Monday 16th February 2026
From the Facebook page of EBBRAG:
Are you struggling to get a GP appointment in Warminster when you need to?
Our local practice staff work so hard, but are just overwhelmed by the demands on them. Well, no wonder. There are just over 18,000 people registered at Avenue Surgery, but only 7 partners and 4 salaried GPs. That’s ONE GP for every 1636 residents!
If all the planned developments go ahead in addition to the West Urban Extension, the numbers of households will increase by a further 1200. At just two people per household on average, that could mean an additional 2,400 patients at least!
How many of you received Wednesday 11th February’s text from The Avenue Surgery stating that they could only offer emergency provision for the day?
And not for the first time!
Increased housing is only going to make the situation worse.
At present, there seem to be no concrete plans for significant additional health provision. Its not as easy as just saying recruit more staff as there is a recruitment crisis in the NHS.
Warminster needs YOU to find a voice.
As a resident of Warminster, you will already be aware of the huge West Urban Extension/Jubilee Gardens where 1000 new homes are currently being built, with another 500 due by 2042. Did you also know that a further approximately 700+ houses are at the planning stage?
- Cley Hill View, 227 homes already approved and being advertised.
- Ashley Coombe, 77 homes; planning permission applied for.
- Westbury Road, 205 homes; rejected once in 2025, outline planning applied for again.
- Home Farm, 135 homes; planning application expected imminently (the Neighbourhood Plan suggests 90 but the developer Bellway Homes would like 135).
- Grovelands, 68 homes; building already started.
Are these homes ALL really needed?
Are they being planned in a responsible and sustainable way?
They are all eating up green areas, rather than using brown field sites.
What impact will these developments have on the lives of people already living in our town?
Despite what the Town Council would have us believe, a Neighbourhood Plan does not offer Warminster protection against these speculative development bids.
The whole premise of naming a potential site in the Neighbourhood Plan is to offer legal protection for the rest of Warminster for up to five years. Consider this example – Melksham Parish Council had an adopted Neighbourhood Plan, fully supported by local residents which excluded a site Snarlton Farm from designated building. On appeal, the developer has now gone to The Secretary of State for Housing, taking the decision right out of local hands.
And consider this – by the time the current draft Neighbourhood Plan is finalised, it is likely that all of the developments listed above will already have gone through the planning process and have been approved, not just the one they have named.
What can you do?
- Register on the EBBRAG website. Our contact form is here : https://www.ebbrag.com/contact/
- Make it known to our Town Council that you do not support any more large scale developments, in the absence of improved infrastructure and local services. You can email the council here. Email: admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk
How?
- Sign up to say you agree with our Open Letter to The Town Council. https://www.ebbrag.com/letter/
- Register your concerns in the draft Warminster Neighbourhood Plan Consultation. https://www.warminsterplan.com/
- For further details from EBBRAG email info@ebbrag.com or visit the EBBRAG website: https://www.ebbrag.com/