News Archive • Chippenham Neighbourhood Plan

Annual Report 2025/26 Published

The Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring Sub-Committee has published its Annual Report for 2025/2026 which reveals how the Neighbourhood Plan has been used in its second year of existence.

The Annual Report covers the period 1 June 2024 – 31 May 2026 and its purpose is to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Neighbourhood Plan during this period. Monitoring data was collected (published in two monitoring reports) in order to inform the Annual Report findings.

The headline findings from the Annual Report are as follows:

The Plan’s policies were used on 97 occasions by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) in assessing planning applications in Chippenham

The most frequently used Plan policy was TC4 (Development in Chippenham Conservation Area)

The Sub-Committee considers that the LPA applied the right Plan policies in the assessment of planning applications in the majority of instances (78% of the time)

The Sub-Committee considers that the LPA determined planning applications in accordance with a relevant Plan policy 79% of the time. This is an increase of 13% on the previous period

The LPA cited Plan policies in the refusal of 2 planning applications

The Planning Inspectorate cited Plan policies in the dismissal of 2 appeals

Three projects were delivered to help meet stated Plan infrastructure requirements. These were tree planting, installation of bus real time passenger information and installation of 25 wayfinding signs on the town’s footpath network. Other projects are ongoing.

You can read the full Annual Report, including an Executive Summary, in the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website.

Checklist Produced To Assist Planning Apps.

A checklist has been produced to assist developers, planners and stakeholders know which Neighbourhood Plan policies might be applicable in the assessment of common types of planning applications in Chippenham. The checklist also specifies what information is required to be submitted in order to comply with specific policies.

The checklist can be viewed in the ‘Useful Links’ section of this website.

Both the checklist and the latest Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring Report were agreed by the Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring Sub-Committee at their meeting of 18 December 2025.

The latest Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring Report presents the findings of monitoring carried out between June 2025-November 2025. Monitoring is being carried out to measure the Neighbourhood Plan’s effectiveness since it was ‘made’ in 2024.

The headline conclusions of the Report are as follows:

In the majority of cases the Local Planning Authority (LPA) are correctly selecting the most relevant Neighbourhood Plan policies to use in the assessment of planning applications (on 81% of occasions)

In the majority of cases, the LPA are determining planning applications in accordance with the relevant Neighbourhood Plan policies (on 72% of occasions)

Neighbourhood Plan Policies H2 (Housing Design) and TC4 (Development in Chippenham Conservation Area) are being used most frequently by the LPA, principally because they apply to both minor and major planning applications

Policy TC4 was cited by the LPA as a reason for refusal of a planning application in Chippenham town centre. This was on the grounds of the adverse visual impact of waste storage on the Conservation Area. The Policy was also used in the dismissal of an appeal for a large advertisement on Marshfield Road. The appeal was dismissed on the grounds of failing to preserve the special character of the Conservation Area

The latest Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring Report can be viewed in full under the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website.

Annual Report 2024/25 Published

The Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring Sub-Committee have published an Annual Report which reveals how the Neighbourhood Plan has been used in its first year of existence.

The Annual Report covers the period 1 June 2024 – 31 May 2025 and its purpose is to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Neighbourhood Plan during this period. Monitoring data was collected (published in three monitoring reports) in order to inform the Annual Report findings.

The headline findings from the Annual Report are as follows:

The Plan’s policies were used on 112 occasions by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) in assessing planning applications in Chippenham

The most frequently used Plan policies were Policies H2 (Housing Design) and TC4 (Development in Chippenham Conservation Area)

The Sub-Committee considers that the LPA applied the right Plan policies in the assessment of planning applications in the majority of instances (85% of the time)

The Sub-Committee considers that the LPA determined planning applications in accordance with a relevant Plan policy 66% of the time

The LPA cited Plan policies in the refusal of 6 planning applications

The Planning Inspectorate cited Plan policies in the dismissal of 2 appeals

Two projects (tree planting and bus shelter reglazing) were delivered to help meet two of the stated Plan infrastructure requirements, with other projects ongoing

A campaign to promote the Shopfront Design Guide was carried out with shop owners and tenants in the town centre

The Annual Report can be read in full under the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website.

RTPI SW Awards for Planning Excellence 2025

We are pleased to announce that the Neighbourhood Plan has been shortlisted for ‘Best Plan’ at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South West Awards for Planning Excellence 2025.

The RTPI SW Awards for Planning Excellence showcases and celebrates the best plans, projects and people. To find out more go HERE

You can view the executive summary of the ‘Best Plan’ entry, as submitted by the Town Council, along with descriptions of the other two shortlisted entries in this category HERE

The winners will be announced at the RTPI South West Summer Reception and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 11th June 2025 at Sandy Park Stadium, Exeter.

All the South West Awards local winning entries will be put forward for the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence national awards.

Good Shopfront Design

We are currently promoting the Neighbourhood Plan’s Shop Front Design Guide by distributing a flyer through the letterboxes of all town centre shops.

Promotion of the Guide, found under the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website, has been prompted by recent cases of inappropriate changes to shopfronts and signage on our high street. Wiltshire Council, the Local Planning Authority, have taken effective enforcement action against several of these cases.

The purpose of promoting the Shop Front Design Guide is to help shop owners or tenants understand if, or when, they might need planning permission for changes to their shop front, or advertisement consent for changes to their shop signage, and then how this should be designed to be sympathetic with the host building and Chippenham Conservation Area (in which all town centre shops are located).

Do I Need Consent?

You will need planning permission for any alteration to your shopfront which would change the appearance of the premises. For example, installing or replacing windows, doors, shopfronts or roller shutters). You can apply for planning permission, or check whether this is required, at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning-advice

If the shop is part of a listed building, then you will also require listed building consent for any alterations inside or out. You can find out if your property is listed at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/

If the alterations to your shopfront include new or replacement signage you may need to apply for advertisement consent. The Advertisement Regulations are complicated but as a general rule:

– Illuminated signage will usually require advertisement consent

– Non-illuminated fascia and hanging signs on a shopfront may not require advertisement consent if the characters or symbols on the sign are less than 0.75 metre in height, the sign is located on the shop at ground floor height, and a single sign measures less than 1.55sqm in size

– Vinyl advertisements applied to the inside or outside of a shop window will usually require advertisement consent

For further types of signage, or to check whether advertisement consent is required, please refer to ‘Outdoor advertisements and signs: a guide for advertisers’: www.gov.uk/government/publications/outdoor-advertisements-and-signs-a-guide-for-advertisers

Changes to the shopfront, such as insertion of new windows and doors often requires building regulations approval. You can check whether this is required by contacting: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planningbuilding-control-contact-us

Finally, always remember to check with the building owner that you have their consent to make any changes to the shopfront.

Planning Awards 2025

We are delighted that the Neighbourhood Plan has been shortlisted for the ‘Award for Plan-Making’ at The Planning Awards 2025.

In the last 12 years, the Planning Awards have acknowledged the transformative power of planning and placemaking. The 2025 awards will continue this tradition, showcasing outstanding work in areas like conservation, urban design, infrastructure, partnerships, regeneration, housing, and law.

In our entry, we were able to show how the Neighbourhood Plan has had, or will have, a positive impact on the environmental quality of the town and the social well-being of the community, who were heavily involved in the preparation of the Plan, along with Chippenham Town Council officers and councillors. In addition, we have tried to demonstrate how the Plan pushes the boundaries of what is possible to achieve in plan-making for a large town using the neighbourhood planning process.

You can view the executive summary of the entry as submitted by the Town Council, along with descriptions of the other shortlisted entries in this category HERE.

The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 11 June 2025 at the IET in London.

Monitoring Commences

The Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring Sub-Committee met for the first time on 3 October 2024. At the meeting councillors agreed a Monitoring Plan so that we can begin to monitor how effective our Plan and its policies are proving.

A key part of the Monitoring Plan involves collecting data on planning decisions – using key indicators to measure the application of our Neighbourhood Plan policies by the Local Planning Authority (Wiltshire Council) in reaching their decisions.

A further part of the Monitoring Plan involves updating progress on some key projects that have been identified to help meet the specific infrastructure requirements listed in Section 12 of the Neighbourhood Plan.

The monitoring data, collected since June 2024, will be reported back to the next Sub-Committee meeting on 9 January 2025.

You can view the Monitoring Plan in the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website.

Plan is Made

The Chippenham Neighbourhood Plan was ‘made’ by Wiltshire Council on 29 May 2024. It now forms part of the Development Plan, and the policies in the Neighbourhood Plan can be given full weight when assessing planning applications that affect land in Chippenham Parish.

The Decision Statement from Wiltshire Council and the made Plan can be found under the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website and follows an Independent Examination and a positive referendum result.

We would like to thank all residents, Councillors, officers and consultants involved in preparing and shaping the Plan.

Whilst this represents the successful conclusion of a five year process, it is also the start of an equally important new chapter – making sure that the Plan’s policies are effectively monitored and implemented. This is likely to be a task given to a new group formed specifically to report to the Town Council on progress.

Referendum Results

We are delighted to announce that the Neighbourhood Plan can now be adopted following a successful ‘yes’ vote by residents of the town at the referendum held on 23 May 2024.

86.2% of those residents who voted, voted ‘yes’ to the question ‘Do you want Wiltshire Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Chippenham to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?’ 13.5% voted ‘no’. Turnout was 14.8%.

The Plan will now be ‘made’ by Wiltshire Council and will become part of the development plan, used when making decisions and recommendations on planning applications in the area.

On behalf of Chippenham Town Council, Leader, Councillor Desna Allen, said:

“We are delighted that the Chippenham community have voted in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan. It is the culmination of over five years of hard work by Councillors, officers and resident volunteers to create planning policies which will help guide future development in Chippenham, and make the town a more attractive and sustainable place in the future.”

“Not only is the Plan itself a commendable, comprehensive, evidence-based body of work, its adoption will mean that the Town Council will receive a greater proportion of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) income to be able to spend for the benefit of the town. The Neighbourhood Plan has also helped to inform the important projects in the Chippenham One Plan, which would see long overdue investment to improve the town centre”.

“I would like to thank members of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, officers, consultants, the community, and whomever came out to vote, and look forward to the Neighbourhood Plan being used effectively by Wiltshire Council to determine future planning applications in Chippenham.”

The Chair of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, Councillor Nick Murry, said:

“The positive endorsement of the Neighbourhood Plan by the local community is testament to the ‘bottom up’ approach of the Plan, involving community surveys, public consultations and the gathering of evidence by local community topic group volunteers to underpin the 22 planning policies in the Plan. We have been ambitious with the Plan and in some areas, like our policy on net zero carbon development, have really pushed the boundaries of what a neighbourhood plan can achieve. Policies include giving stronger protection to 48 green spaces in the town, requiring wildlife measures to be incorporated in new development and ensuring that new development improves existing cycle paths and new cycle connections amongst many other things. I would like to thank all of those involved in helping to create and shape the Plan.”

Referendum, 23 May 2024

A referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan will be held on 23rd May 2024. This is the culmination of over five years of work to produce this community plan for guiding future development in the town. Residents of Chippenham will either be able to vote at their local polling station between 7am-10pm or by postal vote, arranged in advance.

The question which will be asked in the referendum is ‘Do you want Wiltshire Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Chippenham to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?’

Further details on the referendum timetable and procedure can be viewed on Wiltshire Council’s webpage: https://elections.wiltshire.gov.uk/Home/Division/8393

The Neighbourhood Plan and all associated documents can be viewed under the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website. Alternatively, hard copies are available to view at:

Chippenham Town Council, High Street, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3ER

Stanley Park Sports Ground, Stanley Lane, Chippenham SN15 3RW

Chippenham Museum, 9-10 Market Place, Chippenham, SN15 3HF