Site Options Assessment

The Shrewton Neighbourhood Plan is being created to help decide how the village should grow in the future. It follows the rules set out in the Wiltshire Core Strategy (2015) and the new Wiltshire Local Plan Review, which is still being checked by the inspector. Shrewton is a large village about eight miles north of Salisbury and five miles west of Amesbury.
 

This report looks at different pieces of land around Shrewton to see which ones might be suitable for building new homes. The aim is to choose sites in a fair and clear way using evidence and national planning rules. The plan must follow government planning guidance and help support sustainable development (growth that does not harm the environment or the community).

 

There is very little space left to build inside the current village boundary. Because of this, almost all the possible sites are on farmland at the edge of the village. Most jobs, shops and leisure places are to the south and east of the village. Villagers say their biggest concern is traffic, especially the number of cars and how fast they travel. Because of this, any new homes should be built where people do not have to drive through the village for everyday journeys. In practice, this means sites to the south and east are more suitable. A review of land around the village did not find any new possible sites beyond the ones already known.
 

The main list of possible sites came from the Wiltshire Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA). Earlier studies in 2020 ruled out all sites around Shrewton because of environmental, landscape, or infrastructure problems. These problems still exist today. The plan says Shrewton needs 72 more houses, and this report looks for sites that could provide that number without building too many extra homes.
 

Six sites were looked at first. All of them are near environmentally protected areas, including the Hampshire Avon Special Area of Conservation, the Salisbury Plain Special Protection Area, and the River Till Site of Special Scientific Interest. The River Till is a special chalk stream that must meet strict water-quality regulations for chalk streams. At the moment, the river falls far short of meeting these regulations, and even after planned improvements to the Shrewton Waste Water Recycling Centre, it will still fail.  New housing would make the problem much worse. Preventing such irreversible damage to the river is a legal requirement and fundamental for the village.
 

After an early review, three sites (S150, S1066 and S1067) were removed from consideration because they were too far from the village, had landowner problems, or had serious flood risk. The remaining three sites (S146, S151 and S154) were studied in more detail. They were assessed using a standard planning toolkit and site visits, looking at factors such as the environment, landscape, access, availability and whether building there would be practical.
 

The original assessment showed that all three remaining sites have at least two major problems and two moderate problems, such as environmental damage or difficulties with development. Because of this, the assessment focuses on which site would be the least harmful and most sustainable option in the longer term, once environmental and infrastructure issues are solved.
 

The assessment results are:

• Site S154 (Land south of London Road) performed the best overall. It connects well with the village, could provide the number of homes needed, and offers better chances to reduce impacts on the landscape, heritage and traffic. Homes here could be built, maybe, in about 6–10 years, but only if environmental and wastewater issues are resolved.

• Site S151 (Land south of Nettley Farm) could also work but is less suitable. It is harder to access, further from services, and more visible in the landscape. Homes here could be built, maybe, in about 6–10 years, but only if environmental and wastewater issues are resolved.

• Site S146 (Land west of Tanners Lane) has serious environmental and landscape problems and is not considered suitable during the Neighbourhood Plan period, although it might possibly be used after 2030. Homes here could be built, maybe, in about 6–10 years, but only if environmental and wastewater issues are resolved.

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Overall, the report concludes that Site S154 is the least bad option for meeting Shrewton’s need for 72 homes. It is the only site that provides a benefit (connecting London Road houses with the rest of the village).  It would add the fewest environmental harms.  However, none of these options are vaguely possible until existing harmful infrastructure and environmental practices comply with legislation, and full mitigations are in place and operating correctly.