A NEW housing plan by Wiltshire Council lays out proposals to build 14,778 new homes across Wiltshire that have not yet been planned for.

The new Local Plan sets out a bold and ambitious vision for growth in Wiltshire over the next 15 years and will be considered by Wiltshire Council’s ruling cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday, July 11.

The Conservative-controlled Cabinet will consider the review of the Wiltshire Local Plan, as the important document approaches the final stages towards adoption.

It will set out the vision and framework for housing, infrastructure and land for employment growth for the next 15 years.

The updated plan proposes 36,740 homes to be built by 2038, rather than the 45,630 homes over 20 years to 2036 originally proposed in 2021 when the first consultation took place.

Of these, 21,972 homes have already been built or are committed, and 14,778 new homes will need to be planned for in Wiltshire’s four housing market areas.

They include 4,826 in Chippenham, 5,881 in Salisbury, 2,164 in the area of Wiltshire around Swindon, and 1,907 in Trowbridge.

In Chippenham HMA, they include 2,090 in Chippenham, 600 in Calne, 260 in Corsham, 40 in Devizes, 1,120 in Melksham, and none in Malmesbury where 611 new homes are already committed or completed.

In the Wiltshire part of the Swindon HMA, they include 230 in Marlborough, 1,230 in Royal Wootton Bassett, and 710 in the rural area.

In Salisbury HMA, they include 1,530 in Salisbury, 120 in Amesbury where land availability is already seriously constrained, 1,270 in Tidworth and Ludgershall, and 1,360 in the rural area, plus 1,500-2,000 in a new community in a location yet to be identified.

In Trowbridge HMA, they include 840 in Trowbridge, 80 in Bradford on Avon, 40 in Warminster, 570 in Westbury and 380 in the rural area.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “This is an ambitious and sustainable plan that, if approved, will set out both where and how new developments may be built in the county over the next 15 years.

“It will provide for high quality, sustainable homes and a choice of new employment opportunities in the right locations. This is about meeting Wiltshire’s needs for homes and not building any more new houses than are required.

“This Local Plan is about providing for a choice of high-quality designed housing, including affordable homes, in the most sustainable locations; maximising development on brownfield sites; supporting town centres; and providing high quality new public open spaces.

“This is also the most sustainable Local Plan we’ve ever produced, as all new homes will need to meet zero carbon standards, and there must be a 20 per cent biodiversity net gain for all new developments.

“We recognise that a number of the sites identified for new development may prove contentious in some areas, but these sites have been selected because they are the most sustainable, taking account of the results of previous consultations and the gathering of evidence – and as a local council we are required to provide appropriate sites for housing, employment and other infrastructure.

“In our business plan, we have committed to an updated Local Plan as an effective policy framework for the sustainable growth of Wiltshire that addresses the strategic needs of the county. And if the draft plan passes through both cabinet, and then full council, we will then be consulting with our residents in the autumn.”

Following work to assess the number of homes needed, the number of planned homes in the plan has been significantly reduced.

The Local Plan update now requires 40 per cent of all new housing on developments of 10 homes or more to be affordable.

To read the full cabinet report, click here.