A consultation will commence on 1st September 2008 and run for 8 weeks, ending on 24th October 2008. All households and businesses will be mailed a copy of the consultation document.

In addition, there will be exhibitions throughout the district. The Southern Community Area exhibition will be held in St Laurence’s Church Hall, Downton, on Friday 5th September, from 12.30pm until 7pm.

A new environmental group for Downton

- Looking at water efficiency

A new project to look at saving water is just getting underway in Downton. At the first session on 12th June, a small group of people got together to share views and opinions on how we can be more efficient in conserving water in our homes and gardens and what methods could be used to get the whole of Downton to become ‘water wise’.

Click here for notes from the last meeting. The Downton water project is part of a larger project set up by the Environment Agency, who want to find out what methods really make a difference to changing peoples attitudes to water saving. Downton has been chosen because of its size, its strong community links (such as The Cuckoo Fair) and its proximity to natural water courses.

We would love more people to come along to future meetings – either as individuals or representing one of the various groups in the community. At this stage the project is about thoughts and ideas, but will soon be getting practical initiatives going. If you want to get involved, either at the ideas stage or by offering help with practical stuff – or both, or if you want to know more, please contact sally.scholefield@resourcefutures.co.uk

Please see diary page for details of the next meeting. Do come and join us to help Downton become ‘water wise’.

Downton – Village or Town?

Forward Planning for Housing and Jobs in the next 18 years

You are probably aware that a major forward planning exercise has been underway in South Wiltshire, looking at how the Salisbury District will need to change in the next 18 years - see http://www.salisbury.gov.uk/planning/forward-planning.htm.

Earlier this year, Salisbury District Council (SDC) ran a major public consultation called ‘Core Strategy Preferred Options’. This planning consultation was presented in a thick black book, with a great many background papers that could be accessed online or via the planning office. It was considered by many residents to be a complex and impenetrable consultation, although a lot of people did give feedback.

The consultation looked at ways in which Salisbury and south Wiltshire might accommodate the extra 12,400 new homes and 14,000 new jobs that the national government has requested in this area. This is in addition to the steady level of growth from infill development. That’s an awful lot of new homes and jobs, and it will impact significantly on our communities and infrastructure, including Downton.

The section in the most recent consultation on ‘Downton’ was somewhat ambiguous, with ‘Downton’ having some 10 different definitions across the forward planning papers and presentations. Amongst other things, the word ‘Downton’ has been used to mean a ‘Community Area’ (covering the whole southern part of the Salisbury District), a smaller settlement, a larger settlement, a service centre, a town, and even a main town! Because of this confusion and very widespread concerns about the consultation, timescale and perceived lack of public awareness, Downton and Redlynch District Councillor Jane Launchbury put a Motion to SDC to have a further round of consultation on a revised document. This was agreed by Full Council on 23rd April 2008, and a new document is now being prepared.

It is hoped that there will be a further public meeting in Downton, and that clearer communication about the consultation and forward planning implications will be sent to all residents. In the meantime, you can read the Downton Parish Council’s submitted comments on the ‘Core Strategy Preferred Options’, online here on the village website, or by requesting a copy from the Parish Clerk. You can also look at details of large sites that have been identified as potentially being available for housing sites in Downton, by visiting the Downton Library or looking on the SDC website. The document is called ‘Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment’ (SHLAA).

Specialist consultants have produced an Employment Land Use review, http://www.salisbury.gov.uk/employment-land-review.pdf. This suggests expanding and intensifying the use of the industrial estate in Downton and the possibility of intensifying the use of the Lode Hill industrial site. In SDC’s ‘Our Place in the Future’ consultation last year, 49% of those consulted agreed that new employment sites should be located in Downton.

Forward Planning on this scale, with the huge housing and job numbers that the government has requested, has taken people by surprise. It won’t just affect other communities – it will have significant implications for Downton. So please look out for further opportunities to have your say.

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