's transition to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and the opportunities that this will bring. The details will soon be available on the Village Hall's brand new website www.shrewtonvillagehall.org.uk
The first public Zoom call took place on 6 March with plenty of discussion. Turn out was low, but it will grow.

28 Feb 25

The NP Steering Group (NPSG) has met for the second time, with each member having a role with an initial set of tasks - click here to see who they are. As the NPSG engages with Wilts Council, Wessex Water, developers and landowners, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge, which indicates that the sooner there is a Shrewton NP in place, the more likely it is that we will be able to prevent having unwanted development imposed upon us. However, it is also clear that if we opt for development that accords with the government growth targets, we likely to get more "goodies" in terms of community facilities. If we don't, then we are likely to continue as we are and, eventually, to have a larger housing target and a solution imposed upon us, in which we will have almost no say. The strong advice is that we should opt for a Growth strategy in the short term to ensure we have a vibrant community into the future. The NPSG is exploring the situation to produce a set of options within the coming months, for the villagers to consider. Stay tuned!

122 Questionnaire responses so far. Here is The Questionnaire You can collect paper copies from the Bridge Garage and Profile Studio.
The first mailing list should be operational in the next few days. It will be to send out the monthly Shrewton NP Newsletter. The second will be an email-based discussion forum as an alternative to social media; if it gets too big, then we can create more specific discussion groups as needed.
The NP Steering Group has 11 members and 2 vacancies. Details to follow shortly on the website.
The next public meeting in the Village Hall is 7 pm on 20 March - it has been given over to the Village Hall Committee to show various ideas on what a new village hall could look like, offering many more facilities. The Football Club is also participating.
Please note that the Village Hall is holding an Extraordinary General Meeting on 5 March to explain the Charity's transition to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and the opportunities that this will bring. The details are available on the village WhatsApp and will soon be available on the Village Hall's brand new website www.shrewtonvillagehall.org.uk
The first public Zoom call is now 7 pm on 6 March, where we will give the first update.

All comments and suggestions are welcomed. Thank you!!

Patrick Curry, Chair NPSG - patrick.curry@shrewton.info