Help Us Stop the Overdevelopment of Salisbury—Time Is Running Out!

We urgently need your help to raise £10,000 to hire planning, traffic, and legal experts who can help our Community Group oppose unnecessary, uneconomical, and unsustainable housebuilding in Salisbury. Without these funds, we cannot fight this development, and the consequences for our community will be devastating.

Thanks to residents for a number of private donations which do not appear on this site.

What is our campaign?

Halt Harnham Housebuilding is a grassroots community action group formed in July 2023 in response to the unexpected and shocking inclusion of Sites 8 & 9 - ancient farmland south of Harnham - in the Wiltshire Council Local Plan. This plan proposes building over 300 houses on greenfields owned by the Wilton House Estate.

These proposals directly contradict Wiltshire Council’s own Statement of Community Involvement as the residents of Salisbury were not consulted when plans emerged in 2021. Despite over 2,800 objections submitted by the community during the public consultation in November 2023 (one-third of all those received across Wiltshire!), our voices are still being ignored.

We are not opposed to housebuilding. But this plan is unnecessary, unsustainable, and reckless—threatening Salisbury with:

• Severe traffic congestion;

• Overstretched schools, doctors, and public services; and

• Irreparable harm to our environment and green spaces.

The Local Plan is now under examination by a Government-appointed independent Planning Inspector with Public Hearings, where evidence will be presented, expected to take place in the Spring. This is our last chance to stop this harmful development.

With the Government aiming to increase housebuilding in Wiltshire by a whopping 81%, now is the time to take a stand to prevent unnecessary, unsustainable and uneconomic housing.

Why we need to act now: 1. Traffic

If this development goes ahead:

• Salisbury’s roads will grind to a halt.

• Key junctions, such as the Exeter Street Roundabout and Harnham Gyratory, will become gridlocked. The Council’s own modelling predicts journey times to increase by 50–60%. Queues on Churchill Way South to the Exeter Street Roundabout are expected to double during peak times, whilst queues on Downton Road and Coombe Road are predicted to double or even triple in length.

• Emergency vehicles, including ambulances, will struggle to navigate the congestion, putting lives at risk.

• Rural “rat runs” (such as the Old Blandford Road and through Coombe Bissett, Homington, Odstock and Nunton) will become dangerous as cars, lorries, and hospital workers seek alternative routes to avoid congestion.

If proposals for an additional 1,200 homes (on top of the 740 already planned) on Netherhampton Road go ahead, you might as well leave your car at home!

Why we need to act now: 2. Environment

The proposed development will destroy cherished fields that have been used by generations of residents and visitors as a space for exercise, dog walking, and relief from the stresses of daily life, following paths trodden for thousands of years.

This would threaten:

• Critical habitats for wildlife such as Skylarks, Barn Owls, Peregrine Falcons, and rare bats.

• The Lime Kiln Down Country Wildlife Site (CWS), home to rare species and sensitive ecosystems.

• The breath-taking beauty of the Ebble Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The Council's plans to construct a car park on Lime Kiln CWS will have devastating consequences for this precious site

Once lost, these natural treasures are gone forever.

Why we need to act now: 3. Unnecessary Development:

There are viable brownfield sites in Salisbury that could provide 700 homes, but Wiltshire Council has ignored them in favour of cheap, large-scale greenfield developments.

The houses that would be built on Sites 8 & 9 are highly unlikely to be affordable due to the high costs associated with contributions to traffic, sewage, and other infrastructure. This means that the Council will not meet their target of 40% affordable homes.

Local infrastructure will become overloaded, increasing costs for everyone. This is a short-sighted and destructive approach.

How your contribution will be used

To have a chance of stopping this development, we need professional expertise to challenge Wiltshire Council. With £10,000, we will:

• Hire an expert planning consultant to build a robust legal case.

• Fund traffic analysis to expose the devastating impacts on Salisbury’s roads.

• Commission ecological studies to protect our environment and wildlife.

• Print materials to inform and mobilize the community.

Every penny will be spent wisely and transparently under the careful management of our Treasurer, Peter Ward. Any unspent funds will be donated to the Salisbury Stars Appeal, a trusted hospital charity.

We understand that £10,000 is a significant amount of money, but this is what we need to take on the Council—and win. With the support of thousands of Harnham residents and others who care about preserving Wiltshire’s green fields and protecting our democratic right to consultation, we can achieve this goal.

This Is Our Last Chance - We Need Your Help Now

The public Hearings before the Planning Inspector are our final opportunity to stop this development. If we don’t act, Salisbury will face years of traffic chaos, environmental destruction, and unsustainable growth.

Your support, whether £5 or £100, could make all the difference. Together, we can protect Salisbury’s future and ensure that housing is built in the right places, for the right reasons.

Join us. Donate now. Share our campaign. Let’s fight for Salisbury before it’s too late.

Please follow us on social media: Facebook & Instagram

Or, for more information, please see our HHH Website or email us at: harnham.housing@gmail.com

Thank you!