Submission by Transforming Trowbridge
Thank you for the opportunity to make representations, on
behalf of Transforming Trowbridge, on this most important subject.
Transforming Trowbridge is a private sector led partnership
focussed on promoting, facilitating and enabling investment opportunities in
Wiltshire’s County Town.
We have adopted a number
of priorities one of which is to support the initiative to
enlarge the town's boundaries.
It is important
that Trowbridge grows to strengthen its principal service centre role and
deliver improved infrastructure and facilities in the town. Sustainable growth
with employment development alongside new housing is needed, both within the
central area of the town and in the form of an urban extension, which is fully
integrated with the town centre.
These
words are not mine, rather those of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.
The inclusion within the town boundary of the allocated and
built housing sites and employment land close to the town is an imperative to
enable resource to become available for investment in the social, economic and
environmental aspects of the town. This
is so important when promoting the area to potential investors.
I contend that the adoption of the proposal to extend the
town boundaries is in the best interests not just of the town, but also of
Wiltshire Council and the parishes whose size will be reduced.
In a large unitary county such as Wiltshire, there is
significant advantage in using the review process to differentiate between
urban and rural populations. West
Ashton, for example, is a parish with a distinct identity e.g. church, village
hall, school. In the next few years the
parish will be swamped by development to the north of the A350. Already there are a significant number of
houses closer to Tesco in Trowbridge than West Ashton Village Hall. The people who live in those houses relate to
Trowbridge as will those who occupy the proposed developments and see or will
see themselves as part of the Trowbridge community. The residents will say they live in
Trowbridge (not West Ashton). The same
arguments will be true for much of the development in other parishes.
Wiltshire Council by its own planning policies has
identified the Trowbridge community area
as a major growth area. Having done
this, it inevitably follows that this review must take account of this and
include significant areas of that allocation within the town. The development sites have been identified
because (and only because) they are adjacent to Trowbridge.
Enabling Trowbridge to grow will enable Wiltshire Council to
delegate significant activities and services to the Town Council who will then
have significant additional resources to improve and provide a wide range of
social and environmental facilities.
I understand that some may wish to defend the boundaries of
the existing parishes but this a point of view based on emotion rather than
logic.
Wiltshire Council is required
to carry out the review reflecting the identities and interests of the
communities in the area.
Strategically, in a large (still mainly) rural
unitary authority it is in the best interest of Wiltshire Council to develop
strong urban centres which can take care of themselves, provide services and
lead initiatives to encourage investment.
Transforming
Trowbridge trust that Wiltshire Council will make a positive decision and
deliver an expanded and stronger County Town
No comments:
Post a Comment