Consultation document COVER.ai - Wiltshire Council

Wiltshire Local
Development
Framework
complement the specialist independent shops that attract visitors to the town. Reopening
the railway station could be a significant boost to local business but it is unrealistic to
consider that this will occur in the plan period. Improvements to bus services could help
build upon the relatively high level of commuting by bus from the town and encourage a
further shift from the use of the car.
The locally important areas of open countryside between Corsham and the villages of
Rudloe and Westwells will be protected as part of the green infrastructure for the town.
Any development to the west or south west of Corsham will therefore need to be located
in close proximity to the existing built up area.
The future re-use of surplus MoD land offers potential for less intensive employment uses
that do not lead to unacceptable vehicular movements on the road network surrounding
the settlement. The Wiltshire Employment and Workspace Strategy suggested that
Corsham should not be a candidate for large scale workspace provision.
Some additional housing on previously developed land might be appropriate where it is
or could be well-connected to the town by alternative modes of travel (pedestrian, cycle
and bus) and where there are significant positive benefits for the local community in terms
of new facilities and a high proportion of affordable homes. A better mix of housing types
could help to support local services and jobs.
Within the Corsham community area the two large villages of Box and Colerne provide
relatively good levels of rural services and facilities and both have identified affordable
housing needs. A modest level of development will therefore be appropriate.
Lacock is a smaller village where only limited infill development will be appropriate, in
order to respond to local housing needs.
3.6.6 What should the core strategy deliver
In order to promote self-containment, further employment growth should be delivered to
meet local needs and be accommodated on existing sites or previously developed land
that is well-related to the town.
The release and future use of MoD land will be planned in a sustainable fashion. This is
especially important as much of the potential surplus land relates poorly to the built up
area of Corsham.
The precise scale of additional housing development on previously developed land at
Corsham has yet to be determined. However, it may be necessary to deliver up to 100
homes on greenfield land to the west of Corsham, if previously developed land is not
available. An assessment of the most sustainable location for new housing development
currently considers land west of Corsham as the most appropriate location, possibly for
up to 100 dwellings.
In order to ensure some additional growth to provide for local needs and help deliver
additional community benefits, the Corsham community area should provide up to 1,000
new homes over the period 2006 to 2026, of which 452 have already been built, and a
further 350 are committed and considered deliverable. Of the remainder, approximately
50 may be expected to be developed on “windfall” or previously developed sites, with the
balance to be located in the villages in the community area.
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