Category: Local Government

At the meeting of the Finance and Assets Committee of Warminster Town Council, held at Warminster Civic Centre, on Monday 6th January 2014, with Councillor Pip Ridout in the chair, and Councillors Paul Batchelor, Jamie Cullen, Steve Dancey, Kate Fryer, and Steve Welling present, the Grounds Maintenance and Hanging Baskets Contract was discussed. 

Councillor Steve Dancey suggested having plastic flowers in hanging baskets as they did not need watering and looked as good as real ones. Councillor Kate Fryer believed that the hanging baskets were an essential contribution to pride in the town and proposed that the English Landscape quotation of £17,205 annually, payable in monthly instalments for a three-year period, be accepted. Councillor Paul Batchelor suggested adding an opt-out clause for the hanging baskets so that the option of plastic flowers could be investigated for the future. Councillor Kate Fryer proposed accepting the English Landscape quotation with an opt-out clause added, Seconded Councillor Batchelor, voting unanimous In Favour.

From Engage, The Newsletter of Warminster Town Council, August 2013:

Warminster – American Style
During the eighteenth century, ships carried passengers from England across the Atlantic in search of the new land, a new life and new opportunities. Not wishing to cut ties totally with the mother country, they used the names of their former homes and applied them to their new surroundings: Boston, London, Richmond, Dover, Warminster.

 Warminster Pennsylvania (PA) in Bucks county was founded by people from our town in a bygone era – about three hundred years ago to be precise – and it’s a connection many of them have not forgotten. After exchanging emails with the rotary club in Warminster PA, Nick Pitcher, a local businessman, visited the township and discovered there was real interest in developing cultural links between the two centres. In fact, he was presented with a sealed proclamation which suggests just that. While steering away from a formal twinning association, he did propose that a register of volunteers be drawn up to show visitors from Warminster PA around our local beauty spots and cultural attractions.

The Mayor, Paul Batchelor, was one who said he would be happy to be part of such a group. This “name link’ naturally means there are strong ties between our two centres. It’s certainly strong enough to entice regular visitors from that part of the States who are curious about their English counterpart. Not that plain curiosity is the sole reason for their presence in Warminster UK. Some are wanting to explore their family history; others want to compare the landscape, the buildings and get a feel of the place, which, back home, they call . . . . Warminster.

Of course, Warminster PA is on an American scale. That means everything is bigger, more wide open and of course newer. And while our fields in this part of the country can be seen as quite large, they are dwarfed by fields in the US. But this is what’s attractive to our America cousins. Apparently, they like the fact that here everything is on a smaller scale and more compact – our town being one example.

The landscape in Warminster PA is a lot flatter, and buildings and people are not so concentrated. They have a population of some 32,000; we have a population of approximately 25,000. However, their residents are spread over a wider area. Similarities? We have a railway station, so do they. They have a golf club, so do we. There’s a rotary club both sides of the pond and agriculture is a common, although not exclusive, activity in both communities. “There is,” says an old American history book of the time, “no better land in the county than the plains of Warminster”, which must have encouraged the new arrivals to settle down.

But then we too have had our good fortune with a thriving trade in corn and cloth in the eighteenth century that enabled the great family houses to be built and which now are used to. . . . . attract tourists from America. The Mayor and other council members are enthusiastically supporting this informal twinning. Other than the pleasure of establishing friendly links with another Warminster, there are potential benefits to the local economy.

It has also been suggested that schools could get involved. “This will be twinning for the 21st century,” said the Mayor. “Now that the world has effectively shrunk with the increasing use of the internet, we need to have a modern perception of the notion of twinning. This can include better integration of communities which will result in very little cost and in many cases no cost at all.” He additionally proposed that a list of organisations in Warminster PA be held in the Library and at the Civic Centre so residents could have points of contact.

Thursday 1st October 1987

Warminster Local Plan First Review News No.1.
Published by West Wiltshire District Council.

Draft Review For Discussion.
Your chance to comment.

The Warminster Local Plan was adopted as policy by West Wiltshire District Council in August 1984. Already some of the policies and proposals need to be updated to take account of recent changes in and around the town.

A Draft Review of the Plan has been prepared and is available for discussion and comment. This leaflet summarises the main policies and proposals in the Draft Review, and the arrangements made for publicity.

Constraints to development

The scope of the Local Plan Review is limited by Structure Plan policy, by landscape constraints in and around the town, and by a high level of committed housing development. For these reasons it looks to stimulate small scale changes which will help to meet the town’s development needs, and provide for environmental improvements.

Opening of the Bypass, in the autumn of 1988, will provide a much improved climate for the new investment necessary to foster improvements to the town’s environment and services, particularly in the town centre.

Warminster Town Centre
Traffic Relief

Warminster town centre serves the needs of local people, army personnel and visitors. It currently suffers from the volume of heavy traffic passing through the town, and policy TC1 calls for a study of traffic management options which will be available on completion of the Bypass.

What do you think?

There are likely to be a wide range of options available for treatment of the town centre, including changes in on-street parking provision, tree planting and repaving. The public are invited to make suggestions which can be considered in preparation of the traffic management environmental improvement study; this will be made available later for discussion and comment.

Shopping policies

Policies TC2 and TC3 of the Review aim to guide changes in shopping provision, by allowing for new units but restricting the loss of ground floor space to office and other uses in defined frontages of High Street, Market Place and the Three Horseshoes Mall.

Areas of change

The commercial centre of the town is defined on the Proposals Map, Town Centre inset. Within this general area a number of specific policy areas are identified.

Land south of High Street (TC4) is identified for the development of a supermarket, additional car parking and pedestrian links to High Street and Weymouth Street.

Backland Areas Have Potential

Areas off Market Place and East Street (TC5) and north and south of High Street (TC8) have many buildings in a poor condition. There are also problems in rear servicing the frontage properties.

The aim of policy for these areas is to provide for improvements by attracting new investment. This will be facilitated by the removal of through traffic.

The Fairfield Road frontage (TC6) is recognised as having a different character to that of the East Street frontage to the south. Policy for this area is to attract investment for employment uses.

Areas north of Market Place (TC7) and off George Street and Silver Street will improve with a reduction in heavy traffic. The aim of policy is to stimulate further improvements through tree planting and through investment in the conservation of existing buildings.

Housing

The Structure Plan Review allocates between 900 and 1,000 additional dwellings to Warminster in the period to 1996. Sites to accommodate this level of growth have already been granted planning permission.

The aim of policy (H1) is to ensure that any further housing developments make a positive contribution to the enhancement of the town or meet a recognised housing need.

The main outstanding commitment is for 300 dwellings north of West Street. Development here will provide large areas of public open space and recreational land.

Land for new jobs

The Structure Plan Review allocates up to 45 acres of employment land to Warminster of which over 30 acres are available at Gas House Farm off Bath Road. Development of this site has been constrained by surface water and access problems.

Recent housing development north of Portway Lane has provided for land drainage locally and there are a number of ways in which access problems could be resolved. On this basis the Local Plan Review is hopeful of an early start to development at Gas House Farm and looks to concentrate investment in that area (E1).

The aim of employment policy E2 is to safeguard job opportunities locally by resisting the loss of general employment sites to alternative uses.

Policy C3 seeks to keep the Geest site at Copheap Lane in employment uses.

Recreation & leisure

Policies for recreation and tourism remain largely unaltered from the adopted Local Plan, with identified sites at Longacre, Henfords Marsh and Warminster Common Valley (RLT1).

An existing policy (RLT3) for a pedestrian link between the Western Car Park and Weymouth Street is now included under town centre policy TC4. A new policy RLT3 is included. This is for the development of a mobile caravan and camping site at Boreham Road.

Community Facilities

There are no new proposals for the development of community facilities but a new policy is added to guide the re-use of land in community uses which becomes vacant during the Plan period to 1996 (CF2).

New conservation policies

The Plan has many policies for care, protection and enhancement of the town.

Policy C1 seeks to safeguard from development land within the line of the Bypass which is coming under pressure.

Policy C2 lists areas of the town proposed for tree planting and other environmental improvements. These are:-The junction of Boreham Road and

Woodcock Road

Longacre

Land off Ashley Coombe

Adjacent to the Health Clinic. The Avenue

At the Lake Pleasure Grounds and Henfords Marsh

At Gas House Farm

There are a further 14 policies which seek to guide development and redevelopment proposals for the benefit of the town. Full details are available in the Review documents.

The map below summarises the main policies and proposals contained in the Draft Review for Discussion.

What do you think?

The process being used in preparing the First Review of the Warminster Local Plan is built around the need for the community’s input into the proposals for the town.

The stages in this process are:-

1 Survey Work

2 Preparation of Draft Review For Discussion and consultations with statutory undertakers etc

3 Publication of Draft Review For Discussion

4 Consideration of comments received on the Draft Review For Discussion by the Council and amendments made if necessary. Draft Review Prepared.

5 Certification by the County Council that the Draft Review, as approved by West Wiltshire District Council, conforms generally with the Structure Plan (as proposed to be reviewed).

6 Draft Review placed on public deposit.

7 Public Local Inquiry into objections (if necessary).

8 Modifications proposed (if needed)

9 Formal adoption of the Review

Visit the exhibition

A manned exhibition is to be held in Warminster to outline the proposed policies of the Warminster Local Plan, First Review, Draft Review for Discussion. This will give local people an opportunity to view the draft policies in more detail. It will also provide opportunities for discussion and comment.

The exhibition will be held at:-

The former Stiles Ironmongers Shop
51 Market Place
Warminster
Wilts

at the following times:-

Wednesday 7 October [1987] 10.00 – 4.30
Thursday 8 October [1987] 10.00 – 7.30
Friday 9 October [1987] 10.00 – 4.30
Saturday 10 October [1987] 10.00 – 4.30

Comments on the Draft Review for Discussion should be made in writing to:-

Mr S N J Blades
Chief Planning Officer
West Wiltshire District Council
Bradley Road
Trowbridge
BA14 0RD

Comments should arrive by 4 December 1987.

Warminster representatives on West Wilts District Council, 1978:

A.C. Curtis, 23 Brook Street, Warminster. Telephone 212338.

M. Hayward, 37 Upper Marsh Road, Warminster. Telephone 213652.

J. House, 5 Smallbrook Road, Warminster. Telephone 214045.

D.J. Main, 3 Prestbury Drive, Warminster. Telephone 213675. (Chairman).

E.R. Middleton, Craven Lodge, Silver Street, Warminster. Telephone 214444.

K.M. Self, 27 Sambourne Road, Warminster. Telephone 218131. (Vice-Chairman).