'Wiltshire could see new towns and villages built on green fields'
Discussion focused on the massive increase in housebuilding in Wiltshire that the Government has ordered.
I fully recognise the country needs more housing - but it needs it primarily in urban areas, not on green fields in the countryside.
Our towns and villages need to grow too, but in a way that is sustainable and sympathetic to existing settlements.
Previous plans for 2,000 new homes a year in Wiltshire already exceeded actual local demand, but were manageable.
The Government is imposing an 80 per cent increase in this target, from 2,000 to 3,400 new homes a year.
Wiltshire Council's officers explained to us that it is not yet clear where these new homes will go, but that the council is looking at all options including building new towns and villages.
This is seriously concerning.
Wiltshire is a doughnut around Salisbury Plain and so - presuming they don't intend to build on the Plain - any new towns would need to fit into the limited space around the edges.
I would strongly oppose any plans to create new settlements on green fields in East Wiltshire.
The Labour Government is demanding plans are put in place within 30 months which will mean less public engagement than is proper with a huge change of this nature.
I will do what I can to ensure we don't get excessive new building in our area; and that any new developments have a cast-iron obligation to deliver the infrastructure (from schools to sewage works) that the additional population makes necessary.
The previous Conservative administration at [[Wiltshire Council]] invested significantly in council housing in rural areas.
I am dismayed that this month the Lib Dem led council has started selling off these homes.
Even if the intention is to use the receipts for replacement purchases, these houses will never be recovered - and there is no guarantee they'll be replaced with new council houses in the same villages.
It's the wrong decision.
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