Planning process
Wiltshire Council approved a new draft Local Plan on 18th July 2023 and the Regulation 19 consultation took place between Wednesday 27 September and Wednesday 22 November 2023. The draft local plan published as part of this consultation is available for download at Draft Local Plan.
This draft Plan proposes that no new sites in Amesbury or at High Post are allocated for development, either for residential or employment use.
The overall Plan timetable and the next steps in the process are summarised in the table below.
The timeline of the Local Plan process
| Wiltshire Council Local Plan timetable |
|---|
| Updated summer 2024 |
| Stage | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation on the scope of the plan | 2017, 4th quarter | |
| Plan preparation (evidence gathering, informal consultation and public consultation) | 2018, 1st quarter | 2023, 2nd quarter |
| Publication of plan for pre-submission consultation | 2023, 3rd quarter | |
| Plan preparation for submission | 2023, 3rd quarter | 2024, 4th quarter |
| Submission to Secretary of State | 2024, 4th quarter | |
| Examination (including hearing and receipt of Inspector's report) | 2024, 4th quarter | |
| Adoption | 2025, 3rd quarter |
The next stage of the process is that the Plan will be submitted to an independent Planning Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State, and examined in public.
The Inspector is primarily looking at technical matters. Landowners have the right to apply to appear at the Examination to argue their case to the Inspector. They can only do so only if they file the right application and the Inspector permits them to appear. The Inspector has the option of sending the draft Plan back to Wiltshire Council if he deems it “unsound”. If this occurs Wiltshire Council might then look to add back sites. This sometimes happens but not often. If it does not, the Plan will then be sent back to the Secretary of State and will be adopted, after which it fully replaces the previous 2015 plan.
The Sustainable Amesbury campaign will monitor the process and if any representations by landowners/developers are made, we will make sure that Wiltshire Council has robust arguments available to ensure that what they have now proposed is approved by the Inspector.