Wiltshire Council says every town will have to find room for more houses than they expected under changes to the county Core Strategy revealed today.

Consultation has started on the changes made necessary by a Government inspector who told the council in December it must allow 42,000 extra homes rather than the 37,000 it had planned for by 2026.

The modified plan published today identifies increased numbers for each town.

  • In Chippenham the number has gone up from 4,000 to 4,510 plus a rise from 500 to 580 in the wider Chippenham area.
  • In Calne figures have been revised up from 1,380 to 1,605 for the town and from 140 to 165 for the wider Calne area.
  • In Devizes the figure is up from 2,150 to 2,500 for the town and from 420 to 490 for the rest of the community area.
  • In Marlborough the number is up from 850 to 920 for the town but the figure of 240 for the wider area remains the same.
  • In Malmsbury the figure goes from 1,200 homes to 1,395 for the town but goes down from 510 to 440 in the rest of the community.
  • In Corsham the number is up from 1,200 to 1,395 for the town and from 140 to 175 for wider area.

Consultation will continue until Tuesday, May 27.

One of the biggest changes to the original core policy occurs in Chippenham.

The revised plan now says: "It is necessay to identify at least a further 2,625 dwellings (once existing completions and commitments have been taken into account) and 26.55ha of land for employment development on land adjoining the built up area.

"The Chippenham Site Allocation DPD will identify mixed use land opportunities necessary to deliver at least this scale of growth.

"In this context there are a number of strategic areas where large mixed use sites could be located and directions for growth.

"The strategy for Chippenham is based on delivering significant job growth, which will help to improve the self-containment of the town by providing more jobs for local people.

"To ensure employment is accessible to the local population a sustainable distribution and choice of employment sites will be provided at the town.

"They will form part of mixed use urban extensions, incorporating housing, that are well integrated with the town.

" Currently, the limited opportunities for the redevelopment of brownfield sites in Chippenham means that it is necessary to identify greenfield sites on the edge of town."

Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for spatial planning, said: “Our vision is to create stronger and more resilient communities and by ensuring we have a robust development plan in place to manage growth – both in terms of housing and economic development – we can achieve this.

“We would like to thank everyone who has responded so far and anyone who is interested in helping us achieve the balance between ensuring our communities grow in a sustainable way while protecting this county’s unique identity should look at the document and provide comment.

"We encourage people to get involved as it's community engagement that continues to shape and inform this incredibly important strategy.”

Full details of the modifications are available to view at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/wiltshirecorestrategyexamination