The Douglas family and their advisors have prepared a plan to provide a mixed use community for Malmesbury which will provide for development needs well into the Millennium. The background to these proposals is that the Wiltshire County Council have rolled forward their structure plan to the year 2011. The plan seeks to concentrate new development in the existing country towns in the county including Malmesbury. Within the framework of the structure plan, North Wiltshire District Council have begun a review of the local plan.
Possibilities exist to preserve the integrity of the Town Centre we would suggest that considerable saving in the volume of traffic and the use of the Town Centre for car parking could be achieved under the following considerations:
In our proposed long term developments at Backbridge Farm it would be our intention to develop some retail to the North West corner of the site. This in order to contain a car park which would then be used with the retailer concerned and the basis of a park and ride scheme from areas of the town to the town centre and to the new retail component. It would also facilitate of course a considerable containment of volume traffic into the centre of town which could be alleviated and the park and ride service could also be utilised to take elderly people from the outskirts into the town centre and return them after completion of their shopping, medical or other requirements.
It is our intention to provide at our own expense once we have the consent, a northwest bypass running from Tetbury Hill up to the Old Bristol Road via Park Lane. This we also feel will assist the proposed merger between the Filands School at Filands and the Corn Gastons. We are all well aware of the volume of traffic at both school sites as currently working creates considerable congestion in both areas. Once both schools have been merged into one unit at Corn Gascons, the expected volume of pupils will be in excess of 1400. The proposed routes at the moment would be going through the Parklands Estate or Corn Gaston which will clearly create considerable problems as will the volume of traffic coming from the triangle going out towards Sherston. It is our suggestion that apart from the bypass road which should be regarded as being essential, that the triangle out to Sherston should be made into an out of town route only, and that all other traffic will be re-routed along the bypass so removing the bottleneck at the triangle and the need for any heavy traffic.
As far as housing is concerned, we are concerned that the housing should be mixed with opportunities for first time buyers etc. housing association, in short a mixed housing development and with considerable open space available to avoid having a 'new estate' appearance, but showing the town developing with a suitable requirement for the town. This we feel is the approach which is likely to be acceptable by the people of Malmesbury, the park and ride situation will of course benefit the town traders who will be able to receive more customers without the congestion etc. caused by the current parking situation.
With regards to flood plain, we will be gifting the whole of the flood plain, namely 12.49 acres in perpetuity to the town council with a covenant to prevent building on that land ever taking place, and it will remain as open space. There have been for many many years considerable comments in the local press regarding the lack of open space and areas for children to play. This will guarantee the situation and we have spoken to Southern Electric who had proposed putting power cable to the Dyson factory and to our proposed development above ground. This is unacceptable and these cables will be put underground, so that the flying of kites and model airplanes and the like will not provide any danger for children partipating in these activities.
We also understand that Malmesbury Football Club are having difficulties with its existing football ground and it would be our intention to allocate an area of ground close to the existing football ground … which we will support with financing.
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