Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Committee - New Members Wanted

We have made some really good progress with the Neighbourhood Plan during recent months and we will soon be undertaking full Community Engagement. 
Initially this will be in the form of a detailed Questionnaire, which will ask you for your thoughts as to what you like about Southwick, what you don’t like and what you would like to change. 
The Questionnaire will be made available both in paper and electronic formats and will be with you very soon.

Now is also the time for more members of the community to join the NDP Steering Committee. 
We are looking to further develop the group so that it is representative of all sections of our community, either by age group, location, etc. 
In this respect, we are particularly interested to hear from members of the local business community.

If being part of an exciting development opportunity appeals and you want to be part of a group intent on delivering a great plan for Southwick, please do get in contact with me in the first instance (john.eatonpdq@gmail.com).
 

Neighbourhood Development Plan - Vision

By 2026 Southwick will have retained its landscape setting, including physical separation from Trowbridge and its own rural character. The Parish will be cleaner and, where possible, provide a quality habitats for nature and help conserve local wildlife.

Development will have been controlled to provide necessary housing appropriate in type and scale to its location in a large village as set out in the Wiltshire Core Strategy. The design of new development will be of a good quality and feature renewable energy and climate change adaption technologies.

Local facilities will have been improved, including shops, recreational opportunities and open space. There will be a better maintained transport network including foot and cycle paths, speeding vehicles will have been reduced and pedestrian safety improved.

The Parish will have secured benefits from the right type and scale of development, in terms of the provision of better infrastructure and urban enhancement to match the wishes of the community.


Neighbourhood Development Plan - Objectives

1) To create a sustainable Southwick; one where development is balanced by improvements in facilities and infrastructure.

2) To protect the local environment, especially the rural landscape, historic buildings and wildlife habitats.

3) To preserve and enhance a separate village identity from Trowbridge and improve transport linkages.

4) To enhance recreational and leisure facilities of the village for all age groups.

5) To provide the housing that the community wants and needs, at a scale no larger than is appropriate for a large village, in developments of small to moderate size in the locations it approves, in particular to meet the needs of first time buyers and growing families.

6) To improve the village environment and public realm by appropriate enhancements to landscaping and existing urban features, including street furniture, provision of new green open spaces and enhancement of existing ones, including new tree planting.

7) To tackle transport problems, including parking, public transport and the necessary improvements to footpaths and pavements. To ensure that new developments improve transport sustainability rather than make it worse.

8) To ensure that new development does not add to existing flooding problems and where possible, it improves the current situation for existing as well as new buildings.

9) To ensure good, locally relevant and distinctive design in all new development.