Wiltshire Council is in the process of fast tracking a plan for large scale development in Crudwell, with Phase1 being for 40 houses at the Ridgeway Farm site on Tetbury Lane (in addition to the 10 currently being built). We understand that there are another 2 phases in plan, which could result in an additional 150 houses on the Ridgeway Farm Site.

The Council is seeking to impose Phase1 on Crudwell as part of it’s Draft Housing Site Allocations Plan. This would represent a 20% increase in the number of houses in Crudwell, with all sorts of adverse implications for drainage, traffic, school places for villagers etc.

We all recognise that Wiltshire Council has a target of new-build houses to reach across the county over the next few years BUT it is apparently possible for the council to foist a disproportionately large number on Crudwell because we have no Village Neighbourhood plan in place – we are vulnerable because we effectively have no voice!

Our Councillor Chuck Berry is urging the entire village to come together so that we can be in charge of our own destiny and have a proper say in how our village grows.

We are already collecting e-mail addresses from villagers so that everyone has the opportunity to be involved in putting together our Village Neighbourhood Plan OR to simply be kept informed.

BUT in the meantime, there is this Draft Housing Site Allocations Plan, which went to Consultation on Friday for 10 weeks. If it is adopted, our Neighbourhood Plan will have to support the 50 houses on the Ridgeway Site, making it more difficult for us to oppose future planning applications on this scale.

We must raise £3780 by 15th of August to enable us to instruct a Planning Consultant in time to represent our village through this consultation process.

It’s a tall order but Crudwell has a strong community spirit which we hope you’ll agree it’s worth fighting for.

Crudwell Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group