salisbury plain sustainable communities project baseline report · 2012-02-17 · baseline report...

(FINAL)

Prepared with the support of and financed through:

Salisbury Plain Sustainable Communities Project

Baseline Report

Salisbury Plain Sustainable Communities Project Baseline Report

Baseline Report Salisbury Plain Sustainable Communities Project

1 Introduction............................................................................... 1

1.1 Baseline Report ............................................................................................1 1.2 Background to the Study...............................................................................1 1.3 Overview of Methodology .............................................................................1

2 Study Context ........................................................................... 7

2.1 Overview .......................................................................................................7 2.2 Impact of the New Coalition Government .....................................................8 2.3 The Military Context ......................................................................................9 2.4 The Local Spatial Planning Context............................................................13 2.5 The Wider Context ......................................................................................15

3 Profiles of the Areas Being Assessed .................................. 18

3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................18 3.2 What We Already Know..............................................................................18 3.3 Overview of the Community Areas and Settlements Being Assessed .......25 3.4 Planning, Environmental and Other Development Considerations ............30 3.5 Change in Military Population .....................................................................33

4 Transport and Connectivity ................................................... 35

4.1 Overview of Approach.................................................................................35 4.2 General Transport Trends...........................................................................35 4.3 Public Transport Provision ..........................................................................36 4.4 Accessibility to Community Facilities ..........................................................41 4.5 Cycling and Walking ...................................................................................45 4.6 Measures to Reduce Car Usage ................................................................51

5 Community .............................................................................. 53

5.1 Overview of Approach.................................................................................53 5.2 Inclusive Design, Use and Management ....................................................53 5.3 Poverty and Deprivation..............................................................................57 5.4 Inclusive and Mixed Communities ..............................................................62

Contents

Salisbury Plain Sustainable Communities Project Baseline Report

5.5 Affordable Housing Provision ..................................................................... 65

6 Business, Economy and Skills ..............................................71

6.1 Overview of Approach ................................................................................ 71 6.2 Promotion of Business Priority Sectors ...................................................... 71 6.3 Labour, Skills and Qualifications ................................................................ 75

7 Climate and Energy.................................................................78

7.1 Overview of Approach ................................................................................ 78

8 Governance .............................................................................82

8.1 Overview of Approach ................................................................................ 82 8.2 Bodies and Organisations Involved in Governance ................................... 82 8.3 Membership and Engagement in Governance Activities ........................... 85

9 Warminster ..............................................................................86

9.1 Introduction................................................................................................. 86 9.2 Transport and Connectivity ........................................................................ 86 9.3 Community ................................................................................................. 87 9.4 Business Economy and Skills .................................................................... 90 9.5 Climate, Energy and Resource .................................................................. 91 9.6 Governance ................................................................................................ 92

10 Next Steps ...............................................................................93

Appendices

Appendix 1: Asset Status Plans for Super Garrison Project

Appendix 2: Commitments from the “The Nation’s Commitment: Cross Government Support to our Armed Forces, their families and Veterans”

Appendix 3: Constraints Plans

Appendix 4: Local Transport Accessibility Plans and Information to support Transport and Connectivity Chapter (Chapter 4)

Appendix 5: Information supporting the Community Chapter (Chapter 5)

Appendix 6: Structure of Area Boards and Community Area Partnerships Diagram

Appendix 7: Information to supporting Warminster Chapter (Chapter 9)

Baseline Report Salisbury Plain Sustainable Communities Project 1

1.1 Baseline Report This report provides a summary of the detailed baseline assessment work which has been undertaken for the study. It sets out the baseline findings and provides the basis and foundations for the Stage 2 Report which tests various development options to provide a final recommended option together with a plan of implementation.

Further details on the approach to undertaking the study (Report Stages 1 and 2) are set out at Section 1.3 below.

1.2 Background to the Study

Drivers Jonas Deloitte, working with WYG, were appointed by Wiltshire Council [on behalf of the Military Civilian Integration Programme (MCI)] in March 2010 to prepare a study to assess ways of enhancing the sustainability of communities in the settlements across Salisbury Plain which have significant military presence.

The Project Brief identifies that the key purpose of the study is to:

“… rigorously explore and improve understanding of the dynamics of existing communities, including the impacts of the proposed changes to these settlements as a result of the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison project. It will need to investigate how planned investment in the area could be used as a catalyst to improve the sustainability of those communities.”

The study explores a wide range of issues and factors which, when combined, would contribute towards resilient and sustainable communities, such as in relation to economy and skills, housing and the built environment, services, transport and connectivity, environmental, social, cultural and governance. Based on this analysis, this report sets out a comprehensive suite of recommendations / prioritised physical and non-physical actions through an implementation plan for delivering more integrated and sustainable communities.

Further details on the approach to undertaking the study are set out in the following paragraphs, with further information also included in subsequent chapters of the report.

1.3 Overview of Methodology

The approach to the study follows a number of logical steps, with each stage of work helping to guide and inform the next. The main steps can be summarised as follows:

1 Introduction

2 Salisbury Plain Sustainable Communities Project Baseline Report

Overview of Key Steps

Step 1: Project Inception (Report Stage 1 - Project Initiation Document)

Step 2: Baseline Assessment, including Consultation (Report Stage 1 - Baseline Report)

Step 3: SWOT Analysis (Report Stage 2 - Second Report)

Step 4: Options Report and Feasibility Assessment (Report Stage 2 - Second Report)

Step 5: Final Recommended option Report and Implementation Plan (Report Stage 2 - Second Report)

1.3.1 Step 1: Project Inception

A Project Inception Meeting was held on 15 March 2010. In relation to the overall approach to the study a number of issues were explored and agreed, including that the study should:

§ Focus on the settlements of Tidworth, Ludgershall, Larkhill and Bulford, but also have regard to the influence / relationships with other centres such as Amesbury, Andover and Salisbury;

§ Have regard to the emerging Wiltshire Community Plan and Wiltshire Core Strategy policies as well as the associated sustainability appraisal process;

§ Not duplicate work already undertaken as part of the Core Strategy and other previous research;

§ Build upon what is already known (not simply replicate this) to provide a finer level of detail and understanding; and

§ Use criteria from the BREEAM (Buildings Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Communities Assessment Framework to help inform and support the SWOT analysis.

Following the inception meeting and initial agreement of the scope of the study, it was subsequently agreed to also give consideration to Warminster as a part of the project.

In this report Warminster is considered in a separate chapter (Chapter 9) in terms of its baseline findings. It is then included in the same way as the other settlements in terms of the SWOT. We have not sought to define specific growth options for Warminster through this study due to the level of planned growth already defined for the settlement. Consideration of Warminster has however provided a useful benchmark to compare and contrast performance against the other settlements being considered to help define key strengths and weaknesses for example.

1.3.2 Step 2: Baseline Assessment, including Consultation

Existing Primary Data

A good deal of baseline information already exists, including that used to inform the Council’s Core Strategy as well as specific research commissioned by the MCI. In general, more baseline information exists for Tidworth / Ludgershall than for other settlements within the study area and an important part of this study will be to enhance the understanding of baseline conditions and issues in these other areas.


In terms of other available statistical data, the study draws on a wide range of published socio-economic and other information sources, such as from ONS and the Council and Military’s in-house expertise, to contribute to the picture of baseline conditions. Existing published data sets has also been supplemented by specific research such as in relation to local service provision and, transport and connectivity.

As a starting point for baseline analysis, the wide range of published documents and other information has been reviewed to understand what information already exists so that this can be drawn upon and ‘gaps in knowledge’ filled by various approaches to provide a more fine grained understanding of existing conditions. Where possible (and where relevant), the study seeks to break down baseline information between the military and civilian components of communities to identify any key differences between them.

Secondary Data

Consultation provides an important part of the baseline assessment for the study. Due to the nature of some of the issues which need to be considered, information derived through consultation in particular will often be qualitative, anecdotal, or be in the form of personal opinions. Such ‘soft’ information is important however in understanding the strength of concern over particular issues, the underlying reasons for concern, or why certain conditions or behaviours currently exist which inhibit the full and sustainable integration of military and civilian communities.

The results of consultation are incorporated into the report as an integral part of the baseline assessment of conditions although a separate consultation report has also been prepared to support the study. A summary of the key groups and organisations consulted is set out below:

Grouping Bodies / Organisations

Wiltshire Council Planning Policy, Housing, Education, Regeneration, Economic Development,

Highways, Environmental Services, Climate Change, Leisure, Social Services,

Transport, Adult Care, Waste, Arts.

Military Defence Estate, 43 Wessex Brigade, Aspire, Military community network groups

(HIVE, Welfare Service, Families Federation etc)

Funding

Agencies Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), South West Regional Development

Agency (SWRDA), Plain Action

Governance Relevant Area Boards and Community Area Partnership, Local Wiltshire

Councillors, Peoples Voice, Government Office for the South West (GOSW)

Local

Community and Business

Local Chambers of Commerce, Local Economic Partnerships, Community Area

Managers (Amesbury, Tidworth and Warminster), Wellington Academy, Voluntary

Sector representatives

Public General public – including option consultation events on 20 October 2010

(Tidworth) and 28 October (Durrington)

Infrastructure Utilities and infrastructure companies


1.3.3 Step 3: SWOT Analysis (Included in Second Report: Analysis, Options and Assessment and Implementation Report)

In order to understand current levels of sustainability and integration of the communities being assessed, their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints have been assessed against a range of key themes and associated assessment criteria. The SWOT analysis is ‘fed’ by the outputs of the baseline assessment and consultation.

To add further objectivity to the SWOT analysis, the study also draws on relevant criteria used as part the BREEAM (Buildings Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Communities Assessment Framework to seek to define sustainability performance (i.e. current strengths and weaknesses).

BREEAM Communities is an independent assessment based on established BREEAM methodology, albeit that this tool is more often applied to assess the sustainability of planned new communities, such as in relation to major urban extensions. That said, the tool is sufficiently flexible and adaptable for the principles to also be applied to assess the sustainability and resilience of existing communities.

The following table sets out the broad approach to SWOT analysis, including the key themes to be explored, aligned with the corresponding sustainability objectives used as part of the Council’s sustainability appraisal of the emerging Core Strategy.

Core Assessment

Theme

Related Core Strategy SA /

SEA Objective Refs

Relevant Assessment Criteria (BREEAM Criteria Ref)

Inclusive Design, Use and Management of Community Facilities (COM1)

(availability to, and usage of, military facilities by the civilian community)

Poverty and Deprivation

(Levels of deprivation and poverty affecting military and civilian components of

communities)

Inclusive and Mixed Communities

(physical mix and integration of military and civilian housing, mix of dwelling size, type

and quality)

Com

mun

ity

2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Housing and Affordable Housing (PS7 & 8)

(level, need and integration of affordable housing)

Public Transport Provision (TRA 1, 2 & 3)

(proximity of public transport facilities, frequency and capacity of services, quality of

physical supporting infrastructure for users such as shelters)

Tran

spor

t and

Con

nect

ivity

7, 11, 12, 13, 15

Accessibility to Community Facilities (TRA 4)

(proximity / ease of access to local amenities and facilities, availability of facilities for

military and civilian use, potential / need to enhance different facilities as part of future population growth i.e. creation of a ‘critical mass’)


Core Assessment

Theme


SEA Objective Refs

Relevant Assessment Criteria (BREEAM Criteria Ref)

Cycling and Walking (TRA 5 & 6)

(availability of facilities to encourage safe and convenient walking and cycling)

Measures to Reduce Car Usage (TRA 7, 8 & 9)

(travel plans and car clubs, levels of car parking provision etc)

Promotion of Business Priority Sectors (Bus 1)

(meeting needs of prioritised business sectors in the Regional Economic Strategy, Wiltshire’s Economic Strategy and other economic development opportunities)

Busin

ess,

Econ

omy a

nd S

kills

14, 16, 17 Labour, Skills, Employment and Investment (Bus 2, 3, 4 & 5)

(existing skill levels and levels of educational attainment, matching skills to

employment opportunities etc)

Flood Risk (CE1)

Surface Water Run Off, SUDS and Water Resource Management (CE2,3 & 9)

Reduction of Heat Absorption(CE4)

Energy Efficiency (CE5)

Renewables & Infrastructure(CE6, 7 & 8)

Effective Use of Land and Buildings (PS1, 2 & 3, BLD1 & 2, TRA 10)

Use of Materials (RES 1, 2 & 3)

Waste (RES 4)

Water Resources (RES 5 & 6)

Clim

ate ,

Ene

rgy,

and

Reso

urce

s

1,3, 4, 5, 6, 9

Maintain and Enhance Ecology and Biodiversity (ECO1, 2 & 3)

Bodies and Organisations involved in Governance

(Organisation of groups and bodies involved in governance)

Gove

rnan

ce

- Levels of Participation

(Representation and ability to participate in governance from within different sectors

of the military and civilian community)

1.3.4 Step 4: Option Report and Feasibility Assessment (Included in Second Report: Analysis, Options and Assessment and Implementation Report)

The outputs of the SWOT analysis go to inform a range of physical and other options to be considered to enhance the sustainability and integration of communities. Options have been categorised into short, medium and longer term actions and initiatives. These also range from ‘Big Ideas’, such as in relation to a suggested longer term spatial strategy (i.e. new development) for different settlements to support more sustainable communities, down to the smaller scale ‘quick win’ projects, measures and recommendations to enhance existing levels of sustainability and integration at a more localised level.


1.3.5 Step 5: Recommended Option Report and Delivery Plan (included in Second Report: Analysis, Options and Assessment and Implementation Report)

The option assessment allows for an informed judgement to be made in relation to the selection of the Final Recommended options to be taken forward. The Stage 2 Report also incorporates an Implementation Plan illustrating how the Preferred Options could be delivered.


2.1 Overview

Military presence is one of the key defining characteristics of Wiltshire. Military personnel constitute around 3 percent of the County’s total population. In 2007, 75 percent of the 9,550 strong population of the statistical ward of Tidworth, Perham Down and Ludgershall South were military personnel or dependants. In Bulford Ward, of the population of 5,940, 52 percent were military personnel and dependents. In Durrington (including Larkhill) 44 percent of the 7,830 population were military personnel or dependents [statistics from “Envisioning the Future” (2009), Wiltshire Council]. This military presence creates a very specific population demographic and socio-economic context in a number of the community areas of Wiltshire.

The military presence throughout the country as a whole is set to undergo a number of changes in the period to 2030. The economic implications of these changes within the South West region have been examined at local and regional level by Wiltshire Council on behalf of the South West Regional Development Agency [“The Military Presence and Economic Significance in the South West Region” (March 2009)]. The population and corresponding local service delivery implications have been considered through “Envisioning the Future” as part of the wider Military Civilian Integration Programme. Key conclusions identified in these documents (and from other sources) are set out in the next section of this report, which provides a short profile of the settlements / community areas covered by the Study.

Changes expected in Wiltshire include an increase in the number of military personnel and their families in the Salisbury Plain area of Wiltshire as this area is developed as one of the country’s first Super Garrisons, including the associated redevelopment of a number of garrison sites.

In particular the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison will result in a larger military population in Wiltshire (a planned increase of 3,300 personnel, not including dependents) and for the majority it will become their permanent, long term base. This will significantly increase the time that Ministry of Defence personnel and their partners and dependants live and work in Wiltshire. The numbers of military personnel stationed at the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison sites have been increasing since 2006 and will continue to do so until 2011/ 2012.

Associated with these changes is a new commitment between the MoD and local government to create thriving sustainable communities in settlements currently dominated by the military.

The challenge of creating sustainable communities is in part driven by The “Service Personnel Command Paper” (July 2008), a cross-government strategy outlining plans to improve the level of support given to service personnel, their families and veterans.

2 Study Context


2.2 Impact of the New Coalition Government

Since commencement of the study, there has been the election of a new coalition Government. The full extent of the implications of this change in Government, including in relation to the future delivery of public sector services, regional governance, town planning and, potential funding opportunities, are still emerging although the key areas of known / likely change can be summarised as follows:

2.2.1 Localism Agenda

Involving local people in planning decisions is increasingly becoming more of a requirement under the new coalition government. The Decentralisation and Localism bill was introduced in parliament in December 2010 and is intended to realise the ambition of ‘a radical shift of power from Westminster to local people’. The Bill will devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions.

2.2.2 Reductions in Public Spending

The availability of public sector funding, including that from the Council, Homes and Communities Agency and the South West Regional Development Agency, will be substantially reduced over the short-medium term. For example, Wiltshire Council has recently announced a £122m programme of cuts to cover a projected reduction in government funding and increasing costs. This is an important consideration for this study and does, as a result, require greater consideration of flexibility and innovation when considering potential mechanisms to secure the delivery projects and initiatives.

Additionally, in relation to military expenditure, a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) has been undertaken to, amongst other things, identify efficiency and other cost savings, which could potentially impact on the delivery of future military-related development in the area.

2.2.3 Abolition of the Regional Spatial Strategy

As part of the Government’s ‘localism agenda’, Regional Spatial Strategies one to be abolished.

The rationale for this change is to allow spatial planning decisions, such as in relation to the scale and direction of new housing and other growth, to be made at a more local level. Although this may result in short term uncertainty, for the purposes of this study this change could present a potential opportunity in terms of an ability to consider more radical development options for certain settlements which may not have been supported by regional planning policy.

2.2.4 The Roles of Regional Bodies and Governance

As part of the Government’s commitment to localism, decentralisation and rolling back regional government, Government Office of the South West, along with other Government Offices will close in Spring 2011. The role Homes and Communities Agency is also in a time of change given the Government’s agenda to ensuring the HCA is a streamlined in enabling and investment agency.

The South West Regional Development Agency will likely be replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships operating at a more localised level. These changes will mean a period of


uncertainty and transition which will impact on the delivery of economic development and regeneration projects and programmes and also, have likely negative (short term) impacts on the well established partnerships formed as part of the MCI Programme.

2.3 The Military Context

2.3.1 The Salisbury Plain Super Garrison Project

The Salisbury Plain Super Garrison project has the potential to deliver a number of positive wider sustainability and community benefits for the area. Conversely, if not planned and coordinated properly, it could also increase challenges and issues in relation to sustainability and the integration of existing and future communities.

The Wiltshire 43 (Wessex) Brigade has adopted the following aspiration statement for the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison, which has also been adopted by Partner organisations and the Wiltshire Assembly:

“The Salisbury Super Garrison will improve the way of life for those working and living within it and the community at large. It will not only create a strong sense of military community but will also encourage closer integration with the civilian community. Our aspiration is to continue developing high quality recreational, sporting, leisure, and retail facilities alongside the new barracks, better service accommodation, opportunities for greater stability and wider integration of full and part-time personnel. Together with more employment opportunities within the Super Garrison we will deliver more choice and a better quality of life for soldiers, their families and the adjoining civilian community.”

The MoD’s Regional Planning Brief (RPB) for the period 2010 to 2035 has been prepared to support the overarching Defence Estates Development Plan. This confirms that the Salisbury Plain Military Hub is being promoted as part of Military Civilian Integration Programme (MCIP). It also sets out polices for the areas being specifically assessed as part of this study, as summarised in the following table:

Settlement Policy

Tidworth

Policy SPMH2: The majority of defence sites in Tidworth are Core Sites. Tidworth

is one of the most important sites in the South West Region for defence purposes.

This location will be promoted through the LDF process as a location for significant

military growth

Bulford Policy SPMH3: A Core Site to be promoted for significant Service Family

Accommodation (SFA) development

Larkhill Policy SPMH4: A Core Site to be promoted through the LDF to accommodate the

redevelopment of existing, and increase in numbers, of SFA to meet current

housing standards and requirements

Warminster

Policy SPMH6: To maintain as a conglomeration of Core Sites (Battlesbury

Barracks, Harman Lines and Training Centre) closely linked with Defence Training

Estate and Imber ranges. As an isolated site separated from core areas by the

railway line, Battlesbury Bks has been identified by DE as a long term disposal

opportunity.


Based on the MoD’s recent PRB, the following table summarises the plans and proposals for the Salisbury Plain area:

Project Overview

Salisbury Plain

Military Hub and

Housing

Part of the MoD’s policy to ‘rebalance’ the Defence Estate on a

representative national footprint within modern sustainable communities

(concentrating several units on fewer and larger sites). The Military Hub

concept, centred on the areas of Larkhill, Bulford and Tidworth, involves the

creation of military communities of not less than 2,000 service personnel,

but generally up to 5,000 personnel.

Project

Allenby/Connaught

Aspire Defence is dealing with construction of the £8bn Project

Allenby/Connaught, which is a 34 year estates / services PFI to provide new

and expanded military services and facilities. The ‘Connaught’ part of the

project includes the Super Garrison project being provided for the Salisbury

Plain, including sites at Tidworth, Bulford, Larkhill, Warminster and Perham

Down. The project involves replacing large numbers of Single Living

Accommodation (SLA) blocks and also supplying mess and leisure /

community facilities.

The following table provides a snapshot of the Super Garrison proposals with specific regard to the settlements of Tidworth / Ludgershall, Bulford and Larkhill.

Settlement Proposed Development (Timing)

Tidworth/ Ludgershall

§ 110 new buildings, 40 refurbishments and 140 building demolitions (2006 – 2014)

§ New Single Living Accommodation (barracks) (ongoing)

§ Around 350 new Service Family Accommodation (married quarters) proposed at

Area 19 / Deans Close in Tidworth (2013/2014)

Bulford/ Larkhill

§ Bulford - 70 new buildings, 20 refurbishments and 80 building demolitions (2007 –

2014)

§ Larkhill - 20 new buildings, 30 refurbishments and 20 building demolitions (2008 –

2012)

§ New Single Living Accommodation (barracks) (ongoing)

§ Around 135 new Service Family Accommodation (married quarters) to be

provided in Bulford (2013/2014) – demolition of 125 houses at the Canadian

Estate and 260 new houses to be built.

§ Around 300 rental properties to be acquired from the civilian market (2008/09 -

2014/15), with a number located in the Amesbury Community Area

Warminster

§ The Warminster Garrison is being redeveloped as part of the Project Allenby

Connaught PFI, including the provision of new modern single living

accommodation However, it is not anticipated that this redevelopment will bring

about a significant increase in the number of military personnel based within the


Settlement Proposed Development (Timing)

Community Area.

In summary, it is recognised that the development of the Super Garrison in the Salisbury Plain area, together with a number of other planned changes, will have far reaching implications for local communities within the area for the foreseeable future.

Appendix 1 provides asset status plans for the Super Garrison Projects for Bulford, Tidworth and Larkhill.

2.3.2 Other Military Considerations

“The Nation’s Commitment: Cross Government Support to our Armed Forces, their families and Veterans”, often referred to as the ‘Service Personnel Command Paper’ (SPCP) was published in July 2008. This is a cross-government strategy that outlines plans to improve the level of support given to Service personnel, their families and veterans.

In essence, those who serve must not be disadvantaged by virtue of what they do, and this sometimes calls for special treatment. The Paper sets out 47 specific commitments to achieve this.

In the 2009 annual progressing monitoring report 15 of these had been fully completed during the period up to the end of July 2009 with an additional 6 completed in some geographical areas. Within the next year (2009 – 2010) the number of fully completed commitments was predicated to rise to 28.

A number of the commitments are of particular relevance to the creation of sustainable communities in the study area. These include:

§ Social Housing – Establishing a Local Connection;

§ Extending Access to Affordable Homes; and

§ Education and Training for Service Leavers.

These are summarised in the table at Appendix 2 along with their progress as of the 2009 monitoring report.

The current military approach (the ‘Firm Base’) divides its activities into 3 main strands / areas:

§ Supporting the Soldier (Army side);

§ Engage the Community (recruiting, cadets, veterans, the TA and public support);

§ Community Support (welfare, housing, education, children and young people etc) – this is the key area for MCI Programme.

An important operational change is the move towards an increased permanence of personnel, being stationed in the Salisbury Plain area for longer periods of time than was previously the case. It is hoped that by having a less transient military population that military personnel and their families will start to establish more permanent roots and become more integrated into local communities and remain in the area after leaving the Service. This reduction in ‘turbulence’ and greater stability will also likely have other


important social and economic benefits such as in relation to education and dependant employment.

Additionally, within the core study area an exercise has been undertaken by the MoD to identify land within its ownership in and around the settlements being assessed which is / could be surplus to operational requirements and released for future development. The availability of such development opportunities is an important consideration when identifying and testing spatial options as a means of enhancing sustainability and integration within these settlements.

Army Living Paper

This paper seeks to establish the principles that will underpin an Army Living Strategy (ALS) in order to allow the development of coherent personnel and infrastructure strategies, policies and plans. The ALS’s ‘End State’ is to attract and retain quality people by offering them opportunity to exercise genuine choice about the way they live.

A number of key principles have been identified. These recognise the importance of group cohesion, individual lifestyle choice and the impacts of mobility. It is noted that the Army must make a conceptual change from supporting mobility and penalising stability, to supporting stability and compensating for mobility.

In respect of group cohesion, future personnel policies must embrace societal change and offer individual choice. Families living together must be supported with sufficient quantity and quality of Single Families Accommodation (SFA) to offer genuine choice. There is also a need to manage the inevitable continuing element of unaccompanied service.

Individual choice is recognised as a key pillar in attracting and retaining the highest quality people and sustaining operational effectiveness. Future personnel policies must therefore endeavour to recognise those in non-standard relationships, and provide a fair choice between living in ‘Defence’ and private accommodation. The Army must move from ‘expecting’ people to live in SFA to supporting choice without prejudicing accompanied service.

It is recognised that personnel mobility will remain an enduring Army requirement, but it must be driven down to the minimum required for operational effectiveness. A minimum of 3 years between location changes should be the norm. The Army must seek to support stability by encouraging families to settle in places from which they can work and live on a long term basis.

Whilst provision of Defence provided affordable accommodation is inextricably linked to sustaining operational effectiveness, it is a significant cost driver, not least due to subsidisation. Reducing movement will result in reduced demand, and the provision of accommodation to reflect societal norms and to allow greater opportunities to retain SFA despite change of appointment will further reduce the need for individual moves.

It is noted that options that financially support house purchase should be investigated in order to deliver individual financial security and enable home occupation. This will, however, be particularly challenging in areas where housing costs more than the national average (e.g. some Super Garrison locations). Innovating ownership schemes that potentially combine the need for Defence accommodation with private purchase that go well beyond current initiatives must be pursued. The Army should also craft future basing policies to take account of housing availability and affordability.


2.4 The Local Spatial Planning Context

2.4.1 The Core Strategy

As part of the Core Strategy process, a large amount of baseline information (the evidence base) has been collated to support its policies and proposals, including in relation to the settlements and areas being specifically assessed as part of this study. This supporting information provides an important and useful point of reference for this study.

As noted in section 1 above, it is important that this study has regard to Core Strategy proposals and also the sustainability / strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process which underpins it. As such, the sustainability and integration topics and issues examined by this study take into account the sustainability objectives applied by the Council through the SEA process as well as seeks to fit with the main thematic topics covered by the Core Strategy and also those adopted at the Community Area Partnership level. It is anticipated that this study could add to the existing Core Strategy evidence base and further support / inform its policies, as well as the longer-term spatial strategy (and other plans) for the area.

2.4.1.1 Tidworth / Ludgershall

With specific regard to the Tidworth Community Area, the Wiltshire Core Strategy identifies a range of key issues and opportunities for Tidworth and Ludgershall, which are considered jointly due to their complementary roles. The Strategy goes on to set out how Tidworth and Ludgershall are expected to change by 2026, i.e.:

§ The long term ambition for Tidworth and Ludgershall should be to develop their complementary roles in order to facilitate a more balanced and sustainable community. It is anticipated that the number of MoD personnel will increase within the community, and if a better balance between military and civilian personnel is to be achieved, a significant amount of development needs to be directed to the area.

§ The military presence within the area will change significantly over the plan period. The development of a “Super Garrison” will have considerable implications for the local community. The level of growth at Tidworth and Ludgershall will reflect the need to ensure a more balanced and integrated civilian and military community. Future development will also deliver improved infrastructure and services.

§ The employment base in the community area is currently dominated by the MoD. A wider employment base needs to be developed if the ambition of creating a more balanced and integrated community is to be achieved. The present narrow employment base caters principally for local needs. The Castledown Business Park is being developed for this purpose.

§ Other employment sites will need to be identified in order to encourage a wider employment base and to ensure balanced growth. The MoD makes a significant contribution to conservation and environmental protection within the Community Area. Future development will need to respect the wildlife haven of Salisbury Plain, which is recognised as a Special Area of Conservation.

§ The town of Ludgershall is too small to support development in its own right. However the strong interrelationships between the two centres offer the opportunity for Tidworth and Ludgershall to develop together. It is not the intention to promote coalescence.


§ Additional housing and employment land will bring about significant positive effects for the community area. A better range of housing and employment opportunities will lead to a more sustainable and integrated community. The potential release of surplus MoD land may provide the opportunity to deliver future development on previously developed land. The potential release of MoD land will have to be considered within the context of the two settlements as a whole. Not all this land will necessarily be appropriate for future development.

In order to create a more balanced and sustainable community within Tidworth / Ludgershall, the Core Strategy proposes, inter alia:

§ The provision of 1,700 new homes over the period to 2026, of which 11% have already been built and a further 19% are committed and deliverable [this target provision figure excludes new military housing (SFA and SLA) being provided in the area]; and

§ Delivery of additional employment to meet local needs to further promote self-containment, including through new and proposed employment schemes such as Castledown Business Park.

A plan showing the Core Strategy’s broad strategic location of future growth for Tidworth / Ludgershall is included overleaf.

2.4.1.2 Larkhill and Bulford

Policies for the Amesbury Community Area are included within the South Wiltshire Core Strategy. The ‘Sustainable Settlement Strategy’ supporting the Core Strategy considers Larkhill and Bulford as part of the wider ‘Amesbury and Garrison Villages’ collection of settlements (also including Durrington and Bulford village as well as Amesbury itself). Although these settlements are distinct (i.e. physically separate) from one another, the Core Strategy acknowledges that their functions and relative proximity means that collectively they form a unique grouping.


Through a process of managed growth, the Core Strategy’s vision for the Amesbury Community Area is to create a place where people want to stay, attracting new residents, businesses and visitors alike. The planned managed growth is intended to provide new homes and jobs which support improved services and retail choice.

Across the Amesbury Community Area as a whole up to 2026, 2,100 new homes and 17 hectares of employment land are proposed. For the ‘Amesbury and Garrison Villages’ area, the total number of new houses is likely to be in the region of 1,400 (i.e. circa 2/3 of the requirement for the Community Area overall). The majority of new housing growth in the area is currently planned to be centred on Amesbury itself (at Archers Gate) and new employment development will predominantly build upon that provided at Boscombe Down and Porton Down. This target provision figure excludes new military housing (SFA and SLA) which is being provided at Bulford.

2.4.1.3 Warminster

In Wiltshire 2026 (Planning for Wiltshire’s Future) the vision for the Warminster Community Area is that future development will support and enhance employment opportunities and improve services and facilities. Key sites will also be regenerated within Warminster town centre. A broad mix of housing and facilities to meet the needs of all, including young people, will be achieved together with greater integration of the civilian and military communities. This, in turn will enable joint use of sports, education and social facilities.

The preferred Option for Warminster (below) proposes 900 new homes primarily through an urban extension (to the north west and west of Warminster) that is well-related to existing and potential employment opportunities and the town centre. It also include a strategic site in the town.

2.5 The Wider Context

2.5.1 Relationships with Other Centres

Understanding the role of the settlements being assessed in the sub region, and their interaction with other main centres is an important consideration. The following diagram


seeks to illustrate current connections with larger towns and cities in the wider area and their relative populations.

Approximate population figures from 2001 Census

Given the size of the settlements being considered it is inevitable that people will need to travel to reach higher order facilities such as major comparison (and other) retailing and also a more diverse range of employment opportunities.

Creating entirely ‘self contained’ communities within the settlements being assessed is not a realistic proposition. Radical thinking, such as promoting much larger levels of growth within appropriate locations than is currently planned for will likely be the best way of creating the most sustainable communities possible in the area.

2.5.2 What Makes a Sustainable and Integrated Community

A further important starting point for this study is to understand the key ‘ingredients’ required to make a sustainable community. Providing a definitive definition of a sustainable community is not straightforward, and in national policy and guidance a number exist. However, probably the most succinct is Egan’s definition of a Sustainable Community in the “Review of Skills for Sustainable Communities” (2004). Part of the remit of this review was to provide clarification of what ‘Sustainable Communities’ means. The definition Egan provided was as follows:

"Sustainable communities meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, their children and other users, contribute to a high quality of life and provide opportunity and choice. They achieve this in ways that make effective use of natural resources, enhance the environment, promote social cohesion and inclusion and strengthen economic prosperity."


The criteria used to inform the BREEAM Sustainable Communities Assessment Tool provides a useful checklist in this regard, and this has been used to inform the assessment criteria and themes used as part of the study.

Category Description Issues Covered

Climate Change

Reducing the contribution to climate change and ensuring appropriate adaptations to the impacts of present and future climate change.

• Flood Management • Energy and Water Efficiency • Renewable Energy • Infrastructure • Passive Design Principles

Resources Designing for the efficient use of resources including water, materials, and waste in construction, operation and demolition, and minimising the lifecycle impact of materials chosen.

• Land Use and Remediation • Material Selection • Waste Management • Energy and Water • Construction Management • Modern Methods of Construction

Transport Considering how people can get to the facilities and locations that they need; giving people choices other than private cars and encouraging walking and cycling for healthier lifestyles.

• Walkable Neighbourhoods • Cycle Networks • Provision of Public Transport • Green Travel Plans • Construction Transport

Ecology Conserving the ecology living on and visiting the site and taking full opportunity for ecological enhancement within and around the development as well as on buildings.

• Maintaining / Enhancing Habitat • Green Corridors • Ground Pollution • Contaminated Land • Landscaping Schemes

Business Providing opportunities for businesses to locate and serve both the locality and provide jobs for people living in and around the development.

• Inward Investment • Local Employment • Knowledge Sharing • Sustainable Charters

Community Designing development to support a vibrant new community which can integrate with surrounding areas, avoiding creating actual or perceived “gated” communities.

• Social Impact Assessment • Community Engagement • Sustainable Lifestyles • Facilities Management • Mixed of Use • Affordable Housing

Placemaking

Provide a framework for the design of a ‘real place’ with an identity that ensures that people can instinctively find their way around. Also ensuring that the new development draws from the local context and heritage.

• Site Selection • Defensible Space • Active Frontages • Green Space • Secured by Design • Housing Density

Buildings Ensuring that the design of individual buildings contribute to the sustainability of the overall development through high environmental standards.

• BREEAM Buildings • Code for Sustainable Homes • EcoHomes

An important part of the study being undertaken is to look at ways military and civilian communities can become more integrated. It has been suggested through consultation that ‘integration’ is perhaps not the most appropriate terminology and that a better balance between military and civilian populations and military communities becoming more ‘embedded’ in the widest capacity is more relevant.


3.1 Introduction

As noted previously, the study predominantly focuses on the settlements of Bulford, Larkhill, Tidworth and Ludgershall. Tidworth and Ludgershall fall within the Tidworth Community Area, whereas Bulford and Larkhill lie with the Amesbury Community Area. The town of Warminster (within the Warminster Community Area) is also examined in this report (in particular in Chapter 9). However, Warminster differs in nature to the other four settlements not only in its size and its dependence relationship with the military, but also in terms of substantially influencing different levels of growth given the level of development already undertaken/ advanced plans for development.

By way of further context for the Study, this section provides some headline statistical, demographic and socio-economic baseline information concerning the settlements / Community Areas being assessed, with information drawn from a wide range of published sources. It also draws together some of the main conclusions identified in previous research and provides an assessment of the main planning and other constraints and issues which will need to be considered if, for example, promoting further growth and expansion within the areas as a means of improving sustainability and integration.

3.2 What We Already Know

A great deal of highly valuable research has already been undertaken, including in the preparation of the following key documents on behalf of the MCI:

§ “Envisioning the Future” (July 2009);

§ “Military Presence and Economic Significance in the South West Region” (March

2009); and

§ “Impact of the Military on the Agricultural Sector in Wiltshire” (May 2008).

The purpose of this study is not to duplicate this work, but rather build upon it. As a starting point however, it is important to understand the current position in terms of what is already known in relation to the impacts of the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison project and military presence generally, and the following tables list the main issues identified in the above documents against the corresponding sustainability and integration themes being used in the Study.

3 Profiles of the Areas Being Assessed


Theme Overview of Known Issues Tr

ansp

ort a

nd

Conn

ectiv

ity

§ Commuting may increase as a result of the Super Garrison, partly as a result of personnel living in

temporary rented accommodation (i.e. bulk hirings) further from the base than would normally be the

case.

§ Increases in population, particularly in Tidworth and Bulford, will result in a growth in demand for bus

services. Fluctuating populations create some uncertainty on local bus service provision and also

home to school / college transport.

Com

mun

ity

§ Anecdotal evidence suggests that military personnel often have poor financial management skills and that debt is an issue in military communities.

§ Potential growth in demand for community facilities (play, outdoor recreation, health care etc). In

relation to health (and social) care, also specific issues including higher proportion of young people with young families, mental health issues due to high levels of deployment and high teenage pregnancy

rates in military dominated areas.

§ Issues for school provision - fluctuations in numbers, schools in typically non-military areas needed to take military children as a result of bulk hirings, English as an additional language demand of certain

service children (e.g. Commonwealth families).

§ Likely increase in demand on affordable housing (and decrease in availability for civilians) arising from: military personnel now being recognised as having a ‘local connection’ in the area they serve (and

therefore having equal priority to civilians to access affordable housing); giving injured soldiers priority

access to social housing and also access to the Key Worker Living Scheme; and the use of temporary bulk hirings using private housing stock.

§ Possible future release of military housing for civilian purposes.

§ Certain safety issues, including road safety and also issues arising from tensions between civilian and new military communities.


Theme Overview of Known Issues

Busin

ess,

Econ

omy ,

Edu

catio

n an

d Sk

ills

§ Across Salisbury Plain, the Super Garrison could create up to 3,300 direct and 1,600 indirect jobs plus 1,000 short-term construction jobs but employment benefits to the Plain area would be reduced with

the proposed closure of RAF Lyneham and relocation of army HQ’s from Wilton and Uphavon.

§ The Super Garrison project construction has had particular economic benefits for the construction and hotel and catering sectors, and also in land, transport, professional, other business services, public

administration and defence.

§ There are around 1,600 service leavers per annum in Wiltshire, with this figure expected to increase in line with the increase in military numbers generally as a result of the Super Garrison project. Most

leavers are from junior ranks, half of which are aged between 16 and 24 years old.

§ 60% of service leavers wish to stay in the County / South West region and this figure may increase in line with the army’s policy to increase stability [it is likely however that those wishing to stay will be

older (i.e. 25 to 58) who have become more established in the area although this is not explicit from

research undertaken] . The ability for Service leavers to stay in the area is also hampered due to high house prices and lack of appropriate employment opportunities on offer.

§ Most desired areas of employment for service leavers are engineering/technical roles, police/fire

service, managerial, IT/communications, transport/logistics, defence industry, security/guarding, public sector and construction. There is also a strong desire amongst service leavers to start their own

businesses, which is of potential significance for Castledown Enterprise Centre.

§ Military influenced communities generally have low levels of civilian employment for the size of the civilian workforce, although this is also a result of the relatively rural nature of areas, not necessarily the

fact that there is a military presence.

§ Adult dependants (spouse / partners) as a group are thought to contain a higher proportion of people who are workless or not in employment, education or training (NEET) than the general population. As

a potential workforce, this element of the population will grow as a result of the Super Garrison project.

§ Barriers to military dependants entering employment including lower than average skill levels, childcare (lack of local extended family network), inadequate public transport to reach job opportunities and,

negative attitudes by some employers towards employing military dependants (threat of turbulence /

high staff turnover).

Clim

ate a

nd E

nerg

y

§ The concentration of military establishments in Wiltshire and the requirements for sustainable development placed on public bodies should provide good opportunities for various sustainable

activities such as anaerobic digesters and electricity generation, composting, wood fuel and local public

sector food procurement.

Reso

urce

s

§ Feeling that military families tend to recycle less than civilian families, particularly if only based in an

area temporarily. Longer term retention could however promote greater recycling amongst military families.

§ The Tidworth / Ludgershall area has the highest concentration of population not served by a local

recycling facility.

§ Difficulties in the release of military land for non-military development (requirement for best value, can

be a slow process).

Gove

rna

nce § The Tidworth Community Area Partnership, which is one of the longest established partnerships,

stands out as an example of best practice.


The Lessons Learned Project and the Peoples Voice survey also provides a useful source of background information. Some of the key findings are considered briefly below:

The Lessons Learned Project

Findings Recommendations

§ ‘Turbulence’ caused by Service life is an issue that affects many

areas of daily life such as health, employment, education and the economy.

§ More integrated military civilian working leads to new development

opportunities that benefit the community and the economy e.g. shared facilities outside of the wire and Castledown Business

Park.

§ The lack of infrastructure in the Tidworth area e.g. lack of shops and amenities, limited childcare, no college and no Jobcentre Plus

acts as barriers to employment.

§ Local employers value Service leavers as a source of highly trained and skilled people.

§ Possible hidden unemployment and consequent under-reporting

of impacts on public service provision and needs.

§ It is essential to achieve a balance between civilian and military

housing in the best interests of the whole community.

§ It is important to have services in place to provide for the distinctive community that is made up of military dependants and

which is quite often younger than average with young families.

§ It would benefit the whole community to house similar support services in one building e.g. information, advice and guidance,

community development and, youth workers.

§ Planning and decision-making involving the military can be lengthy due to the military ‘chain of command’ and the fact that several

different MoD agencies may be involved in any one decision.

§ Investigate alternative funding systems for

schools dominated by Service children.

§ Military should further improve relationships

with local communities through improved

communication and partnership working.

§ Undertake an audit of childcare provision and

needs to establish where additional provision is

needed.

§ Wider shared community use of Service

facilities such as sport and leisure, community

centres and theatres.

§ Investigate ways in which Service leavers can

be encouraged to set up businesses or remain

in local employment.

§ Further study to examine the extent of hidden

unemployment.

§ Promote awareness amongst organisations working in the same area where there is a

significant military presence so that they can

work collaboratively in delivering services.

§ Investigate the possibility of housing dependant

/ community-related services in one building or

develop a joint service.

§ Investigate how military decision making can

be improved to take account of local needs.

The People’s Voice Survey (2008)

This survey was undertaken in May 2008 (by the former Wiltshire County Council) with a panel of 3,873 people as a representation of all of the Community Areas across Wiltshire. The survey included a number of questions specifically concerned with military and civilian integration and some of the main findings are illustrated in the tables overleaf.


Positive Benefits of a Military Presence Negative Issues from a Military Presence

ü Jobs for local people

ü Contributes to the local economy

ü Provides training opportunities

ü Supports local shops, services and

businesses

ü Enables shared community facilities

ü Contributes to local heritage

ü Brings better sports facilities

x Noise pollution

x Traffic congestion and road safety

x Crime and anti-social behaviour

x Access to the countryside

x Impact on house prices / housing affordability

and availability

x School performance

x ‘Turbulence’ issues caused by Service Life

Importance Ranking

(1 = most important, 9 = least important) Ways of Encouraging Military and Civilian

Integration Wiltshire Amesbury CA Tidworth CA

Warminster CA

Military open days 1 2 1 1

Using same community

centre, leisure and sports

facilities

2 1 2 2

Using same shops, post

office and restaurants 3 3 4 3

Sharing education facilities 4 5 7 4

Shared hobbies, sports clubs

and sport events 5 6 5 6

Fetes, festivals and fairs 6 4 3 5

Sharing toddler groups and

crèches 7 8 9 7

Socialising in local pubs and

clubs 8 7 8 8

Shared information and

advice 9 9 5 9


In addition to the above-mentioned surveys and recent other MCI sponsored studies, a number of other studies have also been undertaken, particularly in relation to the Tidworth / Ludgershall area. Some of this research is now slightly dated (for example, much pre-dates the opening of Tesco in Tidworth) but it does provide some useful background baseline information. The key findings of these studies are summarised below.

Tidworth Community Area Economic Development Strategy, Final Report March 2004, Halcrow Group Limited

In relation to creating more stable and balanced communities, the key conclusion reached was a need to provide significantly more levels of housing and any transfer of military housing land/ or stock that is surplus to requirement sanctioned, in particular the land at ‘North East Quadrant’ in Tidworth.

Retail Strategy for Tidworth Community Area, Final Report, Final Report 2006, Bournemouth University Retail Research Group

This study was completed post Tesco planning permission (but the store was not yet trading at the time of the report). It recognised the importance of the confidence Tesco have demonstrated in the strength of the present and future market.

It recommended the introduction of a number of multiple retailers to create a ‘Tidworth Community Retail Hub’. The commitment of Tesco and others to a broader regeneration process that is inclusive of the social agenda as well as the commercial, was seen as key to the sustainable growth and success of the area.

Development of the retail economy in Ludgershall was seen as less straightforward – the role needs to complement but also be distinct from Tidworth. Securing vitality and viability was seen as being achieved through individuality, quality and small business enterprise.

The Study also set out a number of more specific actions, together with a suggested timetable / priority for delivery, the main components of which are summarised in the table below:

Selection of Actions Listed in Action Plan Timeframe

The west side of Pennings Road (A338) and North of Hampshire Cross to be zoned as

being potential future development location L/T

The ASU building to be demolished and replaced by hard surface car park S/M

Two strategic pedestrian walkways running North-South should be created across

Tidworth Town Centre M/L

“Woonerf-style”/ Homezone concept for Station Road S

One way traffic system for Tidworth’s retail and community hub L

Former Spar/Naafi site in Station Road to be zoned for retail S

Ten army properties on Park Road and Hampshire Cross should be considered for

redevelopment as a public house, restaurant and associated budget hotel L

New retailers (independent and multiple) should be encouraged to locate within the new

Community and Retail hub of Tidworth (local population desire for more fashion, shoes, S/M


Selection of Actions Listed in Action Plan Timeframe

cards, books, music, DIY and electrical shops)

Concept of integrated and retail ‘Hub’ should underpin the planning vision for central

Tidworth S

Bus services to be investigated to link outlying community to Tidworth Retail and

Community Hub S

2,500 additional civilian homes in addition to the 500 already proposed M/L

The equestrian association of Tidworth and the surrounding area should be marketed

and encouraged – tourism which will benefit retail S/M

Feasibility study of a Military Vehicle Museum within CA S

Mix of retail SMEs be attracted to Ludgershall town centre S/M

Castledown Business Centre – Council to pursue policies to incentivise business start-

ups and SME service support should be built in S

A342 and A326 link road S/M

MoD railway line linking main line at Andover and Castledown to be retained and

complementary civilian usage investigated M

Warminster Town Plan

The Draft Warminster Town Plan (Warminster Town Council and Urban Practioners) was published in December 2009. The Town Plan is intended to guide development in Warminster and be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document. The plan provides a series of theme bases visions and objectives for the town. Overall, the intention of the Plan is that Warminster will take a pioneering role as a vibrant and sustainable market town for the 21st century. Warminster will be:

§ A sustainable shopping centre;

§ A tourist destination;

§ A thriving economy;

§ An accessible town;

§ An attractive town; and

§ A leisure and community hub.

The Town Plan sets out suggested supplementary planning policies to achieving this vision. Nine specific focus areas around the town centre are also considered in depth with key proposals.


3.3 Overview of the Community Areas and Settlements Being Assessed

Published statistical information provides a useful generic baseline position upon which subsequent sections of the study can build upon and analyse further, but does not often differentiate between military and civilian communities. Also, certain existing data excludes military populations.

3.3.1 Tidworth Community Area (Tidworth and Ludgershall)

Indicator Baseline Position

Population and

Households

Based on Mid Year 2006 population projection information, Tidworth* has a population

of 8,290 (with 2,200 households), Ludgershall a population of 3,880 (1,650

households).

In 2008, military personnel and their dependants were estimated to constitute around

78% of males, 35% of adult females and around 44% of 0 – 17 year olds in the TCA.

At 66.3%, the TCA has the highest percentage of working age population (aged 16 –

59/64) of any Community Area in Wiltshire, which is also higher than for the average for

the South West Region and the UK.

At 23.1%, the TCA has the highest percentage of population aged 0-15 of any

Community Area in Wiltshire, which is also higher than for the average for the South

West Region and the UK.

At 10.5%, the TCA has the lowest percentage of population aged 60+/65+ of any

Community Area in Wiltshire, which is also substantially lower than for the average for


Employment

Tidworth / Ludgershall has around 7,000 employed residents, with approximately

6,300 employment opportunities available locally.

Employment structure based around education and health, retail and public

administration, and defence. The employment mix is dominated by the MoD.

The percentage of working age people who area claiming Job Seekers Allowance is low

in Tidworth, just 1.6% compared to 2.6% for Wiltshire as a whole and 4.0% for England

and Wales. This however, masks hidden unemployment statistics for dependants who

do not register.

Travel and

Levels of Self Containment

Reasonably good levels of self-containment (with about 4,000 people both living and

working in Tidworth / Ludgershall). Where out-commuting occurs, this is predominantly

to Andover.

Compared to other towns in Wiltshire, a high percentage of residents travel to work

short distances and on foot in Tidworth/Ludgershall (25% of working population), this

is influenced by the large military presence.

Low level of households without a car (around 14% compared to 20% within the

South West Region and 27% nationally).

Housing Need Need for 314 affordable dwellings per annum across the TCA, with need (across



Wiltshire) generally split between smaller intermediate and rented affordable housing.

Current levels of affordable housing supply falls significantly short of identified requirement (estimated supply of 71 dwellings).

* indicates a location where Armed Forces and their dependants are a majority of the population

3.3.2 Tidworth and Ludgershall: Overview of the Settlements

The following table provides a summary of the current position of the settlements.

Settlement Baseline Position

Tidworth

• Housing predominantly located within the north eastern part of the settlement,

including large areas of military and civilian housing. Some integration of

housing areas but generally still in ‘blocks’ rather than truly mixed.

• The north eastern part of the settlement also includes the ‘North East

Quadrant’ – NEQ (an undeveloped site of circa 29 hectares identified for future

housing development, including new military married quarters). A further

development site has also been identified previously referred to as ‘Area 19 /

Deans Close’ comprising land on the southern edge of Tidworth, opposite

Tedworth House.

• Eastern part of the settlement surrounded by the main housing area also

includes main retail [including Tesco (opened 2007), Lidl and various small

independent commercial outlets], leisure (including the Tidworth Leisure

Centre) and other community facilities.

• Large operational military facility, including single living accommodation

(barrack blocks) located ‘behind the wire’ within the western part of the

settlement.

• Large areas of open space (and recreational facilities) identified to the south

and west of the main built up area of the settlement and also within the heart of

Tidworth town. A number of these existing open space areas have been

identified by the Military as potentially being available for development in the

future.

Ludgershall

• Clear distinction between military and non-military elements of the settlement,

with military related operational facilities, open space / recreation and housing

located to the south west of the main settlement.

• Tidworth includes the key employment opportunity of Castledown Business

Park, the already developed Phase 1 Castledown Enterprise Centre and also

the Wellington Academy. To the rear of the Castledown Business Park is a

railway line which is now used exclusively for military purposes for the

transport of equipment to and from the Corruna Barracks depot.

• The village of Ludgershall includes a small commercial centre with a number of

small independent retailers, supermarkets and some social facilities such as



clubs.

• Large areas of open space (and recreational facilities) identified to the south

west of the main built up area of Ludgershall. A number of these existing

open space areas have been identified by the Military as potentially being

available for development in the future, as well as the Corruna Barracks depot.

3.3.3 Amesbury Community Area (Larkhill and Bulford)


Population and Households

Based on Mid Year 2006 population projection information, Larkhill** has a population of 3,530 (with 720 households), Bulford* a population of 5,140 (1,390

households).

At 62.9%, the community area has the second highest percentage of working age population (aged 16 – 59/64) of any Community Area in Wiltshire, which is

also slightly higher than for the average for the South West Region and the UK.

At 20.2%, the ACA has the seventh highest percentage of population aged 0-15

of any Community Area in Wiltshire, which is also higher than for the average for


At 16.9%, the ACA has the third lowest percentage of population aged 60+/65+

of any Community Area in Wiltshire, which is also lower than for the average for the

South West Region and the UK.

In 2008 military personnel and their dependants were estimated to constitute

around 30% of adult males, 18 percent of adult females and 30 percent of 0 – 17

years olds in the ACA.

Employment The employment mix in Bulford and Larkhill is heavily dominated by the MoD.

Travel and Levels of Self

Containment

Low level of households without a car (around 12% compared to 20% within the

South West Region and 27% nationally).

Good levels of self containment, particularly Bulford (in terms of travel to work

given large level of military presence) but requirement to out-commute to access

many services and facilities given limited nature of provision in these settlements.

Housing Need Need for range of 1,2 and 3 bedroom affordable housing across the ACA, with

a particular requirement for affordable rented housing.

* indicates a location where Armed Forces and their dependants are a majority of the population

** includes only the Army base and married quarters at Larkhill Camp


3.3.4 Bulford and Larkhill: Overview of the Settlements

The following table provides a summary of the current position of land uses at Bulford and Larkhill.


Bulford

• Clear distinction between military and non-military elements of the settlement,

with military related housing, operational facilities, open space / recreation and

housing located to the south west of Bulford village (Bulford Camp). Camp

area includes a large number of social facilities including schools, local retail

and sports facilities. A number of the facilities in Bulford are identified for

military use / are located ‘behind the wire’ with more limited or no wider

community use.

• Bulford Camp area includes proposals for the demolition of poorer military

service family accommodation (around 125 in the Canadian Estate) and

reprovision of around 260 new houses.

• Bulford village itself has very few facilities, being predominantly housing,

although it is in close proximity to Durrington (to the north west) which provides

for three small convenience stores (a Co-operative, a Sainsbury's Local and

also a Tesco that opened in 2008), together with other commercial and leisure

facilities.

• Large areas of open space (and recreational facilities) identified to the north,

south west of Bulford camp and also land within and around Bulford village. A

number of these existing open space areas have been identified by the Military

as potentially being available for development in the future.

Larkhill

• Larkhill is heavily dominated by the military with only a very few small pockets

of civilian housing.

• The settlement is divided in two by the Packway (the main road through

Larkhill), with main ‘behind the wire’ operational facilities located to the north

and the majority of family housing and community facilities to the south. A

small parade of independent retailers also front on to the Packway, located

within the eastern part of Larkhill.

• Large areas of open space (and recreational facilities) identified to the north

and south of the Packway. A number of these existing open space areas

have been identified by the Military as potentially being available for

development in the future.

3.3.5 Warminster Community Area


Population and

Households

Based on Mid Year 2007 population projection information, Warminster

Community Area has a population of just around 24,500 people (circ 10,500

households) and with a low population density of 0.87 per hectare (compared to



1.4 for Wiltshire as a whole).

At 58.6%, the WCA has an average percentage of working age population (aged

16 – 59/64) for the Community Areas in Wiltshire, very slightly lower than for

Wiltshire as a whole (59.6%). This is slightly lower than for the South West Region

(60.1%) and the UK as a whole (62.1%).

The WCA has a slightly higher proportion of over 65s (23.6%) and a slightly

lower percentage of under children under 15 (17.8%) than for Wiltshire as a

whole (20.6% and 19.8% respectively). This is almost the reverse than is the case

for the Tidworth Community Area.

In 2008 military personnel and their dependants were estimated to constitute

around 13% of adult males, 6% of adult females and 13 % of 0 – 17 years olds in

the WCA.

Employment

The MoD presence in Warminster and the surrounding areas does impact greatly

on the employment mix, with a significant proportion of the population either in the

Armed Services, employed by the MoD/ Aspire directly, or employed indirectly

providing services to the military. However, although the MoD is the main

employer, Warminster also has a number of other smaller key local employers. These Include the Crusader and Warminster Business Parks on the

outskirts of the town and other small industrial areas across the community area

and within the centre of the town itself (such as Dents glove factory and Lyons

Seafood). The Longleat estate and safari park and the Centre Parcs holiday village

also have a major impact on the local economy in terms of tourism and

employment.

Travel and Levels of Self

Containment

Warminster has a slightly lower than average percentage of the population without a car (around 18% compared to 20% within the South West Region and

27% nationally).

Warminster has relatively good levels of self containment (in comparison to the other settlements considered) with many services, facilities and job

opportunities within the Community Area and the town itself.

Housing Need

In 2008 the average house price in Warminster was £217,333, slightly higher than

for England and Wales as a whole (£216,703) but lower than for Wiltshire as a

whole (£238,217). Warminster has the second lowest level of affordable

housing need in the former West Wiltshire district. The net affordable need per

annum is 72 dwellings which represents 0.9% of the total households in

Warminster. Currently the Affordable Housing Register for Wiltshire shows that

there is most demand for smaller rented affordable units in Wiltshire.

3.3.6 Warminster: Overview of the Settlement

The following table provides a summary of the current position of the settlement.




Warminster

§ Warminster Town is strategically situated at the junction of the A36 and A350

with direct links to the M3 and M4. It is serviced by a mainline railway and is

45 minutes from Bristol Airport.

§ The military and civilian elements of Warminster are largely separate with the

Military mainly contained in northern section beyond Copheap Hill in a discreet

area on the edge of the Salisbury Plan Army Training Centre.

§ The town of Warminster has around 7,500 households and a total population

of around 18,000 making it the largest settlement in the Warminster

Community Area.

§ Warminster town centre is an important service centre for the town itself and

also for its large rural catchment of villages.

§ Despite some shop closures in the town centre, Warminster still has many

shops (including national multiples such as Dorothy Perkins and Currys) and

services, and has a weekly open air market and regular farmers market. The

town centre retains an attractive core with primary retail along the streets of

Market Place and High Street. Warminster is the second largest retail centre

in West Wiltshire.

§ Warminster has a number of natural and built environmental constraints.

§ Warminster has grown from a group of four villages. The core of the town is a

strong linear high street. Older residential development tends to be focused

along historic routes to the town although a substantial part of the town’s

housing stock dates from the twentieth century reflecting substantial growth

particularly in the post war period.

§ To the west of the town lies the stately home of Longleat, with its estate and

safari park. Alongside it in the Longleat forest is the holiday village of Centre

Parcs. Both of these have an important positive impact on the local economy.

3.4 Planning, Environmental and Other Development Considerations

This section of the Study provides an overview of the spatial distribution of various strategic environmental and planning policy constraints existing within and around the settlements of Tidworth / Ludgershall, Larkhill and Bulford. It also provides brief commentary on the availability and adequacy of physical infrastructure and utilities (primarily based on information provided by the relevant providers).

This information provides an important input to guiding the identification and subsequent testing of different potential strategic development / growth options as a means of promoting more sustainable settlements.

Plans have been produced to define the extent and location of key planning and environmental constraints and these are reproduced at Appendix 3, together with other details such as the sources utilised to define existing constraints.


The key constraints assessed comprise of:

§ Flood risk and important ground water resources;

§ Ecological designations and other important identified resources;

§ Landscape designations;

§ Existing major open space facilities;

§ Heritage resources, including conservation areas, listed buildings, scheduled ancient monuments, the Stonehenge World Heritage Site and, historic parks and gardens; and

§ Utilities and other physical infrastructure information such as in relation to highways.

The following table provides a broad description of the extent and nature of the various constraints identified for the settlements / areas being assessed.

Tidworth / Ludgershall

Constraint Commentary

Flood Risk

§ Flood risk exists in Tidworth from the river corridor (fluvial flooding) which

runs through the Town. According the Environment Agency website the risk

of flooding along this river corridor ranges from low to moderate.

§ Concerns from Environment Agency have been raised regarding

development at Tidworth and Ludgershall. The foul drainage and water

supply requirements should be assessed in a water cycle study.

Nature Conservation

(including national and

local designations)

§ Area of High Ecological Value is designated to the west of Tidworth (does

not adjoin settlement boundary).

§ Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and Special

Protection to the west of Tidworth (does not adjoin settlement boundary).

§ Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Designation north of Ludgershall (only

adjoins Ludgershall at towns eastern tip).

§ Area of High Ecological Value west of Ludgershall (does not adjoin

settlement area).

§ Possible chalk grassland habitat south west of Ludgershall.

Heritage Resources

(conservation areas,

scheduled ancient

monuments and historic

parks and gardens)

§ No scheduled ancient monuments.

§ No known archaeological risks.

§ Some listed buildings in Ludgershall and Tidworth particularly relating to

military buildings.

Landscape Designations

§ Special Landscape Area designation to the west of Tidworth (does not adjoin

settlement).

§ Special Landscape Area to the North West of Ludgershall (does not adjoin

settlement).

§ Areas of large tree plantation in Ludgershall and also extensive established



woodland and rough grassland.

Protected Open Space facilities

§ Several protected sites for recreation are identified on the current proposals

map within the town of Tidworth.

§ Several protected sites for recreation are identified on the current proposals

map within the town of Ludgershall.

§ Two areas of protected allotments within Ludgershall.

Highways Infrastructure

§ A338, A3026 and A342 are the main roads in Tidworth and Ludgershall.

A342 leads to Andover and A338 leads to Salisbury.

Utilities and Potable Water Supply

§ Pipeline (Esso mainline) runs along west of Tidworth outside of settlement

boundary.

§ Gas network adequate, however, significant reinforcement could be needed

for large scale development.

§ Ground water source protection zones in Tidworth (SPZ1 and SPZ2).

Waste Water and Waste Treatment Facilities

§ The Tidworth / Ludgershall area has the highest concentration of population

not served by a local recycling facility. Population growth will worsen this

position.

Bulford / Larkhill


Flood Risk § Only flood risk in the area is from River Avon this mainly affects Durrington

rather than Larkhill or Bulford, however some flood risk exists from the

River Avon in the northern part of Bulford.

Nature Conservation


local designations)

§ Area of High Ecological Value designation and Site of Special Scientific

Interest to area west of Bulford Camp.

§ Area of High Ecological Value designation and site of Special Scientific

Interest to area west of Larkhill Garrison.

Heritage Resources


world heritage site,

scheduled ancient


parks and gardens)

§ World Heritage designation (Stonehenge) extends into the southern part of

Larkhill Garrison.

§ Area of Special Archaeological Significance designation extend over the

whole area.

§ Conservation area in the north west of Bulford village.

Landscape Designations -


§ 3 Recreational Open space designations in adjacent to Bulford Town (north

east of town, within town centre and southwest of town).


§ A3028 and A345 are main roads. A3028 connects to A303 which is main

road to Andover.

Utilities and Potable § Groundwater source protection area north west of Larkhill.



Water Supply § Some concerns raised for South Wiltshire by water providers in relation to

potential deficiencies in the future should all core strategy allocations come

forward and expected reductions in ground water however, investment plan

in place to overcome this.

Warminster


Flood Risk § Indicative floodplains runs to the north of town centre and south of the town

centre.

Nature Conservation


local designations)

§ Cramborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB to the south of the

town. (but not directly adjoining the settlement).

§ There are two SSSIs and various County Wildlife Sites around the town.

§ River Avon Special Area of Conservation.

Heritage Resources


scheduled ancient


parks and gardens)

§ There is a large conservation area within the town.

§ There area a number of listed buildings in the town centre and some

recorded monuments to the east.

§ There are areas of archaeological interest identified in the town.

Landscape Designations § Grade 1 agricultural land and Special Landscape Areas surround the town.


§ Warminster has a number of protected recreation/ open spaces including

the town park.


§ The town of Warminster is strategically situated at the Junction of the A36

and A350 with direct links to the M3 and M4.

Utilities and Potable Water Supply

§ A ground water source protection area allocation covers much of the town

centre.

Waste Water and Waste Treatment Facilities

§ Sewage treatment works in the town (in relation to the River Avon the

Environment Agency has recommended a Water Cycle Study because of

concerns over phosphate levels).

3.5 Change in Military Population

The following table reproduces information included within ‘Envisioning the Future’ to provide an indication of anticipated population within the Community Areas being examined as a result of the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison Project. In broad terms, the Tidworth area will see the most substantial change (i.e. level of growth), whereas the Amesbury area is forecast to see an overall decline in the numbers of military related population.


Community

Area

Total military

related

population

2008 (% of

total

population)

Additional

military

related

change 2008

– 2009

Additional

military

related

change 2009

– 2010

Additional

military

related

change

2009 – 2010

Additional

military

related

change 2011-

2012

Additional

military

related

change

2012 - 2016

Tidworth

Male 18+ 4,800 (76%) +340 +360 0 -10 +250

Female 18 + 1,500 (35%) +10 +30 0 +10 +250

Total 0 – 17 1,600 (44%) 0 +10 0 +10 +320

Amesbury

Male 18+ 4,100 (32%) -90 +50 +560 +10 -90

Female 18 + 2,000 (18%) +100 +50 +210 +10 -90

Total 0 – 17 2,200 (31%) +150 +60 +210 +20 -110

Warminster

Male 18+ 1,200 (13%) +20 0 -10 0 -10

Female 18 + 500 (6%) +20 0 -10 0 -10

Total 0 – 17 600 (13%) +20 0 -10 0 -10

The Super Garrison will also add a different dimension to the general trend towards an ageing population in Wiltshire. It is understood that the precise (longer term) impacts in terms of overall population forecasts has not been fully assessed. However, in general terms, there will be a greater and younger population, particularly over the short term. This will also include an increase in military dependants which in turn, will create issues for service provision and also local employment requirements in terms of creating a growing workforce.


4.1 Overview of Approach

The following four key issues have been examined in relation to existing levels of transport and connectivity:

Core Assessment

Topic


SEA Objective Refs

Relevant Issue / Assessment Criteria (BREEAM Criteria Ref)

Public Transport Provision

Accessibility to Community Facilities

Cycling and Walking Tran

spor

t and

Co

nnec

tivity

7, 11, 12, 13, 15

Measures to Reduce Car Usage

The following paragraphs set out the approach which has been adopted to assess each of the identified transport and connectivity issues / criteria together with an overview of key findings. Where appropriate this includes the highlighting of any differences between facilities available to the military and civilian communities. Details of the relevant transport and accessibility conditions in relation to each of the settlements being considered are also summarised to identify any important specific localised factors.

4.2 General Transport Trends

4.2.1 Summary of data

An initial assessment of available data obtained from the 2001 census has been carried out to identify any broad patterns in terms of travel behaviour. The Table at Appendix 4 provides a summary of the main transport indicators relevant to the four settlements of Tidworth, Ludgershall, Larkhill and Bulford.

In terms of identifying initial patterns of travel behaviour, a number of issues are apparent. These appear likely to be specific to the areas in question, due to the large military presence and the unique way in which settlements with a large military population operate:

1. Lower than average car ownership, (with a higher proportion of 1 car homes than the Wiltshire average, but lower than average levels of 2,3 and 4 car homes);

2. Lower than average car driver modal share for journey to work trips, particularly in Tidworth (44.7%) and Bulford (41.2%),associated with higher than average modal

4 Transport and Connectivity


share for walking and cycling trips (average car driver mode share for Wiltshire being 60.5%).

3. A higher than average proportion of journey to work trips of less than 2km, particularly originating from Tidworth and Bulford, (with the percentage of journey to work trips less than 2km across Wiltshire as a whole being 25.1%);

Whilst this data relates to historical travel patterns, it provides a useful “snap-shot” of the expected travel behaviours within the four settlements and provides an early indication of the types of intervention that may be successful in maintaining and improving levels of sustainable transport, as well as helping to inform further investigation of the potential barriers to some forms of travel.

An initial review of commuting patterns to and from the four settlements was also carried out, identifying the main desire lines for journey to work trips as well as identifying the proportion of trips which are retained within each ward. The commuting information was plotted onto a map base to provide a visual indication of the main demand for travel.

This generally shows a large degree of trips being retained within each of the four settlements studied, with the two settlements to the north-east, Tidworth and Ludgershall having a strong employment trip connection with employment ward areas to the East, particularly Andover, whilst Bulford and Larkhill had a stronger connection to the south, particularly to Amesbury and Salisbury. There were also a reasonable proportion of employment trips recorded between the study area settlements, for example the second highest number of trips originating in Bulford were recorded as travelling to Tidworth.

4.3 Public Transport Provision

4.3.1 Approach to Assessing Public Transport Provision

Access to public transport will often form one of the central elements of any sustainable access strategy. However, public transport only represents a viable transport option when services provide access to desirable locations. Demand for public transport is therefore generally split between two major groupings:

• Peak Demand: Peak hour trips tend to be focused on access to either employment opportunities or education, (particularly in the morning peak, which tends to be more compressed).

• Off Peak Demand: Off peak demand generally covers a wider range of destinations but with a lower level of hourly demand, with access to retail, healthcare, leisure and other uses.

As such public transport services can vary considerably depending upon the role they are intended to serve. Our approach to the assessment of public transport provision is therefore covered in two main sections, firstly a broad baseline assessment of the availability and frequency of services passing the sites within the study area (Section 4.3.2) and secondly an assessment of the level of accessibility to desirable destinations which these services enable (Section 4.4).

This approach is based on the acknowledgement that travel is a derived demand, with the need for travel based on individual’s requirements to access either employment, education or other socially necessary services. Considering transport on the basis of what it allows


individuals to access therefore allows for the easy identification of where any specific gaps in services to essential or desirable services may exist.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to collate and present information on current bus routes and facilities, based on the following activities:

Each of the bus routes passing through the settlements of Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford and Larkhill were plotted onto a map base.

A 400m buffer was created, centred upon each route to represent a reasonable or acceptable walking distance from each bus route.

This information could then be used to identify facilities within reasonable walking tolerances of each of the bus routes1.

A journey time to each of these destinations was then calculated based on current bus timetables and the number of services available within 5 minute time-bands of each settlement via public transport.

The findings of this assessment are provided in Section 4.4 (Access to Services).

4.3.2 Current Position: Findings and Main Issues

4.3.2.1 Bus Service Accessibility and Frequency

Bus Services

A number of traditional services operate in the study area which provide regular access to employment (and other) opportunities at the major centres of Salisbury to the south-west and Andover to the east.

The most high profile of these services is bus service 8, re-branded as ‘Activ8’ as part of a joint undertaking between Wiltshire and Hampshire Councils, the Ministry of Defence and Stagecoach, forming the basis of a Quality Bus Partnership that provided bus stop infrastructure upgrades in conjunction with branded and accessible vehicles.

A summary of the current services operating through the study settlements is provided below at Appendix 4.

Park and Ride

As well as traditional bus services, Salisbury is also catered for by five main Park and Ride sites services –

• Beehive Park and Ride;

• London Road Park and Ride;

• Wilton Road Park and Ride;

• Britford Park and Ride; and

1 400m walking distance based upon IHT ‘Guidelines for Public Transport in Developments’


• Salisbury Road.

These sites are located to intercept traffic as it approaches Salisbury main arterial routes, offering an economic alternative to City Centre parking, with a tariff of £2.50 providing all day parking and travel on the bus for up to 6 passengers.

The services run between 07.00 (7.30 at Beehive) and 18.45 on weekdays and between 08.00 and 18.00 on Saturdays, operating every 10-15 minutes on weekdays and every 12-20 minutes on a Saturday.

Whilst Park and Ride is not a pure public transport option, representing one stage of a multi-stage journey (part of which is carried out via private car), it does represent the opportunity to limit the lengths of car trips heading into Salisbury City Centre and offers associated environmental benefits.

The Beehive Park and Ride is well located to provide for trips arriving on the A345 (Castle Road) from Larkhill and Bulford, whilst the London Road Park and Ride is well situated to cater for trips arriving on the A30 (London Road), potentially including trips originating from Tidworth and Ludgershall.

The current tariff structure provides a financial incentive to use park and ride, offering a cheaper option than the current town centre long or short stay car parks, whilst the 6 passenger provision allowed for within the £2.50 total charge encourages car sharing, potentially providing all day access to Salisbury City Centre at a cost of less than 41p per passenger.

Demand Responsive Transport (DRT)

As an authority Wiltshire has been at the forefront of developing rural transport services, with a number of relatively recent studies into the most effective ways of delivering rural, (and particularly demand responsive) services2.

The initial findings of these studies promoted the concept of “hubs” in which information for DRT services was made available at identified accessible points within communities, providing a sense of empowerment to local communities when considering the provision of local transport services.

A number of demand responsive services currently operate in and around the study area, those which appear most applicable to the study area being:

• The Salisbury Taxi-Buzz – operating twice a day with a fixed start and end point and stopping at Bulford Village. Trips have to be pre-booked.

• The Bourne and Avon Valley Community Buzz – operating a completely flexible on demand service, with charging based upon distance bands crossed between Pewsey and Tidworth. Trips have to be pre-booked.

These services are primarily focused on off peak periods, addressing issues of social inclusion rather than providing access to employment, with the Bourne and Avon Valley Community Buzz only operating between the hours of 09.00 and 14.00 for example.

2 Evaluation study of demand responsive services in Wiltshire (2006).


Voluntary Transport Services

In addition to commercial and subsidised bus services run by commercial operators, there are also a number of voluntary services that operate in Wiltshire, although these tend to focus on providing access to services for those facing particular transport problems or challenges, including groups such as the elderly or mobility impaired.

The current schedule of LINK contacts detailed on the Swindon and Wiltshire Link website3 includes coverage of the Tidworth, Ludgershall and Larkhill areas.

4.3.2.2 Existing Bus Service Infrastructure

From an initial desktop review, the quality of bus infrastructure in the vicinity of the four study area sites appears to be of good, although variable, quality as a result of investment in improved facilities over a number of years by Wiltshire Council.

The available bus stop facilities vary between flag only stops to upgraded stops associated with the quality bus partnership corridor 8. These upgraded stops consist of either a flag and raised bus boarder (raised sections of kerbing which provide a level point of access when accessing or exiting a bus) or a flag, bus boarder and shelter (as with the stops on the main route through Tidworth). As such the bus stop provision in three of the settlements considered (Tidworth, Ludgershall and Bulford), is generally of a good standard due to the bus stop enhancements associated with the Activ8 route, (as the most recent of the bus partnership corridor 8 schemes).

The use of raised bus boarders assists with promoting accessibility and inclusion on major bus routes by allowing easy access for the mobility impaired, for the elderly or for parents with pushchairs or prams.

4.3.2.3 Current Services

WYG have made initial contact with the following public transport stakeholders in order to identify any current issues that may affect the ways in which public transport operates with regards to military communities:

• Wiltshire CC;

• Hampshire CC;

• Stagecoach;

• Wilts and Dorset Bus Company;

• Tourist Coaches; and

• MoD Welfare.

The following paragraphs summarise the information received from Wiltshire County Council, Tourist Coaches and MoD Welfare representatives, (no response has been

3 http://www.freetocharities.org.uk/wiltslink/schemes.html

http://www.freetocharities.org.uk/wiltslink/schemes.html


received to date from Hampshire County Council, Stagecoach and Wiltshire and Dorset Bus Company).

4.3.2.4 Wiltshire County Council Sustainable Transport Team:

Home to school transport was identified as one of the biggest challenges to effectively manage, the demand for travel often being variable and with the potential to change with no or minimum notice. It was suggested that there is a need for a more efficient transfer of information to avoid the existing over-provision of services.

Pupil behaviour problems were also identified as a current problem with regards to home to school transport journeys.

It was also suggested that whilst access into camps to permit housing areas to be served is often requested, in previous experience when permission is granted the usage level of the services can be very low.

Consultation at the earliest stages of development planning could help to overcome a number of the current public transport routing and usage issues. There are examples where the provision of a footpath could save on the need for a school bus to serve an area and make the use of existing local bus services possible.

4.3.2.5 Tourist Coaches:

The area is generally served by Wiltshire and Dorset services which operate commercially in the daytime and have tendered elements to cover other periods (i.e. early mornings, evenings and Sundays). All routes are operated with low floor, accessible vehicles.

The Activ8 service is considered to be well used, connecting three of the study area settlements, (Tidworth, Ludgershall and Bulford) with Salisbury, Amesbury and Andover. The service is particularly well used in the morning peak as Andover operates as a Railhead for London, whilst pupils use the service to travel to the grammar schools in Salisbury.

Both the 6/16 and Activ8 services have spare capacity during off peak periods, which generally reflects the low numbers billeted to the camps at the moment, therefore an increase in population at the camps could help with the viability of the services.

The view was expressed that military personnel and their families were perceived to have higher levels of car ownership and that those with higher levels of disposable income use taxis more frequently.

In terms of home to school transport, some issues were considered to be caused by the transitory nature of military families in combination with the general shortage of primary school spaces and the ability of parents to select which primary school to send their children to. This leads to the need for additional vehicles to provide home to school services, particularly as existing services tend not to link to primary schools and can make service planning for longer contracts challenging.

4.3.2.6 Army Welfare

Representatives from Army welfare stated that public transport in the study area continues to be an important issue to consider. Whilst the Activ8 service has had a positive impact, it is seen as being relatively expensive, particularly for the younger and lower paid Army


families. It was suggested that consideration be given to the provision of subsidised tickets for army personnel to encourage increased levels of public transport usage.

4.3.3 Settlement Specific Findings and Issues

Settlement Baseline Findings and Issues

Bulford

Bulford, Tidworth and Ludgershall all benefit from access to the Activ8 bus service,

which provides a high frequency, high quality service which both links the three

communities and provides a connection to the major centres at Salisbury and

Andover. Residents in Bulford Village also have the option to access off peak DRT

services via the Salisbury Rural Taxi-Buzz.

Larkhill Of the 4 settlements Larkhill appears to be the least well served, whilst having access

to a 30 minute frequency service running to and from Amesbury, travelling to any

wider destination requires at least one interchange.

Tidworth




Andover. Residents in Tidworth also have the option to access off peak DRT services

providing access between Pewsey and Amesbury.

Ludgershall




Andover. Residents in Ludgershall also have the option to access off peak DRT

services providing access between Pewsey and Amesbury.

4.3.4 Planned Future Changes

The only potential route revision identified through discussions with local public transport providers was with regards to the operation of services 6 & 16 running between Larkhill, Amesbury and Salisbury. The details of any changes are not yet known as this is part of an ongoing route review, which may effect both routing and frequencies.

4.4 Accessibility to Community Facilities

4.4.1 Approach to Assessing Accessibility to Community Facilities

The study provides an overview of the spatial distribution of various existing (and planned) key community facilities and infrastructure within the 4 settlements being assessed and also in the wider area, such as in relation to ‘higher order’ facilities not currently available in the locality.

A number of plans have been produced to define the location and relative accessibility of different types of community facilities and used to assess levels of relative accessibility to these facilities.


The following community facilities have been identified and mapped, based upon information provided by Wiltshire County Council and the Ministry of Defence:

§ Childcare facilities;

§ Primary Schools; § Secondary Schools; § Higher education centres;

§ GP surgeries; § Local / District Centre facilities; § Major open space, leisure and recreation facilities;

§ Employment centres and opportunities; and

§ Job Centres.

In order to measure accessibility, appropriate core travel time indicators have been applied to identify accessibility isochrones, used to measure the relative accessibility of each of the study area settlements to different types of community facility.

The availability of services has also been split according to whether services are available to the general population or to military families exclusively.

The relative accessibility thresholds applied to the different types of facility are shown in Table 4.4.1. Thresholds have generally been based on Department for Transport (DfT) accessibility standards applicable to different types of facility:

Table 4.4.1: Accessibility Standards Applied to Community Facilities Accessibility (Walking and / or Public Transport Travel Time

and / or Distance) Facility Very Good Good Moderate Poor

Childcare facilities <10mins <15mins <30mins 30-45mins+

Primary Schools <10mins <15mins <30mins 30-45mins+

Secondary Schools <10mins <20mins <40mins 40-60mins+

Higher Education Centres <15mins <30mins <60mins 60-75mins+

GP Surgeries <10mins <15mins <30mins 30-45mins+

Hospitals <15mins <30mins <60mins 60-75mins+

Nearest Town Centre <15mins <30mins <60mins 60-75mins+

District / Local centre Facilities <10mins <15mins <30mins 30-45mins+

Leisure Facilities <10mins <15mins <30mins 30-45mins+

Training and education <10mins <15mins <30mins 30-45mins+

Job Centres <10mins <15mins <30mins 30-45mins+

Main Employment Opportunities <10mins <20mins <40mins 40-60mins+

Main Bus Routes <5mins <10mins <15mins 15-20mins+

The time thresholds used are based on the total point to point public transport journey times and do not assume a waiting period.



The following table provide a broad description of the extent and nature of the various constraints to accessibility identified, starting with different community facilities and then followed by other forms of development infrastructure.

Table 4.4.2: Overview of Provision of Community Facilities and Infrastructure

Facility Baseline Findings and Main Issues

Childcare

There are a large number of nurseries, childcare centres and SureStart centres

accessible by public transport within the study area as a whole, with all of the four

settlements having at least one local childcare facility, (although in the case of Larkhill

this is a military families only facility).

Primary Schools

There are a number of Primary Schools accessible via existing public transport routes

within the study area, although the expectation is that the predominant mode of travel

to these would be on foot.

Secondary Schools

Access to Secondary Schools within the Study area is good, although variable across

the four settlements.

Higher Education Centres

Access to Higher Education is again variable, and reliant on public transport access to

either Salisbury or Andover. As such the settlements on the Activ8 route provide

access to facilities at both these major centres, whilst services running through Larkhill

provide access to Salisbury only (and via more infrequently operated routes).

GP Surgeries

There are a large number of GP surgeries accessible by public transport within the

study area, with all of the four settlement having GP surgeries within 10 minute

journey times.

Hospitals

The Andover War Memorial Hospital can be accessed via the Activ8 bus route running

through Bulford, Tidworth and Ludgershall. The Salisbury District Hospital cannot be

directly access by services running through any of the 4 settlements, but requires

interchange onto a hospital service upon reaching Salisbury.

Job Centres

Access to job centres is relatively limited for the 4 settlements, with journey times

varying between 35 and 60 minutes, with the only accessible job centre being located

in Salisbury.

Salisbury / Andover Town Centres

The main urban centres of Salisbury and Andover are both relatively accessible from

each of the 4 settlements considered, with Andover being particularly accessible from

Tidworth and Ludgershall and Salisbury from Bulford and Larkhill.

District / Local centre Facilities

Each of the settlements had a range of available local facilities, providing services

such as childcare, welfare centres and churches. In the larger settlements these are

generally mixed use facilities, whereas Larkhill has a number of military personnel only

facilities.

Leisure Facilities All of the sites, other than Larkhill, provide relatively quick access to range of sports

facilities, both military specific and mixed use.

Main Employment

Access to employment opportunities, located in either the nearest town centre or at

local business parks is achievable from each of the 4 sites in the study area, with


Facility Baseline Findings and Main Issues

Opportunities current public transport routes providing access to employment sites in Amesbury and

Salisbury to the south and Tidworth and Andover to the north.


Using the accessibility thresholds identified in Table 4.4.1, and the facilities identified through the mapping process, the estimated level of accessibility of each of the four study area settlement to various key services is summarised below. It should be noted however that this analysis does not have specific regard to certain qualitative considerations such as capacity or propensity to use existing facilities.

Table 4.4.3: Accessibility Assessment of Study Area Settlements

Accessibility (Public Transport Travel Time) Facility

Very Good Good Moderate Poor

Childcare facilities Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford & Larkhill

Primary Schools Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford & Larkhill

Secondary Schools Tidworth & Ludgershall Larkhill Bulford

Higher Education Centres Tidworth & Ludgershall Bulford & Larkhill

GP Surgeries Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford & Larkhill

Nearest Town Centre Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford & Larkhill

District / Local centre Facilities

Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford & Larkhill

Leisure Facilities Tidworth, Ludgershall & Bulford Larkhill

Training & skills Tidworth, Ludgershall & Bulford Larkhill

Job Centres

Tidworth, Ludgershall,

Bulford & Larkhill

Main Employment Opportunities

Tidworth, Ludgershall & Larkhill Bulford

Main Bus Routes Tidworth, Ludgershall & Bulford Larkhill

In general the level of available accessibility to services from each of the four settlements was found to be very good, with access to a large variety of shared military / civilian facilities available to occupants of the camps at Tidworth, Ludgershall and Bulford. Larkhill has a variety of services within the camp but generally only for military families. In addition there are a wide variety of “higher order” services accessible in the neighbouring larger conurbations of Amesbury, Salisbury and Andover.

It is important to note that the level of accessibility generally enjoyed by the settlements is largely due to the Activ8 quality bus route, which provides a fast connection initially


between Ludgershall, Bulford and Tidworth, (as the largest of the study settlements, with the greatest range of facilities), along with connections to the surrounding larger towns.

Larkhill was found to have to lowest level of access to services by public transport of the 4 settlements, with access to secondary schools, leisure facilities, training and development opportunities and job centres being the identified weaker areas.

All of the sites had only limited access to job centres, whilst the degree of access to secondary schools and to further and higher education varied between very good (for Tidworth and Ludgershall) to moderate (Bulford).

The table below summarises the settlement specific findings with regards to public transport accessibility.

Table 4.4.4: Summary of Settlement Specific Findings

Settlement Baseline Findings and Main Issues

Bulford Generally Bulford was found to have a good level of accessibility to most services by

public transport, with the weaker areas identified being largely skills and education based

– specifically secondary school, higher education and job centre access.

Larkhill

Larkhill had the poorest level of accessibility to services, largely due to the lack of access

to the Activ8 bus route, lack of connection to Tidworth, fewer local facilities due to the

size of the settlement and the poorer level of public transport connection offered by

routes 6 & 16. There is also some uncertainty over the future operation of these services.

Tidworth Tidworth was found to have the best level of access to services via public transport, due

to both the range of facilities within Tidworth itself and the potential to access a wider

range of services in both Andover and Salisbury.

Ludgershall Ludgershall also had a good level of access to services, benefiting from its close

relationship with Tidworth and similar levels of access to both Andover and Salisbury.

4.5 Cycling and Walking

4.5.1 Approach to Assessing Cycling and Walking Provision

Our approach to assessing the local cycling and walking networks has been to carry out a desktop baseline review of existing facilities. Cycling and walking routes should be convenient, accessible, safe, comfortable and attractive (DfT – LTN2/08 Cycle Infrastructure Design, 2008). A high level approach has been undertaken for this study, assessing the strategic networks, rather than examining in detail individual sections of routes for quality in terms of available widths, materials and crossing points/ transitions. The assessment covers locations of infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists and the identification of any notable gaps in provision.

In addition to the number of existing / proposed facilities and quality of routes, assessing the likelihood and numbers of journeys being undertaken on foot and by pedal cycle depends upon the distance between a trip origin and destination. In terms of cycling movements the DfT, in their Transport Statistics on Cycling in Great Britain, state that the average length of a cycle journey is 2.4 miles (3.84km). “PPG13: A Guide to Better Practice” (1995) identifies that people are prepared to cycle up to 8km. It is considered that


4km represents a reasonable average cycle journey length to work, or services. 8km represents the likely maximum cycle journey to work trip, although this may often be too long for journeys to shops, particularly where bulky or a large number of items are being purchased. Due to the relatively compact nature of each of the settlements, a 4km cycle journey would cover the entirety of each settlement considered in the study area, whilst cycle access between Tidworth and Ludgershall and between Larkhill and Bulford could also be readily achieved (subject to a safe route being available).

In terms of pedestrian movement, The Institution of Highways and Transportation, in their document “Guidelines for Providing for Journeys on Foot” state that “walking accounts for over a quarter of all journeys and over four-fifths of journeys less than one mile”. PPG13 a “Guide to Better Practice” document (1995) identifies that people are prepared to walk up to 2km. It also notes walking as the most important mode of travel at the local level and that walking offers the greatest opportunity to replace short car trips of up to 2km. The DfT in their “Transport Statistics on walking in Great Britain” state that the average length of a walk journey is 0.6miles (965m). It is therefore considered that 1km represents a reasonable average walking distance for journeys to work and to access services, with 2km being the likely upper distance limit for a non-leisure trip. Plans detailing 400m (to represent a 5 minute walk), 1km and 2km isochrones from key services within Bulford, Larkhill, Tidworth and Ludgershall have then been used to identify the reasonable walking trip catchment area of each of these facilities / services.

4.5.2 Access to services by foot

Due to the relatively compact nature of each of the settlements considered in this study, there is likely to be significant potential for walking trips to make up a large proportion of shorter journeys, particularly when accessing local facilities. Potential coverage of each of the settlement by key services, are summarised in the following table.

Table 4.5.2: Access to Services via Walking Trips

Accessibility (Walking Distance) Facility

400m 1km 2km >2km

Childcare facilities

Bulford (Approximately 20% of the camp is

within 400m of childcare facilities)

Larkhill (50% - military facilities only)

Bulford (30%) Larkhill (50% -

military facilities only)

Tidworth: (30%) Ludgershall

(100%) Bulford (50%)

Tidworth: (70%)

Primary Schools Larkhill (50%) Bulford (50%)

Ludgershall (50%)

Larkhill (50%) Bulford (50%) Ludgershall

(50%)

Tidworth (30%) Tidworth (70%)

Higher Education & Training

Bulford (50% - military facilities only)

Tidworth (30% - military facilities only)

Bulford (50% - military facilities only) Tidworth (30% - military facilities only)

Tidworth (30% - military facilities only, 30% of the site is also within

2km of shared higher education

facilities in Tidworth)

Ludgershall (100%)

Larkhill (100%)

GP Surgeries Ludgershall (50%)

Larkhill (50%) Ludgershall (50%)

Tidworth (50%)

Bulford (100%),

Larkhill (100%) Tidworth

(50%)

Supermarkets & Convenience Stores

Larkhill (30%) Bulford (30%)

Larkhill (70%) Bulford (70%)

Ludgershall (100%)

Tidworth (60%)


Tidworth (40%)


A summary of the findings relative to each settlement considered is provided in the following table.

Table 4.5.3 Summary of Settlement Specific Findings


Bulford

Bulford camp generally has a good range of services accessible on foot, including primary

schooling, training and development facilities and a local convenience store. Access to

childcare facilities is more variable across the camp with childcare facilities grouped to the

west of the site resulting in reduced levels of accessibility to the eastern side. Access to

GP surgeries is limited and unlikely to be suited for pedestrian trips.

Larkhill

Larkhill generally has a generally good range of services accessible on foot, including

primary schooling and a local convenience store. Access to childcare facilities is good but

limited to a military only facility. Access to GP surgeries and to higher education / training

is limited and unlikely to be suited for pedestrian trips.

Tidworth

Tidworth camp has the poorest level of access to facilities for pedestrians, potentially due

to the wider range of facilities available within Tidworth itself and the larger size of the

camp, meaning that whilst the eastern end of the camp can access facilities within

Tidworth itself within reasonable walking distances, the western end of the camp is more

isolated. Access to childcare facilities, primary schooling, GP surgeries and local

convenience stores are all therefore considered to be limited.

Ludgershall Access to services in Ludgershall is variable, with a good level of access to primary

schooling and reasonable access to GP surgeries. However the level of access to

childcare, training and higher education and local convenience stores is limited.

4.5.4 Existing Facilities

4.5.4.1 Existing Cycle Routes and Facilities

National Cycle Network (NCN) route 45 and 481 are the closest notable cycling facilities to the four locations. Route 481 travels from Larkhill north-west towards Urchfont and then eastwards to join up with route 45 near to Compton. Route 45 connects route 24 to its south at Salisbury with route 4 to its north near to Devizes. Both route 45 and 481 are predominantly on road facilities, with partial traffic free sections.

Wiltshire is also served by a comprehensive circular regional cycle route, the Wiltshire cycleway (Regional Cycle Network route 20). The route is 160 miles in total and is designed to be cycled in an anti-clockwise direction, encompassing settlements such as Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Warminster, Shaftsbury, Salisbury, Marlborough and Wooton Bassett. The Wiltshire Cycleway also provides links to Sustrans National Routes and the South West Historical National Byway. Regional Cycle Network (RCN) route 20 consists of a combination of quiet roads and lanes, dedicated cycle lanes/tracks and signing and is primarily promoted as a leisure cycle route.


Out of the four sites, RCN route 20 passes closest to Bulford barracks, travelling along Stockport Road/Main Road through Amesbury before continuing northwards through Bulford on Salisbury Road/Milston Road. This route is within 500m of the nearest part of the site. The RCN is within approximately 5km of Ludgershall and Tidworth; however major roads may provide a barrier to accessing the route for many from these sites.

Larkhill is served by NCN rather than the RCN, although this route is not particularly useful for access to employment and services at present; however there are proposals to extend NCN routes 481 and 45 near to Larkhill which will improve its connection to Durlington, Bulford and Amesbury.

In Tidworth there is a shared footway/cycle route adjacent to the west and north sides of Wylye Road near to Clarendon Junior School. The rest of the cycling network in Tidworth and Ludgershall consists of the promotion of lightly trafficked streets for use in on-carriageway cycling.

There is not a significant level of existing stand alone cycling facilities, such as Advanced Stop Lines or cycle lanes, noted in Bulford, Larkhill, Tidworth or Ludgershall in addition to the continuous routes described above. It is therefore concluded that at present the areas surrounding the four barracks are reasonably well served in terms of leisure/rural quiet road cycling routes but there is a lack of facilities around the more heavily populated areas.

4.5.4.2 Existing Pedestrian Routes

The residential areas adjacent to the four barracks generally all have a good standard of pedestrian facilities provided, with footways adjacent to all roads and controlled and uncontrolled crossing points provided at many desire lines to shops, parks and schools. Some of the more rural or quieter roads do not have footways, meaning people have to use verges or the carriageway itself, which may in turn reduce the attractiveness of walking into the local centres. In addition to the highway based pedestrian provisions, Wiltshire has a public rights of way/rural pedestrian network which provides access on foot largely for leisure journeys.

Bulford

Marlborough Road and Bulford Road do not have footways along their entire length and although wide verges are in place this limits pedestrian usage. Bulford Droveway, which provides a close and direct link into Bulford from the site, does however have a footway along its southern side. Tidworth Road at the eastern extent of the site has no footways; however it is unlikely that this route would be used for access to trips other than those for leisure.

Larkhill

The Packway is the main route from Larkhill towards Bulford and Durlington. This road has a footway adjacent to it between Larkhill barracks and its eastern extent at the A345 junction. There are also a number of bus stops site along the Packway, which makes the 6km journey from Larkhill barracks to Bulford more feasible for pedestrian access.

Tidworth

In the centre of Tidworth footways are present on both sides of the A338 Pennings Road. Several zebra crossings allow for pedestrian movement across the road. Meerut Road/


Bulford Road along the south western corner of the site does not have a footway present for its entire length, although wide verges and low traffic flows are present.

Ludgershall

Ludgershall Road (A3026) has footways adjacent to both sides of the carriageway between the barracks and the centre of Tidworth (A338/ A3026 junction). Several bus stops are also located along this route. In the Ludgershall footways are provided alongside the main roads, Andover Road and High Street, with a zebra crossing outside of the High Street shops and a signalised crossing near to the shops on Andover Road.

4.5.4.3 Levels of Usage

We have requested comments and any data regarding existing user numbers in the four areas from Wiltshire County Council. It has been advised that the authority focuses data collection resources on the larger town centres within the county and therefore there is not a significant amount of information available for Bulford, Larkhill, Tidworth and Ludgershall.

DfT’s Matrix traffic database shows the following levels of cycling (pedestrians are not counted) in Annual Average Daily Flows (AADF) from 2008:

§ A338/ Salisbury Road, Tidworth – 5 pedal cycles;

§ A338/ Pennings Road, Tidworth – 7;

§ A3026 (approximately midway between Tidworth and Ludgershall) – 14;

§ A342 (north west of Ludgershall) – 29;

§ Andover Road/ A342, Ludgershall – 19;

§ Andover Road/ A342, south east of Ludgershall – 13;

§ A342 (north of North Tidworth) – 3;

§ A3028/ Larkhill Road, Durrington – 25;

§ A345/ Countess Road (west of Bulford) – 25;

§ A303 (north of Amesbury) – 3;

§ A344/ B3086 (south west of Larkhill) – 1.

All of the above figures make up less than 0.1% of the total daily one way traffic flow on these roads, indicating that existing overall cycling levels in the area are low; however there are some exceptions to this, particularly with regards to some journey to work trips.

The 2001 Census journeys to work data for Wiltshire, provided in Section 4.1 of this report identified the high levels or walking and cycling journey to work trips across 3 of the 4 settlements, with Bulford in particular having very high rates for each. A similar pattern is detailed in the Wilshire County Council’s School Census (January 2009).

From the desktop review, potential constraints to the number of journeys being made on foot or by bicycle consist of a combination of the locations of the barracks in relation to desirable trip destinations and missing connections in the non-motorised user networks,


alongside ‘softer’ considerations such as a lack of cycling culture/ confidence for prospective users and an ease of movement by private car or taxi.

In responses to open questionnaires people often state that they do not walk and particularly do not cycle due to a lack of facilities or because of missing gaps in the network, making journeys unattractive or perceived as dangerous. Whilst this may sometimes be the case it is felt that to actually increase journey numbers by these modes a cultural shift is required to accompany investment in infrastructure. ‘Soft’ measures such as cycle training to increase confidence in new or returning users as well as demand management measures such as car parking charges or space reduction, are likely to increase user numbers in comparison to just building new or improved routes. Strategies to promotionally target different types of cyclist, by age, experience, physical ability and the types of journey likely to be made by this mode (e.g. commuter or leisure) can also prove more fruitful in encouraging modal shift than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. It may be appropriate to promote the use of existing roads as ‘suitable for cycling’ without the addition of dedicated infrastructure by evaluating which roads are quieter in terms of motorised traffic flows, better protected by traffic calming/ speed management and have good visibility and crossing opportunities at junctions. This would give a more coherent cycle ‘network’ without necessarily having to heavily invest in cycle specific facilities.

The future infrastructure suggested as part of the Tidworth Community Area Transport Study which would link the settlement with neighbouring Ludgershall would make these two locations more attractive for local cycling and walking trips. In particular the A3026 Ludgershall to Tidworth cycle link, due for completion in 2010/11 will connect the two areas.

Larkhill in particular is too far away from larger settlements to be suitable for walking, however the bus stops present do allow for interchange. Similarly, the town is not well connected for cycling infrastructure, with Sustrans identifying the junction of the B3086 and The Packway as requiring caution, as this is a wide cross-roads.

Bulford is deemed to be the best connected to jobs and services for walking and cycling trips, as borne out by relevant census data which identified Bulford (of the four settlements) as having the lowest levels of car ownership and usage and the highest recorded levels of walking and cycling journey to work trips.

The following table summarises relevant walking and cycling findings and issues for each of the 4 study area settlements.

Table 4.5.4.4: Settlement Specific Findings and Issues


Bulford Good pedestrian connection to nearby services in Bulford. Site is close to Regional Cycle Network route 20 and National Cycle Network route 45, which provides north south routes. This is the most accessible of the four sites in terms of walking and cycling.

Larkhill

Footway alongside the Packway provides pedestrian access to the bus stops for routes to shops and employment in larger settlements. The existing cycle route, National Cycle Network route 481, is currently of benefit for leisure based journeys northwards, although there are future enhancements planned to improve its connectivity to Bulford and other routes in the vicinity. This is deemed to be the least accessible of the four sites in terms of walking and cycling.

Tidworth The site is located close to the centre of Tidworth, where a good level of pedestrian infrastructure is in place, however, no footways at the south western part of the Barracks. No existing dedicated cycling provision within a 5km distance of the site, although on carriageway journeys are likely to be feasible for all but the most inexperienced or



unconfident cyclists.

Ludgershall

Footways and crossings present within the centre of Ludgershall and also adjacent to the A3026 which joins the area with neighbouring Tidworth.

No existing dedicated cycling provision within a 5km distance of the site, although on carriageway journeys are likely to be feasible for all but the most inexperienced or unconfident cyclists.


Wiltshire County Council have supplied a list of potential future transport schemes for Tidworth and Ludgershall devised as part of the 2005 Tidworth Community Area Transport Study:

§ A3026 Ludgershall Road – footway widening to create shared footway/ cycle track (phase one delivered 2009/10, phase two due for completion in 2010/11);

§ A3026 to A338 improvements (west of above scheme);

§ A3026/ A338 junction improvement – including walking and cycling enhancements;

§ Wylye Road, Tidworth – crossing improvements;

§ Tidworth and Ludgershall area – pedestrian and cycling improvements;

§ Station Road to Leisure Centre/ A338, Tidworth – pedestrian and cycling improvements;

§ Station Road, Tidworth to Perham Down – shared footway/ cycle track;

§ Perham Down footway to Castledown school (Wellington Academy);

§ Ludgershall link road; and

§ Andover Road, Faberstown – pedestrian crossing.

It is noted that the vast majority of schemes requested by residents and interest groups and then provisionally assessed by Council Officers are cycling and walking schemes or general transportation projects with elements beneficial for these modes of transport.

In addition to the Council promoted routes, Sustans identify two proposed future alignments in Larkhill and Bulford to connect NCN route 481 to the west of Larkhill and NCN route 45 to the north east of Wilsford. The extension of route 481 will pass by Larkhill barracks. Route 45 will be an upgrade of the existing Regional Cycle route 30, which is within 500m of the nearest MoD housing at Bulford.

4.6 Measures to Reduce Car Usage

4.6.1 Approach to Assessing Measures to Reduce Car Usage


When considering the approach to take when assessing other measures to reduce car use, it is necessary to use a less prescriptive or quantative assessment process than might apply to other measures, due to the varying scales and ranges of interventions which could be considered and the limited empirical evidence with regards to their use and effectiveness in the United Kingdom to date.

Measures to reduce car usage fall into a number of broad categories, summarised below along with examples of the types of measures which fall within each category (the potential of different measures are examined in later stages of this report):

Measures which reduce the need to travel

• Land use planning

• Technology – such as improved broadband connectivity

Measures which limit the number of cars owned

• Parking restraint at the point of origin (i.e. residential parking standards limiting spaces assigned to new development)

• Car clubs

• Car share

Measures which limit the number of car trips made

• Parking restraint at the point of destination (i.e. employment, retail and leisure parking standards at new development and/or charging at new or existing development)

• Car share

Measures which limit the distance of car trips made

• Land use planning

• Park and Ride.


Representatives from Aspire suggested that the form of any developments related to the Super Garrison project has been designed to be in the form of a “campus” environment, encouraging individuals to walk within the site rather than use a car to move within the sites themselves.

This said, discussions held with representatives from the Ministry of Defence and Aspire suggested that there are very few car reduction measures currently in operation within the settlements considered.

Currently there is no formal car sharing in place, but the Garrison Commander suggested that this could be feasible due to the fact that personnel and their families live close to each other and soldiers work in similar locations, making it relatively easy to find / match car sharers.



The following 4 key issues have been examined in relation to the assessment topic of ‘community’:

Core Assessment

Topic

Related Core Strategy SA / SEA

Objective Refs Relevant Issue / Assessment Criteria (BREEAM Criteria Ref)

Inclusive Design, Use and Management

Poverty and Deprivation

Inclusive and Mixed Communities Com

mun

ity

2,8,9,10,11, 12

Affordable Housing

The following paragraphs set out the approach which has been adopted to assess each of the identified community issues / criteria, together with an overview of key findings and existing / potential future issues and conditions. Where relevant, the main differences between the military and civilian communities are highlighted. Details of conditions in relation to each of the settlements being considered is also summarised to identify any important specific localised factors which may apply.

5.2 Inclusive Design, Use and Management

5.2.1 Approach to Assessing Inclusive Design, Use and Management

The assessment of inclusive design, use and management primarily relates to examining the availability, management and usage of different community facilities in the area, notably in terms of the extent of ‘dual usage’ of military owned / managed facilities to the wider civilian community.

Where military facilities are available / potentially available to wider civilian populations, it is useful to understand levels of actual patronage, including existing clubs and groups with specific access and, any barriers which may limit use such as, for example, lack of awareness of facilities or military requirements which may restrict availability or use. In order to understand issues associated with usage and constraints to the availability of facilities, information has primarily been through discussions and consultation with relevant military and other stakeholders.

5 Community



5.2.2.1 Availability of Military Facilities to the Wider Community

The following table provides an overview of existing community facilities (both military and non-military) within each of the settlements being assessed. This information has also been used to inform some of the accessibility analysis included in the previous report chapter on ‘Transport and Connectivity’.


Bulford

• There are limited military sports facilities available to civilian population in Bulford (the majority of facilities are located behind the wire). There are 3 football pitches outside the wire. The current swimming pool is very poor and this is reflected in low levels of civilian use.

• There are four churches in Bulford. • There is a library and study centre in this settlement, however, this is behind the wire. • There is only one medical centre. • There are 3 primary schools (one is private), including the Kiwi primary school (currently

“in special measures”) and 3 nurseries/ crèches. • There is an Army Families Federation and an Army Education Training Centre in

Bulford. • There is a perception of Bulford and Larkill being “a lost second cousin” to Tidworth,

missing out on resources going to Tidworth. There is also a perception of a lack of centralised facilities in this settlement. The Beeches Community Centre (containing Army Welfare, childrens centre and HIVE) is viewed as an excellent facility but is considered difficult to access from the other side of the settlement.

• Bulford has limited retail provision centred around a 1960s shopping square within the camp which houses a number of hot-food takeaways and other stores. Durrington is the closest facility for shopping with a number of convenience stores.

Larkhill

• There are no military sports facilities available to civilian populations in Larkhill (facilities are located behind the wire).

• There is a linear shopping parade providing a post office, a range of small shops and a number of hot-food takeaways.

• Larkhill community centre is a modern purpose built facility housing a range of facilities such as the Army Welfare Service, Relate and number of parent and toddler groups. It is understood, however, to be too small to accommodate all facilities, meaning that facilities’ on the other site of the road have to be used as well to supplement the resource.

• There is a medical centre in this settlement for military personnel and their families which includes a dental centre (for military personnel only).

• There is one church in Larkhill. • There is a HIVE and Army Library for military personnel and their families only. • There is one primary school in the settlement.

Tidworth

• Tesco at Tidworth has made it a focus for retail in the area and is generally perceived as the “hub” for community facilities in the area. As well as Tesco there is a cluster of shops near to Tesco along Station Road which are small independent stores.

• Tidworth is relatively well served in terms of young children’s education including 10 preschool/ nurseries/ parent and toddler groups, and 4 primary schools

• There are over five medical centres/ doctors and three dentists in Tidworth. • There are a number of sports facilities in Tidworth which are military facilities which the

public can also access. Tidworth Leisure Centre (TLC) seen as key exemplar facility and flagship project in terms of military and civilian integration. The TLC also houses Army Welfare Services.

• There are two churches in the area. • The Army Education Centre provides training/employment skills to the military

community. • The garrison theatre in Tidworth is currently behind the wire. This is to be reprovided at

a new location outside the wire, which will also enable wider community use.

Ludgershall • Ludgershall has a small stock of retail provision including a number of small

independent retailers and express supermarkets. • There are two churches in Ludgershall. • There is one dentist and two doctors in the settlement.



• There is no HIVE or library at Ludgershall. • Wellington Academy (secondary and sixth form) is located in Ludgershall along with one

primary school and a pre-school/ playgroup. • There are not any sports facilities (other than those which may be offered at the

Wellington Academy) in Ludgershall open to the public.

Community Support Facilities

It has already been widely reported that there is a general feeling by local communities that it is beneficial to share existing facilities as a means of promoting military and civilian integration. This feeling aspiration to many providers of services as well both military and non military. For example the Work Place Transformation Programme review is currently underway. This is asset management review of all services offered to Wiltshire Local Authority. As part of this there is an aspiration to reach out to partnerships and bring them into future delivery (for example partnership with the Primary Care Trust and the Military community).

The Tidworth Leisure Centre has been frequently cited in the consultation undertaken as part of this study, as best practice case study of joint provision. The sharing of facilities (or combining of military and non-military services and facilities) also offers clear economies of scale and efficiency savings in delivery. The concept of ‘one stop shops’, combining military information services such as those provided through their HIVE network and also Council and other services could be an opportunity to further enhance provision and we have been made aware of examples elsewhere such as in Kent and Hampshire.

Sporting and Leisure Facilities

The table at Appendix 5 shows the cost (in 2009) for military facilities (excluding Tidworth Leisure Centre) that civilians can book to use through the casual licence arrangements. A casual user licence application (£30 fee) requires the completion of a single form normally to be submitted at least 6 weeks before an event (although we understand that licence applications can be processed much more quickly when required).

In terms of sporting facilities, within Tidworth in particular and to a lesser extent Bulford, there are a good number of sporting and recreational facilities potentially available for wider civilian use. Actual usage of facilities, and real / perceived ‘barriers to accessibility’ are considered in the next section.

5.2.2.2 Usage of Military Facilities by the Wider Community

The following table identifies the extent / split of patronage of military and civilians in relation to existing military sport and recreation / leisure facilities.

Facility Military Bookings / Usage

Non Military Bookings / Usage

Tidworth Tidworth Leisure Centre 1,070 unknown

Tidworth Oval 187 5

Tidworth Astroturf Pitch 145 94

Tidworth Cricket Ground 12 7

Tidworth Tattoo Ground 50 2


External Pitches at Tidworth 234 27

Tidworth Garrison theatre 67 15

Bulford

Bulford Study Centre 992 0

Bulford Swimming Pool 992 11

External Pitches at Bulford 130 28

Although a number of military-owned recreational facilities are available for wider community use, such as playing pitches at weekends, as illustrated in the above table, where community use is available, usage appears to often be constrained, particularly so within Bulford (although this may also be, in part, due to the smaller civilian populations in the immediate area).

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the following factors may, to varying degrees, contribute to the under-utilisation of certain military-owned facilities by local clubs and civilian communities:

§ There is a requirements for civilians to obtain an annual casual user licence prior to initial use (£30 fee) and most playing pitches then need to be formally booked for a fee (i.e. unlike public recreational space, users cannot simply turn up and use);

§ The payment structure is quite rigid with, for example, no incentives for bulk bookings over a number of weeks; and

§ Military usage has priority.

Even military dependants who are able to use military run facilities sometimes experience barriers to access. For example, it has been noted that female dependants do not want to come behind the wire or be seen exercising in front of soldiers as they can find this an intimidating forum.



Bulford

• Although there are recognised to be a number of facilities behind the wire (sporting and education) publicly accessibly sport provision is very limited and even when military dependants and civilians are able to access these facilities, anecdotal evidence suggests that they may choose not.

• Retail provision in Bulford is limited. • Business case currently being written to move military welfare facilities to central

hub location on the site of the former Kiwi public house, Kandy Lane. Related benefits could include rejuvenation of the nearby shops.

Larkhill

• There is a lack of sports faculties available to the community in Larkhill (however there are a facilities behind the wire).

• Larkhill’s linear local centre is separate to the main housing area. • The purpose built community centre facility is perceived to be too small for

purpose and certain programmes / facilities require to be run from a separate location ‘behind the wire’.

Tidworth

• Tidworth is the most well provided for of the four settlement areas. Key assets include Tesco, the TLC and a range of military sporting facilities open to the public.

• New Garrison Theatre (St Andrews Road) planned outside of the wire for delivery in 2013 to seat circa 750 people for military and also civilian use.


Ludgershall • With the exception of the significant asset of the Wellington Academy, Ludgershall is not well served by community facilities, relying mainly on Tidworth for community, sporting and larger retail provision.

5.3 Poverty and Deprivation

5.3.1 Approach to Assessing Levels of Existing Poverty and Deprivation

The starting point to understanding the relative deprivation of the settlements within the study area is to consider their performance against the nationally benchmarked 2007 Indices of Multiple Deprivations (IMD). This also allows a comparison against the performance of other locations and geographies such as at the local authority level.

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2007 brings together 37 indicators covering the specific aspects of deprivation. The IMD assesses locations against seven core indicators, drawing information from a wide range of sources. The core indicators can be summarised as follows:

Indicator Description

Income

Deprivation Includes a range of benefits-related factors including Income Support and Job

Seekers Allowance.

Employment

Deprivation Includes factors relating to unemployment, incapacity benefit, severe disablement

allowance and participants in the New Deal.

Health

Deprivation and

Disability

Identifies areas with relatively high rates of people who die prematurely, whose

quality of life is impaired by poor health, or who are disabled.

Education, Skills and Training

Deprivation

Indicators fall into two domains: one relating to education deprivation for children and

young people in the area and one relating to lack of skills and qualifications overall.

Barriers to Housing and

Services

The includes ‘geographical barriers’, such as distance from key services such as GPs

and schools. It also includes household overcrowding, homelessness and access to

owner occupation.

Crime Incidence of recorded crime for four major crime themes including burglary, theft,

criminal damage and violence.

The Living

Environment Comprises the quality of housing and the ‘outdoors’ living environment including air

quality and road traffic accidents.

It should be noted that the lowest geography at which the IMD is produced is at Super Output Area and a best fit needs to be applied to match settlements to the most relevant SOA(s). Certain published information is also only provided at a larger Community Area level. As such, the IMD can only provide a broad picture of deprivation and also does not disaggregate between the relative deprivation of military and civilian communities. It is however a good starting point to understanding the potential significance of certain deprivation and poverty issues existing within different areas.


A number of the issues considered by the different IMD indicators are explored in more specific detail against other themes and criteria covered as part of this study.

5.3.2 Current Position: Overview of Performance against IMD indicators

5.3.2.1 Bulford and Larkhill

A plan at Appendix 5 (from the Amesbury Joint Strategic Needs Assessment) shows how Amesbury Community Area performs on the IMD.

The table below set out how the Super Output Areas in the Bulford and Larkhill perform. The 1st quintile is the most deprived and the 5th quintile is the least deprived in Wiltshire.

SOA Deprivation Level

Bulford Camp (part) – Figheldean and MIlston In the 3rd Quintile

Bulford Camp (part) In the 4th Quintile

Bulford Village In the 2nd Quintile

Larkhill Camp In the 4th Quintile

It is clear Bulford and Larkhill are not classified as overtly deprived through the IMD. It is interesting that it is in fact the civilian area of Bulford Area which is shown to be the most deprived in this study area. There may be a number of reasons why areas with a high military presence are not shown to be deprived on the IMD, potentially these could include:

§ Having a young population which is therefore likely to be in better health than an area with an ageing population. Those serving in the military area also likely to be more physically fit and healthy;

§ All service families have at least one wage earner and dependants often do not register as unemployed and therefore are ‘hidden’ in employment statistics. This affects outcomes on employment and income indices;

§ Service communities are generally perceived as being well supported by social and community facilities (such as the HIVE schools, sports facilities, health services and so on); and

§ Military facilities tend to be in relatively rural and isolated areas meaning they are unlikely to score low on measures such as air quality, access to open space, congestion and road traffic accidents (although this position will likely also apply to non-military rural communities more generally).

5.3.2.2 Tidworth and Ludgershall

The plan at Appendix 5 (from the Tidworth Joint Strategic Needs Assessment) shows how Tidworth Community Area performs on the IMD.

The table overleaf sets out how the Super Output Areas in the Tidworth and Ludgershall perform. The 1st quintile is the most deprived and the 5th quintile is the least deprived in Wiltshire.


SOA Deprivation Level

Ludgershall (N) In the 1st Quintile

Ludgershall (E) and Faberstown In the 4th Quintile

Ludgershall (S) and Perham Down In the 4th Quintile

Tidworth (NE) In the 1st Quintile

Tidworth (NW) In the 4th Quintile

Tidworth (S) In the 5th Quintile

These results again present and interesting picture with Tidworth both appearing in the most and also the least deprived quintiles. Ludgershall North (in the 1st quintile) is a largely civilian housing area. Whilst Tidworth North East (also in most deprived quintile) is an area broadly mixed between civilian and military housing.

5.3.2.3 Overview of some more specific indicators

The tables below brings together a number of deprivation indicators (focusing primarily on ‘wellbeing’) to provide a broad overview for the two community areas. The table also includes relative rankings with other 20 Community Areas in Wiltshire. In general terms, the lower the ranking, the worse performing in comparison to other areas – for example, a ranking of 19th would mean that only one other Community Area performed more against that particular indicator.

Tidworth Community Area (Tidworth and Ludgershall) Settlement Baseline Findings and Issues

Health and

Wellbeing

§ Tidworth has the highest teenage pregnancy rate for Wiltshire. In 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 there were 61 pregnancies in girls aged under 18 in Tidworth (the Wiltshire average across the Community Areas is 32). However, it should be clarified that this statistic arises because of the young age of many of the women married to serving military personnel.

§ There were 12 people killed or injured on the roads in Tidworth in 2008 (Wiltshire Police statistics). This compared favourably to 14 across the Wiltshire Community Areas.

§ Hospital admissions relating to alcohol is high in Tidworth. Per 100,000 people in Tidworth between May 2008 – April 2009 there were 1,640 hospital inpatient admissions (1 admission per 61 people). The Wiltshire average was 1,324. Tidworth ranks 19th out of the 20 Community Areas.

§ Childhood Obesity is a problem in Tidworth. Tidworth ranks 17th out of the 20 Community Areas in Wiltshire on this measure. In 2007/2008 1 in 4 (26.3%) of 4 – 5 year old children in school were found to be overweight or obese (compared to an average of 21.8% in Wiltshire).

§ In 2006 a survey showed that 24% of people in Tidworth smoke which is higher than the Wiltshire average of 20%. Tidworth ranked 18th out of 20 Community Areas.

§ 79% of people in Tidworth rated themselves as being in good or very good health compared to the Wiltshire average of 76.8% (Tidworth ranks 6th out of 20 Community Areas.

§ 84.3 percent of people surveyed living in the Tidworth Community Area said that they we satisfied with it as a place to live. This is relatively low in comparison to the


Wiltshire average of 87.4 %.

Crime

§ In comparison to other Community Areas in Wiltshire there were higher than average levels of reported domestic violence in Tidworth in 2008/ 2009. There were 5.5 incidents report in Tidworth in April 2008 – June 2009 per 1000 population, compared to 3.4 per 1,000 for Wiltshire as an average.

§ Volume crime levels (criminal damage, theft and handling, violent offences and vehicle offences) were 28 per 1000 population in Tidworth between March 2007 and April. This is an average figure across Wiltshire, Tidworth ranked 10th lowest out of the 20 Community Areas. Other crime (burglary, drugs and offences) stood at 5.2 per 1000 population. This is a low figure, Tidworth ranked 3rd lowest out of the 20.

Income and

Employment

§ As noted earlier in the report the percentage of people claiming job seekers allowance in Tidworth is low (1.6%) ranking Tidworth 3rd lowest for all 20 Community Areas in 2009. As a comparison for England and Wales as a whole the figure is 4%. However, this figure masks hidden unemployment.

§ The percentage of people who are on income support is average in Tidworth (1.5% compared to an average of 1.5% for Wiltshire as a whole. Tidworth ranks 13th lowest on this indicator.

Education

and Skills

§ Tidworth north East, Tidworth north West, Ludgershall East and Faberstown and Ludgershall North are all within the most deprived 10% in Wiltshire in terms of working age adults with little or no qualifications in 2007.

Information from Profile of Tidworth Community Area and Tidworth Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (Revised March 2010) both published by Wiltshire Council Amesbury Community Area (Bulford and Larkhill)


Health and Wellbeing

§ Amesbury has a high teenage pregnancy rate (43.6 per 1,000 pregnancies 2007/08 and 2008/09). Amesbury ranked 16 out of the 18 Community areas with date for this indicator. Similarly to the Tidworth Community area this statistic is likely to arise arises because of the young age of many of the women married to serving personnel.

§ There were 23 people killed or seriously injured on roads in Amesbury in 2008. This compared unfavourably to an average of 13.8 across the Community Areas in Wiltshire overall and Amesbury ranks 19th out to 20.

§ There were 1,337 hospital admissions per 100,000 population in Amesbury (2008 -2009) related to alcohol. This is significantly higher than the Wiltshire average and is equivalent to one admission per 69 people. Amesbury ranks 18th worst out of the 20 Community Areas.

§ About 1 in 5 (20.3%) of 4 to 5 year olds in 2007/2008 were found to be overweight or obese in Amesbury compared to an average of 21.8% across Wiltshire. Amesbury ranks 7th lowest out of the 20 Community Areas.

§ In 2006 20.1% of people in Amesbury were estimated to smoke, similar to the Wiltshire average of 20.2% and ranks Amesbury 10th out of the 20 Community Areas.

§ 79.3% of people in Amesbury rated themselves as being in good or very good health compared to the Wiltshire average of 76.8% (Amesbury ranks 13th lowest out of 20 Community Areas).

§ 86.4% of those people living in Wiltshire surveyed in 2008 said that they were satisfied with their local area as a place to live (compared to 87.4% for Wiltshire as a whole).

Crime

§ There are average levels of reported domestic violence in Amesbury compared to Wiltshire as a whole. There were 3.4 incidents report in Amesbury in April 2008 – June 2009 per 1000 population, this is the same as the 3.4 per 1,000 average for Wiltshire.

§ Volume crime levels (criminal damage, theft and handling, violent offences and vehicle offences) were 28.8 per 1000 population in Amesbury between March



2007 and April (this is an average figure across Wiltshire, Amesbury ranked 11th lowest out of the 20 Community Areas). Other crime (burglary, drugs and offences) stood at 5.5 per 1000 population (A low figure, Amesbury ranked 4th lowest out of the 20).

Income and Employment

§ As noted earlier in the report the percentage of people claiming job seekers allowance in Amesbury is low (1.6%) ranking Amesbury 2nd lowest for all 20 Community Areas in 2009. As a comparison for England and Wales as a whole the figure is 4%. However, this figure masks hidden unemployment.

§ The percentage of people who are on income support is low in Amesbury (1% compared to an average of 1.5% for Wiltshire as a whole). Amesbury ranks joint 4th lowest on this indicator out of 20 CAs.

Education and Skills

§ Three Lower Super Output areas in Amesbury are within the 10 most deprived in Wiltshire for adults with little or no qualifications (2007) however, none of these area within the study area.

Information from Profile of Amesbury Community Area and Amesbury Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (Revised March 2010) both published by Wiltshire Council

From discussion with support service providers (both Local Authority and Military based) there are some very specific “deprivation” issues related to military dependants. These have been well documented in research undertaken previously however, it is worth summarising briefly here:

§ Isolation is a key issue for military dependants. Military dependants (usually women) tend to be young and have young children. Without their familiar home surroundings and extended family support they often experience difficulties in coping;

§ Many military families only have one car. Therefore if the military person in the household takes the car to work the dependant is very isolated (particularly given the rural nature of the study area);

§ Childcare is a real issue for military families and problematic for dependants wishing to access skills training, and employment;

§ The education attainment level amongst army dependants is generally low; and

§ There is very little mixing between military and non-military groups (such as mothers and toddlers) due to locations.


Because of the grouping of settlements into community areas the settlement specific findings and issues for this section are grouped into Bulford/ Larkhill and Tidworth/ Ludgershall


Bulford/Larkhill

• Hospital admissions relating to alcohol are high in the Amesbury Community Area compared to the Wiltshire average as are teenage pregnancy rates (for both indicators Amesbury scores just lower than the Tidworth Community Area).

• Isolation and lack of access to centralised easily accessible services is a real issue for those living in these settlements.

• Levels of unemployment are low (when measured on those seeking job seekers allowance), however, this masks hidden unemployment by military dependents.

Tidworth/ • The Tidworth Community Area (which includes Ludgershall) has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Wiltshire. However, this reflects the number of young married


Ludgershall soldiers wives who become pregnancy. • Tidworth (North East) and Ludgershall (North) are both in the most deprived quintile

nationally on the IDM measures. • Significant parts of Tidworth and Ludgershall are within the most deprived 10% in

Wiltshire in terms of working age adults with little or no qualifications. • 84.3 percent of people surveyed living in the Tidworth Community Area said that they

we satisfied with it as a place to live. This is relatively low in comparison to the Wiltshire average of 87.4 %.


Details in relation to planned future changes which could enhance / impact upon the indicators informing overall IMD performance are generally covered against other themes and criteria assessed as part of the study.

5.4 Inclusive and Mixed Communities

5.4.1 Approach to Assessing the Current Extent of Inclusive and Mixed Communities

This assessment criterion is essentially concerned with assessing the position and underlying issues associated with:

§ The degree of physical integration of military and civilian housing within the study area;

§ The quality and condition of housing; and

§ Primary school roles and performance.

Information on the existing distribution of military and civilian housing has been derived from:

§ Land use plans prepared by Defence Estates which sets out existing MoD-owned land uses, including the location of military housing [distinguishing between single living accommodation (i.e. barracks) and service family accommodation (married quarters housing)]; and

§ Details provided in relation to the location and scale of proposed future development, notably in connection with the Super Garrison project.

To supplement this baseline quantitative information, various consultations and discussions have been carried out with military and civilian community stakeholders to understand further some of the main underlying reasons behind and, issues associated with, existing patterns of housing development etc.

Details on housing quality and condition has been obtained mainly through discussions with the MoD and Wiltshire Council’s Housing Team. Information on primary school roles and performance has been supplied by the Council’s Education Officer.


5.4.2 Overview of Findings and Main Issues

5.4.2.1 Existing Position: Integration of Military and Civilian Housing Areas

In overall terms, there is very little physical integration between military and civilian housing in any of the settlements assessed as part of the study. Traditionally military housing and civilian housing areas have remained entirely separate. Within the study area is, ‘at best’, limited to distinct (often large) blocks of adjacent military and civilian housing development, with Tidworth being a good example where parts of the former military housing estate has been sold off into private ownership. Separation is particularly evident with Single Living Accommodation (i.e. barrack blocks) which also tend to be located behind the wire.

From a military perspective, there are a number of reasons for this traditional separation such as land ownership, ease of delivery and maintenance, operational requirements and the benefits of the support that having other military families in a similar location can bring. However, it has been identified through consultation that housing being split in this way perpetuates a feeling of segregation between the communities and also means that primary schools tend to be heavily military dominated or heavily civilian dominated (this is discussed further later in this section). An example where military housing has been mixed within a civilian estate (with reasonable success based on comments raised during consultation) is at the Archers Gate development in Amesbury. Here an element of military housing has been ‘pepper potted’ throughout the scheme.

From our consultation it is apparent that the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and local authority officers would support working in partnership with the MoD to provide mixed housing developments. Whilst the military have specific operational requirements related to housing which need to be clearly communicated to facilitate joint working the MoD also need to understand what RLSs and the private sector require from development if this joint working is to come forward (for example targets/ standards and working relationships).

At present, it is understood that a number of military personnel (and their families) are accommodated in ‘bulk hirings’ (i.e. private sector rented stock) due to existing shortages in military housing supply. Also a number of personnel, particularly senior officers with families, own private accommodation away from site as a matter of personal choice for a variety of reasons such as proximity to preferred schools, reasons of family stability, a desire to live outside of a military community and so on. A proportion also live in barrack accommodation during the week and then travel home at the weekends.

In summary, due to various factors, it would appear the whole-scale integration of military and civilian housing is unlikely to be achievable, particularly from a military perspective. Notwithstanding operational and social considerations, achieving comprehensive integration would also require a radical change to the way military housing is delivered and managed. That said, it has been suggested by the HCA that the move towards longer term retention of soldiers in the area could make private ownership housing models more viable and a more attractive proposition to private developers who are more comfortable / familiar with this approach.

5.4.2.2 Existing Position: Condition of Military and Civilian Housing

There appears to be relatively limited specific information on housing condition within the settlements being examined.


Consultation with the Council’s Housing Officers identified that they were not aware of any significant issues in terms of housing quality and condition. Similarly, although much of the existing military housing in the area is not of the highest grading, there are no significant issues relating to quality and condition. In addition, discussions with those working with army families revealed that often families do not want to be upgraded to higher grade accommodation as they do not want to pay an increased rent.

The poorest military housing in the area is generally recognised as being located in the Canadian Estate in Bulford. This housing area (around 125 units) is programmed to be demolished and 260 new married quarters housing provided. Although of a poorer quality, it has been noted that this accommodation is reasonably popular due to its inexpensive nature.

5.4.2.3 Primary School Roles and Attainment

The separation of military and non-military housing inevitably leads to domination in schools by either service or non-service children. Already planned new development which broadly segregates military and non-military housing, such as in Tidworth [e.g. Area 19 (proposed new military housing) and the NE Quadrant (predominantly civilian housing but with potential for an element of military hirings], will perpetuate this position.

This domination is highly apparent at the primary school level but less so at secondary as catchment areas are much larger. At Appendix 5 is a table showing the Wiltshire primary schools in the settlements of Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford and Larkhill and the percentage of service children attending each school.

Two schools in the study settlement are currently in special measures / notice to improve:

o Bulford Kiwis (special measures);

o Castledown School, Ludgershall (notice to improve).

Reasons have been identified through consultation as to why non-mixed school benefit military children. Primarily these are that these school understand and are used to working with the issues of turbulence, children of commonwealth families and, the implications that frequently moving has on children in terms of their educational and social development. However, there are also counter arguments as to why mixing in schools is beneficial and evidence to show that attainment and social development is not negatively impacted and is arguably enhanced by mixing children of military families with the children of civilian families.

Traditionally it is understood that forward planning school place requirements has been difficult for the Local Education Authority (LEA) in Wiltshire given regimental moves. This issue should decrease with the Super Garrison and longer term stability. That said however, although the LEA are aware from the military of the projected profile of families coming to the area as part of the Super Garrison, their precise place of residence is less clear, in large part due to an lag between families physically arriving and the necessary uplift in the numbers of new married quarters being provided in the locality. As houses are not available, military families are likely to be dispersed in hirings, which can be up to 20 miles away from the local area. This means children may be in schools with little or no history of the issues associated with military life, and children may move when local military housing does become available.

A possible further implication of the Super Garrison will be a ‘bulge’ effect. The current military population require primary school (Key Stage 1) places. As these families stay in


the area, this cohort will move up through the school system leaving spare places in primary behind them and creating a greater requirement for secondary school places than exists currently.



Bulford

§ The Canadian Estate in Bulford is reported to be the poorest quality area of military housing. This area is programmed to be demolished and new housing provided although it has been noted through consultation that the housing in the Canadian Estate is reasonably popular due to the lower levels of rent charged.

§ Bulford is the location of the only school currently in “Special Measures” – Kiwi Primary School.

Larkhill

§ Very high proportion of military housing. § Larkhill Primary school has the highest proportion of service children as a proportion

of the whole school population of all the primary schools in the study area (94%). Although it has a higher than average (for Wiltshire) proportion of SEN or supported children it also has a higher than average attainment score for Key Stage 2 (the highest of all schools in the study area in 2010).

Tidworth

§ There have been a number of good quality military and non-military housing developments at Tidworth. Some military stock has been sold off into private ownership assisting with the (limited) physical integration of military and non-military communities.

§ Two major new housing developments planned in the area [NE Quadrant of circa 600 dwellings (predominantly non-military) and Area 19, circa 350 dwellings (military)]. Timing / funding of delivery of the new military housing at Area 19 is uncertain, with priority currently being given to proposals for new family housing at Bulford to accommodate a new battalion to be located there). This planned new development will also include new / enhanced primary school provision. The location and nature of these already planned new housing (and related) developments will unlikely enhance current levels of physical integration / mixing of military and non-military communities.

Ludgershall § Castledown school in Ludgershall is current on a “notice to improve” after Ofsted inspection.

5.5 Affordable Housing Provision

5.5.1 Approach to Assessing Affordable Housing Provision and Requirements

This assessment criterion is essentially concerned with assessing the position and underlying issues associated with:

§ The demand and supply of affordable housing;

§ The demand which ex-military communities place on affordable housing; and

§ The provision of affordable housing scheme specifically for military families.

Information on affordable housing provision and requirements has largely been derived through consultation with Housing Officers from Wiltshire Council and discussions with military and civilian community stakeholders, to understand reasons and issues associated with existing patterns of housing need. In addition, research on national schemes for affordable housing specifically for military families has been undertaken.



5.5.2.1 Existing Position

Non-Military Housing Market Housing

House prices in the study area are comparatively high. Whilst it is understood that Andover and Salisbury are generally the most expensive places to live, Wiltshire has high prices compared to the national average. The average house price in Wiltshire in March 2010 was £185,301 compared to the England and Wales average of £165,260 (source: Land Registry). The Council’s 2010 Community Strategy highlights a large affordability gap between average incomes and average house prices, with house prices being approximately 7.5 times greater than annual income.

Wiltshire as a whole has never been identified as a significant ‘growth’ area in terms of housing, but has always been successful in meeting its delivery targets. Where development does take place in Wiltshire it generally tends to be within existing longer settlements.

Local Authority housing providers confirmed that Tidworth and Ludgershall contain a large amount of ex-Local Authority housing and renting is the predominant tenure. There is strong demand for rented property in the area (both from the ex-military population and the civilian population). In Bulford and Larkhill there is a greater mix of ownership and renting.

The figures below have been provided by Wiltshire Council and provide average market rents for the 12 months previously from February 2010 (using findaproperty.com). These figures exceed the parish boundaries but provide a useful estimate to compare affordability to social and military housing. For comparison it should be noted that for the UK the average rental price across the UK was £851 per calendar month.

Average Market Housing

Rents Durrington and Bulford (pcm)

Average Market Housing Rents Tidworth (pcm)

Average Market Housing Rents

Ludgershall (pcm)

Studio Flat £438 No figure available £465

1 Bed Flat £555 £550 £464

2 Bed Flat £666 £635 £621

2 Bed House £687 £635 £710

3 Bed House £829 £802 £849

4 Bed House £1,165 No figure available £1,301

Through anecdotal evidence from local authority housing providers it has been reported that because of the (until now) short-time in which military communities stay in the area it is often difficult to prove demand in the study area for new housing sites. The Local Authority


also reports that because of the current economic climate developers often state that they cannot afford to provide affordable housing within market housing developments because of viability.

Social Housing and Homelessness Assistance

Analysis of Wiltshire Council’s current housing waiting list shows that demand in Tidworth and Ludgershall far exceeds the amount of affordable housing stock available (there are currently 413 households on the waiting list, for 159 properties) and that the amount of affordable housing stock is relatively low compared to private market housing. The opposite is the case in Bulford and Larkhill/ Durrington, where the amount of existing affordable hosing stock is higher than the current demand (currently there are 160 household on the housing waiting list, for 340 properties). Consultation with the Housing Team at the Council has also confirmed that the turnaround for affordable housing in all areas of not very significant. For example, in the Tidworth Area Board area between October and December 2010 (inclusive) there were only 8 re-lets (472 households on the register). In the Amesbury Area Board are there were only 9 re-lets (915 households on the register). The figures below have been provided by Wiltshire Council Housing Team and provide average social rents form local Housing Associations per week.

Average Social Rents Bulford

(per week)

Average Social Rents

Durrington (per week)

Average Social Rents Tidworth

(per week)

Average Social Rents Ludgershall

(per week)

1 Bed £72.23 £65.71 £67.80 £71.80

2 Bed £78.85 £78.45 £77.50 £82.30

3 Bed £85.86 £84.10 £90.30 £92.70

4 Bed £88.05 £87.31 £106.80 £100.60

Analysis of the current housing waiting list for Wiltshire shows that it is currently only a relatively small proportion of applicants on the waiting list who identify themselves as currently living in armed forced accommodation [16 percent in Bulford, 8 percent Durrington (including Larkhill), 2% in Ludgershall, and 9 percent in Tidworth].

Anecdotal evidence from local authority personnel involved in housing provision suggests that applicants for homelessness assistance within the study area are often ex-military and that this does put pressure on affordable housing stock. This high demand arises from service personnel when they leave the military and also families when marriages break-up. It is usually in times of personal emergency that assistance is sought (i.e. when homelessness is imminent) and this makes planning for provision on the part of Wiltshire Council problematic.

Consultation with local authority housing providers revealed that they find it currently very difficult to anticipate future affordable housing demand arising from the military/ ex-military population. Providers are aware that there may become increased demand from military/ ex-military personnel in the future due to changes made to local connection provisions. These changes made in late 2008 mean that Armed Forces personnel are now able to establish a ‘local connection’ with the district in which they are or have just been serving for


the purposes of applying for social housing/ homelessness assistance. With military personnel staying longer in the area as part of the Super Garrison it may be that more personnel do choose to stay in the local area as part of the ‘local connection’.

Overall, in terms of the current role affordable housing provides in the study area the demands are predominantly from the civilian population. However, it is acknowledged that with military personnel being encouraged to stay longer in the area this could substantially change in the future. What the impact of this change will be is difficult to predict at this time. The Strategic Housing Market Assessment for Wiltshire is currently being progressed. The first draft is expect in 2011, this will give a good indication of housing needs in Wiltshire both across open market and affordable housing. When this report has been published the area of further need in light of the Super Garrison will require further analysis.

Military Housing

In relation to tenure, ownership of the Service Family Accommodation (SFA) (married quarters), along with 55,000 other units of Service Accommodation in England and Wales, transferred over to Annington Homes Ltd in 1996. SFA is now sub-let back to the MoD on a 200 year lease. In effect, existing SFA (and single living accommodation) arrangements provide for substantially subsidised rented accommodation specifically available for the military

The amount of rent paid is proportionate to the grade of housing. Military families are often reluctant to move to higher grade housing when they are available because of the increase in rent required. Military housing rents are low in comparison to market and even social housing rents. For example, Whilst a 3 bedroom property in Bulford is likely to have a market rent of around £830 per calendar month and social renting for a property with the same number of bedrooms is likely to be around £350, a Grade 1 3 bedroom SFA property is likely to cost around £160 per month.

The following table reports rents for the various property types in the National Audit Office – Ministry of Defence – Service Accommodation Report (2009), it should be noted that these figures may have increased slightly since the publication of this document.

Type of housing

(other ranks only) Annual Charge for Basic Rent of Property

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4

Type D (3 double and one single bedrooms)

£3,774 £3,165 £2,205 £1,026

Type C (2 double and

one single bedrooms) £2,632 £1,883 £927 £248

Type B and A (2 double bedrooms)

£2,208 £1,642 £832 £252


Anecdotal evidence from support providers to military families has explained that personnel and their dependants can become heavily institutionalised. This creates issues when leaving service, for example they no longer have the support of army housing provision.

5.5.2.2 National Programmes of Affordable Housing for Military

As “key workers” military personnel (and for up to one year after leaving the military with over six years service) are eligible to a range of low cost home ownership schemes. Recent changes from the HCA mean that armed forces personnel are now allowed to sub-let properties obtained through affordable housing schemes when posted elsewhere. However, consultation with support service providers to military families suggested that the such schemes only benefit small number of people and that key worker housing is often not suitable for families (small units or flats).

Armed Forces Home Ownership Scheme (AFHOS)

AFHOS was launched in January 2010. It is a 4 year pilot equity loan product, with £20m available funded by the Ministry of Defence. The scheme is managed by HCA and delivered by Swaythling Housing Society. The pilot is designed to provide assistance to serving members of the British Armed Forces.

The pilot is being delivered across the country by Swaythling and performance is monitored quarterly by the Agency. As of September 2010 there had been 41 completions so far with a further 43 applicants expected to complete before December 2010. Of these 41 completions, 3 of these were in the Wiltshire Local Authority area. No Local Authority had more than 3 completions this year and only three other Local Authority areas across the country had as many as 3.

As of September 2010 there were over 1,028 applications and enquiries have been received with 413 of these eligible for the scheme, so it is clear there is a demand for this product. Of those eligible the split between the three services 189 Amy, 155 Navy and 68 RAF. The average equity loan provided so far is £62,310. The average basic incomes of households in receipt of a completed loan so far is £30,096 and the average purchase price is £176,626.

There are a number of eligibility requirements for the scheme. The most controversial of which we discovered in our consultation, being that applicant must have between 4 - 6 years continuous service at the point of application.

A key feature of this scheme is a requirement to enable regular serving members of the British Armed Forces to sublet their home. Subletting is permitted due to UK or overseas posting commitments (and properties can be sublet immediately after purchase).

From our consultation, although this scheme was generally perceived positively by those working with army personnel and dependents there was a great deal of frustration about the very narrow eligibility criteria of this pilot scheme. If this scheme were to be rolled out its eligibility would need to be opened up.

5.5.2.3 National Programme for Supporting Military Leavers

As part of the Service Personnel Command Paper a commitment has been made to provide support for Service leavers in England to enable them to make a successful transition to civilian life (supported by MoD gifting land). Schemes implemented provide interesting case studies for this project and a number are briefly summarised below.


SPACES

The Single Person Accommodation Centre for Ex Services (SPACES), helps to place single service leavers into appropriate accommodation throughout the UK and therefore reduce the risk of homelessness. SPACES are always looking for quality accommodation from a range of sources including Local Authority Housing, Housing Association Stock, Supported Housing, and housing projects run by charities. The type of accommodate is a mix of temporary and permanent.

Mike Jackson House

This 25 unit supported housing facility opened in 2008 on land gifted by MoD, with Communities and Local Government and charitable capital and revenue funding. English Churches Housing Group (ECHG) runs the facility in order to house single Armed Forces leavers and veterans at risk of homelessness (for up to 18 months).

The Beacon

Currently under development by ECHG the Beacon facility will be located on the edge of Catterick Garrison within easy distance of Richmond on land gifted by the Ministry of Defence and will provide 31 self contained flats and office accommodation for service leavers.

5.5.2.4 Settlement Specific Findings and Issues


Bulford • The Canadian Estate in Bulford is reported to be the poorest quality area of Military Housing, however, low grade houses are often preferred by military families because the rents charged on them are so low compared to higher grade houses.

Larkhill • Larkhill contains a mix of rented and owner occupied housing.

Tidworth • There is demand in Tidworth for rented property in the area (both from the ex-military population and the civilian population).

Ludgershall • Ludgershall contains a large amount of ex-local authority housing and renting is the predominant tenure.



The following two key issues (as identified in the table below) have been examined in relation to business, economy and skills. Creating an economy that is fit for the future is also one of the Council’s top three priorities as set out in its emerging Wiltshire Community Plan 2011 – 2026.

Core Assessment

Topic


Objective Refs Relevant Issue / Assessment Criteria (BREEAM Criteria Ref)

Promotion of Business Priority Sectors and Economic Development Opportunities

Busin

ess,

Econ

omy a

nd

Skills

14, 16, 17

Labour, Skills, and Qualification

A wide range of information has been used to define the baseline position in relation to business, economy and skills, including a review of existing data, studies and consultation with key stakeholders including the Council, existing local businesses, and the South West Regional Development Agency.

The following paragraphs set out an overview of key findings and existing issues and conditions applying both: generally to the settlements being assessed and; where relevant, also highlighting main differences between the military and civilian communities. Details of conditions in relation to each of the settlements being considered is also summarised to identify any important specific localised factors which may apply.

6.2 Promotion of Business Priority Sectors


6.2.1.1 Business Priority Sectors

The South West Regional Economic Strategy sets out a number of Business Priority Sectors for the Region, which generally relate to higher Gross Value Added (GVA) activities including:

• Advanced engineering;

6 Business, Economy and Skills


• Biomedical;

• Creative industries;

• Environmental technologies;

• Food and drink;

• Marine;

• Leisure and Tourism; and

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Existing higher value / identified growth sectors within the vicinity of the study area are mainly located in and around the Salisbury Research Triangle (Porton Down and Boscombe Down). This lies outside of the settlements being specifically assessed but these businesses are of importance in terms of providing ‘local’ employment opportunities. The Research Triangle is focussed around the following three research and development facilities:

• Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) at Porton Down, the MoD’s centre for chemical and biological defence research to provide protection to UK armed forces and British civilians;

• QinetiQ at MoD Boscombe Down, the military airfield and associated facilities for testing of all UK military aircraft and airborne weapons; and

• The Health Protection Agency (HPA), global leader in vaccine development and medical testing.

Outside of the Research Triangle, it is generally agreed that there is a lack of other existing R&D / growth sector businesses in the area, including within the settlements being assessed.

It is a key economic objective of the Council and others to grow existing R&D / biomedical clusters focussed around the Research Triangle. It is understood however that the HPA is looking to relocate its research function to an alternative site in Essex which would have a potentially large negative economic impact on the study (and wider) area. In response, the Council is currently putting together a case to try and retain this facility in its current location.

6.2.1.2 Requirements of Business Priority Sectors and Other Forms of Employment

A Workspace and Employment Land Strategy was prepared for Wiltshire by DTZ in 2009. This identified the main site and premises requirements of the different types of Business Priority Sectors, reproduced in the table below:

Sector Site and Premises Requirements

Creative Industries Small scale workshops in locations with good access to public transport.

Site environment and image is also important.

Environmental Incubation space. Laboratory Units with small scale production unit. Sites


Sector Site and Premises Requirements

Technologies need to be accessible locations with high speed connectivity.

High Value Added Incubation space. Laboratory Units with small scale production unit. Sites

need to be accessible locations with high speed connectivity.

Food and Drink Small manufacturing units. Large distribution units. Proximity to public

transport and road network is very important.

Business Services In town and out of town offices of varying sizes. Increasing move towards

smaller units. Connectivity and accessibility are important.

Information and

Communication

Technology (ICT)

High quality offices in business park environment. Town centre offices.

Converted farm and MoD buildings. Small scale workshops in urban and

rural locations. Connectivity is vital.

Leisure and Tourism Varied. Proximity to public transport and road network is important,

alongside site image and environment.

Advanced Technologies Small high specialism manufacturing units. Connectivity is vital.

The DTZ Study also sets out site characteristics (i.e. requirements) for other more general types of employment, reproduced in the following table:

Use Site Requirements

Research and

Development

Prestigious site. Proximity / linkages to University or Research and

Development Centre

Research & Development

(Light Manufacturing)

Driven by University or Private Company. Visual, high profile site.

Accessible. High environmental quality.

Light Manufacturing Accessible. High quality space. Good communication linkages

Light / Heavy

Manufacturing Distribution Lower environmental quality. Accessible.

Distribution Accessible

6.2.1.3 Current Local Employment Opportunities

At a more strategic level, in addition to Porton Down and Boscombe Down Business Park, the main centres of employment (and employment opportunities) around the study area are Salisbury and Amesbury.

Salisbury is a major employment location in the south of Wiltshire which has a significant number of business parks and industrial estates. In addition to the established locations of Harnham Trading Estate, Churchfields Industrial Estate, and Dolphin Trading Estate, Salisbury has benefited from new employment accommodation development over recent years. Whaddon Business Park provides modern purpose built office accommodation and Glenmore Business Park also provides new build office accommodation in the town. Modern office accommodation is provided in the city centre and on out of town business parks. A number of bio-science firms have been attracted to the area by the presence of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory located at Porton Down.


Amesbury, which is located approximately eight miles to the north of Salisbury, is emerging as a major employment location. Solstice Park on the outskirts of the town has recently seen the development of the Beacon Centre, a speculative development of industrial, office and hi-tech employment opportunities. Substantial further employment land of up to 160 acres is being promoted for further development.

Within the study area, the key potential location for accommodating new (‘B’ Planning Use Class) employment is at Castledown Business Park and the Castledown Enterprise Centre. We are also aware that during the course of this Study, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced in June 2010 that funding for the planned Stonehenge Visitors Centre at Airman’s Corner in Wiltshire was to be withdrawn.

The Military and related businesses, notably Aspire, are important local employers specifically within the settlements being assessed and make up a very significant part of the local economy. Their importance not only derives from their direct employment potential, but also employment indirectly created through using local services and suppliers. This said, it has been identified through consultation that the use of local suppliers and services can be constrained simply because local companies are not large enough or cannot demonstrate necessary procurement standards such as Quality Assurance. We are aware however that the military is, for example, actively looking to procure local food suppliers through holding food fayres etc.

In relation to demand, consultations with SWRDA suggest that the local economy is predominantly limited to SMEs rather than major investors. Wiltshire should also be viewed in its wider context as being remote from the Region’s major zones of economic growth and influence (such as the M4 corridor) and also has other local limiting factors such as housing affordability and certain skill shortages. It was also noted that in the face of ‘very tight’ public sector funding, positively promoting private sector growth will be of key importance.

Castledown Business Park

The Castledown Business Park is on the edge of Ludgershall. This site is approximately 13.4 hectares and has outline planning permission with an estimated potential capacity for 45,000 sq m of floorspace. It is being marketed by St Modwen (in conjunction with the South West Regional Development Agency) for office, industrial and warehousing uses. Marketing particulars identify an intention to erect a range of speculative units and also construct buildings to meet specific occupier requirements. Phase 1 of the development (Fitz Gilbert Court, also referred to as the Castledown Business Centre) was completed in 2008 and then acquired by Wiltshire Council.

It is understood that little existing research has been carried out to understand why businesses have not yet located at the Business Park although one important factor will likely be the existence of competing, more accessible and prominent employment opportunities in the area, such as Solstice Park on the A303. The RDA also advise that there has been limited demand for the site due to general market conditions and that St Modwen view the site as a medium – longer term opportunity in their overall site portfolio. Also, higher value uses will generally prefer to be clustered around similar existing activities, such as at Boscombe Down and Porton Down.

Given the scale and nature of the opportunity at Castledown Business Park, and based on the locational criteria set out in the 2009 DTZ report, it would appear that the site could lend itself to a number of employment uses where, for example, strategic accessibility (e.g. motorway access), is not a key locational driver. This said, it is understood through


consultations with the RDA that certain logistics companies are now considering more localised delivery and distribution models and that the military, as a major user of materials in the area, could provide a good fit with such an approach.

The Council’s Economic Development Officer has suggested that an exercise needs to be carried out with the Military to explore the opportunity for synergies to provide / promote employment at the site linked or directly supporting military operations in the area. Consultation has also confirmed the military as a key focus for economic growth in the study area, particularly over the short-medium term given current wider market conditions. It has been also noted that the Council will have an increasingly important role to play in the delivery of economic growth, and that adopting a more integrated approach to service delivery and proactive / less restrictive approach to development control will be important in this regard.

Castledown Business Centre

Castledown Business Centre provides a number of ‘start-up / incubator’ type units as well as business support (to tenants and also to local businesses generally) to help grow and diversify the local economy of Ludgershall, Tidworth and the surrounding areas. The development includes office and light industrial units to let and also innovation centre which opened in March 2010. The Business Centre is owned and managed by Wiltshire Council.

The Centre appears to have been reasonably successful although through consultation, a number of suggestions have been made in terms of ways to further improve the attractiveness of the Centre and maximise its potential for accommodating and growing businesses. The ‘Basepoint’ model (in relation to the comparatively more flexible ‘’easy in / easy out’ terms offered), together with other points such as providing for smaller space configurations to better match actual requirements and, developing shared resources through the Innovation Centre have been identified as approaches which could be considered for the Centre.

It is understood that a Business Centre Strategy Board has now been set up to investigate ways in which the Centre could be enhanced as well as to promote the delivery of Phases 2 and 3 at the Business Park, which could provide grow on space as well as Design and Build larger scale opportunities.



Bulford -

Tidworth

Ludgershall

Ludgershall Contains the Castledown Business Park and Business Centre offers the

main employment opportunity for new economic development and businesses serving

the Tidworth / Ludgershall and wider local area. The Business Centre provides an

important local opportunity to establish and bring on new local business / the non-

military economy and with potential to further enhance this role.

6.3 Labour, Skills and Qualifications



The nature of baseline information of skills means that it is difficult to accurately translate to specific settlements / locations. As such, baseline commentary largely relates to general issues applying across the study area as a whole.

6.3.1.1 Service Leavers

Within the (wider) area, it has been suggested that there are around 800 military personnel who leave the service each year. This is therefore a potentially significant contributor to the local labour force. Anecdotal information from the Army Careers Transition Partnership suggests that the skills of military leavers are quite diverse, as is their general profile in terms of rank, experience, age and length of service. In relation to skills, the CTP has noted that transferable skills are very diverse but relate largely to the following types of employment / activity:

• Management;

• Technical engineering roles;

• Security sector; and

• Transport and logistics.

Previous research carried out as part of ‘Envisioning the Future’ also made a number of conclusions regarding the potential contribution of service leavers to the local economy and the types of employment to which their skills are most transferable, as summarised below:

• Most leavers are from junior ranks, half of which are aged between 16 and 24 years old;

• 60% of service leavers wish to stay in the County / South West region and this figure may increase in line with the Army’s policy to increase stability [it is likely however that those wishing to stay will be older (i.e. 25 to 58) who have become more established in the area although this is not explicit from research undertaken];

• Most desired areas of employment for service leavers are engineering/technical roles, police/fire service, managerial, IT/communications, transport/logistics, defence industry, security/guarding, public sector and construction; and

• There is also a strong desire amongst service leavers to start their own businesses (with regards to this point, we are aware that there has been some demand for business space by service leavers at Castledown Business Park, including an existing marquee rental business which caters for both military and non-military events).

6.3.1.2 Military Dependants

This issue has been considered in previous research. In summary, although this is a potentially large workforce, there are a number of barriers which often prevent dependants from entering employment including skills, qualification levels, limited training opportunities and limited childcare provision, particularly with the absence of an extended family network in the local area. It has been suggested however that there are also simply not enough, or the right type of, employment opportunities for military dependants available in the local economy. Dependants often do not register as unemployed so unemployment levels, although apparently low, do not accurately reflect the actual position.

6.3.1.3 Views of Existing Businesses


In addition to site requirements, access to skills is a key locational factor for businesses, particularly many Business Priority Sectors which have specific / higher level skill requirements when compared to other forms of employment. It has been identified through consultation that there is a local skill shortage in the study area to service high technology businesses, in part due to relatively low educational attainment levels and other factors, such as a lack of local affordable housing opportunities ‘forcing’ skilled people to move out of the area.

To address the lack of required skills, QinetiQ has, for example, implemented an active apprentice programme and also offers basic training in core skills including Maths and English. Other large local employers, notably Aspire Defence, also suggest that recruiting from the local labour market can be difficult given the niche skills and experience required (for example, it has been noted through consultation that engineers required by Aspire are currently drawn from as far away as Plymouth as although local military leavers have a range of qualifications, they often lack the specific experience required).

6.3.1.4 School Leavers: The Wellington Academy

The main secondary school provision serving Tidworth, Ludgershall and its environs is the Wellington Academy. The Academy opened in September 2009 in the buildings of the former Castledown School. Around 40% of its intake is from military families. As the Castledown School, it was the lowest achieving secondary school in the County (in 2008, only 25% of children at Castledown School achieved 5 or more A – C grades in English and Maths at GCSE, compared to a 53% Wiltshire Average). At the end of the 2009 academic, the Wellington Academy (which is sponsored by the Wellington College in Berkshire) is one of the best performing against certain indicators. Extended opening of the school is also planned, from 8am to 10 pm to provide for extended community usage.

A new £32million campus is currently being constructed on playing fields adjacent to the existing school buildings and will be available in 2011. When complete, the Academy will have capacity for 1,250 students, including facilities for a combined Cadet Force and boarding places for 100, aimed at accommodating students from military families to provide them with greater locational (and hence educational) stability. In addition to the clear improved emphasis on the military aspect of the school’s intake, a key area in which the academy will specialise is business and enterprise which will provide wider benefits in terms of creating a more skilled and entrepreneurial local population / workforce.



The following key issues have been examined in relation to ‘Climate and Energy’ considerations. Tackling climate change is identified as one of the Council’s top three priorities as set out in its emerging Wiltshire Community Plan 2011 – 2026.

Core Assessment

Topic

Related Core Strategy SA / SEA Objective

Refs Relevant Issue / Assessment Criteria (BREEAM Criteria Ref)

Flood Risk Assessment

Surface Water Run Off, SUDS and Water Resource Management Measures

Reduction of Heat Absorption

Energy Efficiency

Renewables & Infrastructure

Use of Materials

Waste

Water Resources

Clim

ate,

Ene

rgy a

nd R

esou

rces

1,3, 4, 5, 6, 9

Maintain and Enhance Ecology and Biodiversity

The following paragraphs provide an overview of key findings and existing / potential future issues and conditions in relation to climate and energy applying both: generally to the area being assessed and; where relevant, also highlighting main differences between the military and civilian communities. Details of conditions in relation to each of the settlements being considered is also summarised to identify any important specific localised factors which may apply.

The above criteria often lend themselves more readily to new development rather than existing communities. As such we have sought to group our consideration of climate and energy considerations into a smaller number of headings.

7 Climate and Energy



7.1.1.1 The Salisbury Plain Super Garrison Project

In relation to the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison development, Aspire Defence, the appointed contractor to deliver the project, is required to meet a number of specific environmental sustainability standards and targets, notably:

§ All buildings will be BREEAM compliant to either ‘Excellent’ rating (for new build) or ‘Very Good’ (for refurbishments);

§ Saving of 10,000 tonnes of CO2 over the project period through solar rays on south facing building elevations;

§ Use of solar technology and Micro Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units to create a 2% CO2 saving as a percentage of the estate overall;

§ Rainwater harvesting (to replace 17,500 m3 of clean water usage);

§ 20% reduction target in water leakage;

§ Ensure timber used in construction is sourced from managed forests;

§ Protected species mitigation (one of the largest bat mitigation schemes in the UK); and

§ Compensation for the unavoidable loss of Calcareous grasslands by new development through conserving certain areas in the Salisbury Plain Training Area.

The above requirements provide a number of climate, energy and other benefits which cut across a wide range of environmental sustainability objectives. This is a key positive benefit of the SPSG project and one which should continue to be built upon and developed as the project moves forward.

Whilst a number of the above targets and standards will apply to the ongoing operation of development, it will be important that these headline targets are supplemented by ongoing maintenance and operational practices which reflect climate and energy objectives. This could include, for example, differential mowing regimes for certain areas of land in the interests of protecting and enhancing important plant and animal species.

7.1.1.2 Climate Change Strategy

The Council’s Climate Change Team, which brings together the former ‘sustainability’ officers from the former Wiltshire district Councils, has been established to:

• Reduce the Council’s own carbon footprint;

• Broaden out carbon footprint reduction measures across Wiltshire, including through working with key partners, especially the Military; and

• Ensuring that development / communities can adapt to unavoidable climate change.


In relation to new planned development in the area, it will be important that the delivery of environmental sustainability objectives is a key part of the planning (and pre-planning process) and that sustainability is considered through construction and beyond to eventual operation / use of the development. Ensuring a suite of effective planning policies to secure sustainable development within the Councils Local Development Framework will therefore be important, seeking to cover the entire lifecycle of development. Equally, and in line with the Council’s emerging Community Plan, activities to ensure the ‘retro-fitting’ of existing public buildings and homes with energy efficient features will be an important means of reducing energy use.

7.1.1.3 Waste Recycling and Renewable Energy

For military populations living ‘behind the wire’, waste collection is dealt with directly by the MoD and is not the responsibility of the Council. Evidence suggests that recycling is less by military communities in part due to the transitional nature of populations and lack of awareness.

For military populations living outside the wire, including in married quarters accommodation, waste services are dealt with by the Council. Some evidence (previous Kennet District Council research) suggests that local recycling rates are lower in Tidworth and Ludgershall than in other areas. This could be to do with the high turnover of population in these areas and people not necessarily getting the right information.

It is understood that there are future longer term plans for household recycling centre in Tidworth/ Ludgershall (which is the highest concentration of population in the County not served by a local recycling facility). The location of this centre has not yet been decided possible locations include the Pick Pit Hill (a former furnace site) and Brimstone Bottom (tank crossing area in the low ground between Wellington Academy and Pick Pit Hill). There are no similar plans for the communities of Larkhill or Bulford. The Council is also due to undertake consultation in Autumn 2010 on a package of increased recycling measures, including awareness raising of both the civilian and military elements of local populations.

In relation to renewable energy, the provision of new waste recycling facilities could be complemented with measures such as composting and anaerobic digestion which could, in turn, also be used to generate electricity as a renewable energy resource.

As noted above, energy reduction measures and using renewable energy sources such as through solar technology and micro CHP units is a key feature of development associated with the SPSG. Other approaches may also prove viable such as the use of ground source heat pumps, which has been successfully used to serve a number of accommodation blocks at Crowborough Training Camp, Sussex, delivering 60% carbon emissions reductions and significant cost savings over time.

More generally, the scale of military presence in the area, and the extent of landholdings in particular, provides a potentially significant opportunity to actively pursue renewable energy initiatives which could also contribute to the energy requirements of existing (and future) local non-military communities, as well as further assist the MoD in meeting post 2011 carbon reduction targets.

7.1.2 Climate Change and Sustainable Energy planning Research: Project Report, Camco (published in draft August 2010)


This report has been prepared for Wiltshire Council as part of the evidence base for the emerging Core Strategy. The report assesses the capacity for supplying the new development planned for Wiltshire over the next 20 years (circ 44,400 homes between 2006 – 2026), with low carbon energy and considers appropriate ‘carbon standards’ for the emerging Core Strategy.

The analysis reports that renewable energy resource within Wiltshire can amply meet the energy demands of the planned new development. Therefore it is reported that it should be technically possible for the large scale developments to achieve zero carbon standards from now on.

Two specific technologies dominate the renewable energy technical potential of Wiltshire. These are large wind turbines and biomass. The remainder of the estimated renewal energy take up consists of renewable energy technologies which could be implemented in new and existing buildings.

It is estimated that around 30 percent of the new development planned will consist of large scale developments suitable for communal energy systems which are more capable of achieving low to zero carbon status that smaller developments.

The report outlines a number of key recommendations, including policy recommendations, for progressing low carbon development. Where relevant, these recommendation are incorporated in the generic options and ideas in relation to climate and energy later in this report.



Although Governance sits outside of the ‘sustainability’ criteria included previous report chapters, this is an important consideration given the range of groups and organisations involved in shaping local communities in the area and is particularly relevant in light of the new coalition Government’s commitment to more devolved local decision making. The following key issues have been examined in relation to ‘Governance’:

Core Assessment

Topic


Objective Refs Relevant Issue / Assessment Criteria

Bodies and Organisations Involved in Governance

(Extent, remit, interaction/synergies/ participation of groups and bodies involved in

governance)

Gov

erna

nce

- Levels of Participation

(Representation and ability to participate in governance from within different sectors

of the military and civilian community)

Baseline information on the structure of governance has been obtained from a various published sources. Consultation with governance groups, including the Council, has also provided a good deal of additional information on the finer detail of the structure, roles, representation and interaction of the various local bodies and organisations involved in the delivery of governance at the local level.

8.2 Bodies and Organisations Involved in Governance


8.2.1.1 Existing Position: Community Area Boards and Partnerships

In general terms, the approach to governance is very well established in the study area, and this position provides a very good platform in moving towards the new Coalition Government’s ‘localism agenda’ in devolving decision making down to a local community level.

8 Governance


The following organisational chart and associated table seeks to capture in a simplified form how different organisations and bodies operate and link to one another in terms of their role in governance.

Body Role

Wiltshire Assembly • Overarching Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) for Wiltshire

Wiltshire Coordinating Group • Strategic Planning and Monitoring of Performance

Wiltshire Public Service Board • The forum for public sector and financial planning

Area Boards

• ‘The Committee in the Community’ • Decision making board made up of elected members. Area Boards also

include representatives of the local residents & key local organisations (i.e. police, housing associations, armed services).

• Own budget to use on local projects. • For the study area the Area Boards are the Tidworth Area Board,

Amesbury Area Board and Warminster Area Board.

Community Area Partnerships

• Open forum for community planning and involvement. • Steering group for community plan. Umbrella that brings together other

working groups. Feeds up into the decision making of the Area Board. • For the Study Area the Caps are the Tidworth Community Area

Partnership and the Stonehenge Community Area Partnership.

WfCAP • Support organisation for CAP

The Area Boards and Community Area Partnerships play a central role in the delivery of governance. A generic structure of how they are organised and interrelate is shown at Appendix 6 although it should be noted that different areas operate and are organised in slightly different ways. For example, it is generally acknowledged that for the Tidworth Area, the different organisations and relationships are the most developed.

8.2.1.2 Existing Position: The Work of the Military Communities Integration Programme (MCI Programme)

The Military Civilian Integration Programme was set up to quantify and understand the implications of the Super Garrison project for the Salisbury Plain area, with a broad remit of seeking to ensure that Wiltshire develops as a sustainable community for all of its citizens,

Wiltshire Assembly

Wiltshire Coordinating Group

Wiltshire Public Service Board

Thematic Delivery Partnerships

Wiltshire Counil Strunity

Area Boards

Community Partnerships


optimising the economic and social benefits of the military presence in the County. The programme has the following 5 objectives

§ The identify the changing military ‘footprint’ in the county;

§ To quantify the economic contribution of the military to the county, and the South West region;

§ To enable the realignment of service provision to meet the changing needs of the military, their families (known and dependants) and veterans;

§ To spot opportunities for regeneration and building sustainable communities in the Salisbury Plain area; and

§ To ensure the county continues to remain an attractive location for long-term investment by the MoD.

The MCI programme brings together a diverse range of governance and other organisations, led by Wiltshire Council and Headquarters 43 (Wessex) Brigade, and also including (on the Sponsoring Group) Defence Estates, the South West Regional Development Agency, representatives from the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce (private sector) and also from Community First (voluntary sector) in Wiltshire.

The programme has been in operation for a number of years and is now very well established and viewed as an exemplar of partnership working within communities with a strong military presence. That said, certain issues have been raised though consultation:

• It has been noted that by certain Parish Councils that information on the work of the MCI is carried out at a ‘high level’ and not always filtered down to the communities involved. Usage of the Area Board process (and other more direct means) will be an important mechanism for the MCI in informing and engaging at the local level.

• A key benefit of the MCI should be an ability to share information to ensure the most robust understanding of planned change in an area and resultant requirements for services and facilities such as school places. Whilst it is recognised that change arising from military growth in the area is difficult to accurately predict due to a range of factors, a suggestion has been made that the existing arrangements for the flow of information could be enhanced.

8.2.1.3 Existing Position: The Work of the Voluntary Sector

As noted above, the voluntary sector (Community First) is represented on the MCI programme. More generally, a wide range of voluntary and other organisations are involved in the delivery of various initiatives which seek, amongst other things, to create more sustainable and integrated communities across the Salisbury Plain. This sector has a good deal of experience of working with rural communities such as those being assessed as part of this Study, providing an understanding of some of the issues faced and initiatives implemented (elsewhere) aimed at overcoming these problems.

The voluntary sector is acknowledged to be thriving across Wiltshire as a whole. A recent Ipsos MORI survey indicated that there are around 800 – 1000 voluntary groups in Wiltshire that the Council has some association with. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Military dependant (particularly officers wives) and retired service personnel (particularly officers) are often very active in the voluntary sector.


In the study area many of these voluntary organisations are specially related to the military or have strong partnership working arrangements with the military. For example, “Help for Heroes” is currently involved in plans for a soldier recovery centre at Tedworth House in Tidworth, with the potential for facilities to be widened out to the broader community and include training and learning facilities as well as physical rehabilitation.

Of particular further note is Plain Action, the rural development programme operating across the Salisbury Plain area and into part of Hampshire running until 2013. This group is directed by a Programme Management Group which is made up of local people and has a budget of around £2.5 million, a large proportion of which is still available. Its funding goes to projects and activities which address issues within three main areas: skills development through learning and training; promotion and support of small businesses and employment; and strengthening communities.

8.3 Membership and Engagement in Governance Activities


8.3.1.1 Existing Position

There is a very established and active network of bodies involved in Governance, led particularly through the various Area Boards created within the study area.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that representation is reasonably diverse in terms of governance membership but that there is more limited representation from certain sectors such as young people.

In many ways the profile of those involved in governance activities is similar to other areas across the country although within the communities being assessed, it is also important to promote greater participation from the military community, including dependants given that they make up a very large proportion of the population. It has been identified through consultation however that, for example, it is often difficult to promote the active military population in governance groups, especially the involvement of junior ranks personnel. Becoming more imbedded in local communities and decision making is an acknowledged aspiration of the military and the operational changes being delivered in the area, with a move towards greater permanence of personnel and retention over the longer term, will provide a valuable impetus to achieving this and also other aspects of community involvement, such as becoming school governors. Similarly, it is also acknowledged because service personnel are registered as Service Voters; meaning they can stay registered at affixed address, many do not register in the local area in which they live (continuing to vote ‘at home’). This means that they are not represented locally. With greater stability and integration in one community (in this case in Wiltshire) it is anticipated that more service voters will instead register to vote locally.

At the local level, there are be a number of different organisations and groups carrying out a wide range of local community projects and initiatives. This is particularly true in the Tidworth / Ludgershall area. It is important to ensure that activities are undertaken in a coordinated way to maximise benefits, avoid duplication etc. Involving a wide range of organisations in the Community Area / Area Partnerships network will therefore be important, as will the role of Community Area Managers and Community Area Partnership Coordinators to ensure a joined up approach to initiatives and coordination between the various governance and other groups involved in local areas.


9.1 Introduction

As noted earlier in the report, Warminster has been specifically examined as part of this Study to primarily provide a comparison to the other settlements being assessed (Tidworth, Ludgershall, Bulford and Larkhill).

Although the military is crucially important to Warminster in a similar way to the other settlements being studied, especially in relation to supporting the economy, the Military presence is not as visibly obvious in the same way. Warminster was an established town before the first military garrison was located there in the 1930s and the military is located entirely separately to the town, in a largely discrete area on the edge of the Salisbury Plan Army Training Area.

To ensure consistency of approach to the assessment of other settlements, this chapter considers all of the sustainability themes which run through the report specifically in relation to Warminster.

9.2 Transport and Connectivity Warminster is relatively well connected in terms of transportation; It is:

§ Situated at the junction of the A36 and A350 with direct links to the M3 and M4 with links to both London and the South West;

§ Served by a mainline railway (Great First Western and South West Train) with connections to Southampton, Cardiff, Bath, Bristol and Salisbury. Bath and Bristol can both be reached in around 30 minutes with one train per hour. Warminster has good links to London with three routes reaching the capital in approximately 2 hours;

§ Served by a number of bus services (over different routes connecting to destinations including to Salisbury, Frome and Bath). Bus services to the camp operate hourly. However, it is reported that there are no bus services after 7pm in the town and the services on Sundays is limited.

A perception has been reported that the town centre has a significant amount of traffic congestion. This is likely to be due to the nature of the historic layout of the town centre. Traffic is likely to be local traffic which only causes congestions at peak times. The town centre is well provided for in terms over public car parks (over 10 in total with three large car parks) the majority of which are free. However, a number of short stay spaces have recently been removed from Market Place with mixed reaction.

Warminster benefits from an historic street pattern that provides a legible and relatively compact town centre. Recent improvements to the public realm are reported to have significantly improved pedestrian facilities in the town centre to address previous concerns

9 Warminster


over lack of suitable pavements and incorrect positioning of crossings. However, pedestrian links between the two main shopping foci – the high street shops and the large warehouse retailers are currently fairly weak as are links between the train station and the town centre, and the town centre and Warminster Park.

Travel to work distances one hour, showing a heavy skew resulting from the large number of employees working at the Garrison travelling 0 – 2 kilometres to work. The Vision and Scoping Study for the Warminster Town Plan 2008 reports that the remaining residents of Warminster are travelling considerably longer distances to work than the national average with over representation in all categories between 20 kilometres and 60 kilometres.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that movement of military vehicles into and out of the garrison is problematic as accesses are along a narrow road with tight turns and a narrow railway bridge.

9.3 Community

The 3 military components of the Garrison at Warminster (Battlesbury Barracks, Land Warfare Centre and Defence Support Group) are located in the northern section of Warminster beyond Copheap Hill.

Traditionally the military element at Warminster has had a very transient population, in large part because of its importance for training. Around one-third of the British Army go through Warminster for training (this could vary in length from one week to a number of months). This has lead to a high level of turbulence. However, in order to serve this training function Warminster has also always had a relatively high number of permanent military staff. In addition, the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment have been at the Garrison for a number of years already now and it is anticipated that they will stay for a minimum of 9 years, and potentially longer.

This should lead to a greater degree of community integration and anecdotal evidence suggests that this is sometimes the case with a number of these soldiers buying houses locally, marrying local people and starting a family locally.

9.3.1 Community Sport Facilities and Military facilities Accessible to the Wider Community

Unlike many of the other settlements being considered there is virtually no sharing of military facilities with the wider community. This is due to the physical separation of the military and because facilities are located in the most part behind the wire. There is some evidence to suggest there may be a desire from both military and civilian communities for more sharing of facilities. However, Warminster is relatively well provided for in terms of community and sports facilities.

Warminster has a wide range of leisure facilities including several sports clubs and venues including a cricket club, rugby club and adventure sports club. In the town centre itself (and on its edges) there is a library, a theatre, a swimming pool and paintball. Although the town has reasonable leisure and recreation facilities, the 2009 West Wiltshire Leisure and Recreation Development Plan Document (DPD) (adopted January 2009) identified a shortfall in Warminster of allotments, bowling greens, play provision and mini-soccer pitches. The DPD also noted that the Sports Centre needed refurbishing. In addition anecdotal evidence suggest that the lack of a cinema in Warminster is a missed opportunity and means that people often travel to Frome to visit such facilities. In addition the scoping


report for the Warminster Town Plan (August 2008) suggest that there is a lack of family restaurants in Warminster.

Warminster has a range of community, health, welfare and support facilities, and leisure facilities both for military dependants and wider civilian communities. As well as a range of doctors and dentists Warminster also has a community hospital in the town centre. Given the generally separate nature of the military, including family housing, military dependant facilities are separate and little mixing occurs through support groups (i.e. mother and toddler groups etc) for example. The Garrison has its own community centre, its own crèche and its own pre-school (Cherry Tree Pre School – with around 25 places), although anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a lack of all day childcare. The Army Primary Health Care Agency provides a GP facility at the Land Warfare Centre which is available both to soldiers and their families. This practice has around 1400 soldiers and 900 dependants registered. The MoD does not provide any dentistry to military dependants therefore they also use civilian dentistry resources.

As well as several primary schools, Warminster also has preparatory school and an independent day/ boarding school. There is only one local authority secondary school in Warminster; Kingdown School with over 1500 pupils aged 11 to 18. The military community provides a significant element of the school roll in many of the local primary schools, in particular New Close and Avenue. Anecdotal evidence suggests there are currently fewer children from the military community attending Kingdown with secondary age children often attending boarding school (particularly as a result of the number of Senior Officers at Warminster). Further school information is provided at Appendix 7.

In terms of retail facilities Warminster is relatively well provided for. The town centre high street has relatively few empty units and includes some, but an albeit relatively limited range of, national multiples (such as Curry’s, Argos and Dorothy Perkins). It also includes many smaller independent shops and the town also holds a weekly market. This said, the draft Town Plan (2008) identified the economic health of the High Street to be fairly poor at present with a high number of betting and charity shops and a lack of comparison goods retail, particularly men’s clothing retail. Additionally, the Plan identifies that the extended linear nature of both High Street and Market Place are currently too long to effectively create the critical mass to support retail business.

Currently supermarket representation includes Morrison, Iceland and Lidl. Additionally, it is understood that there are plans for a Waitrose to be developed in the Town Centre after 2011 (planning permission approved August 2009).

There is a close relationship between the Garrison and the local community relating to crime prevention. The Warminster town CCTV system is actively supported by the Garrison and the military police are in close contact with the CCTV team. It has been suggested that the prevalence of disturbances between military and civilian communities used to be fairly frequent, but this relationship is reported to be much improved over recent years. However, it is noted in the draft Town Plan (2008) that it has been reported by local residents that the town centre is not considered to be ‘a welcoming place to be in the evening’ for all sectors of society particularly around certain public houses. The Garrison is represented on the Warminster Pub Watch Committee which works with local publicans with the aim of ensuring that there is a welcoming and safe atmosphere in all pubs and clubs in the town.


9.3.2 Warminster performance against the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and other deprivation indicators

The plan at Appendix 7 from the Warminster Joint Strategic Needs Assessment shows how Warminster Community Area performs on the IMD.

There are 12 Super Output Areas (SOAs) in the Warminster Community Area. Warminster East (Boreham) is the most deprived area in Warminster Community Area. It is in the most deprived quintile in Wiltshire and nationally it is in the 3rd most deprived quintile (15,413th most deprived area in England out of 32,482).

Warminster Community Area Settlement Baseline Findings and Issues

Health and

Wellbeing

§ Warminster has a lower teenage pregnancy rate (21.6% per 100 girls aged under 18) than the Wiltshire average and ranks 5th out of the 20 Community Areas (ranked from 1st best around to 20th worst).

§ 1 in 4 (23.6%) children aged 4 to 5 were found to be overweight or obese compared to 21.8 % in Wilshire. Warminster ranks 16th out of the 20 Community Areas (ranked from 1st best to 20th worst).

§ There were 1,202 hospital inpatient admissions per 100,000 population in Warminster between May 2008 and April 2009 which were due to alcohol related causes (equivalent to 1 admission per 83 population). This is lower than the Wiltshire average and ranks Warminster 9th lowest amongst the 20 Community Areas.

§ There were 22 people killed or seriously injured on the roads according to data from Wiltshire police. This compared unfavourably to an average of 13.8 per Community Area in Wiltshire overall. Warminster ranks 18th out of the 20 Community Area. However, when comparing areas the volume of traffic and type of roads in each area should be taken into account.

§ The percentage of people who smoke in Warminster (20.8%) is slightly higher than the Wiltshire average of 20.2% and ranks 14th out of the 20 Community Areas (1 being the lowers smoking 20 being the highest).

§ 78.4 % of people in Warminster rated themselves as being in good or very good health compared to the Wiltshire average of 76.8% (Warminster ranks 8th out of 20 Community Areas).

§ 84.9% of people surveyed in 2008 said that they were satisfied with Warminster Community Area as a place to live (compared to 87.4 percent for the Wiltshire average as a whole).

Crime

§ There are average levels of reported domestic violence in Warminster compared to Wiltshire as a whole. There were 3.5 incidents report April 2008 – June 2009 per 1000 population, this is similar to the 3.4 per 1,000 average for Wiltshire.

§ Volume crime levels (criminal damage, theft and handling, violent offences and vehicle offences) were 45.4 per 1000 population in Warminster between March 2007 and April (this is higher than average figure across Wiltshire, Making Warminster the Community Area with the 3rd highest crime rate after Salisbury and Trowbridge). Other crime (burglary, drugs and offences) stood at 9.2 per 1000 population. However, when considering these statistics the urban/ rural nature and size of settlements covered should be borne in mind. The Community Areas with the highest crime rates are Salisbury, Trowbridge and Warminster – these community areas all have more urban population intense settlements within them than those ranking lower down.

Income and

Employment

§ The percentage of working age people who are claiming Jobseekers Allowance is average in Warminster (2.6%) for Wiltshire as a whole is low (2.6%). As a comparison for England and Wales as a whole the figure is 4%. However, these figures masks hidden unemployment.

§ The percentage of people who are on income support is slightly lower than average in Warminster (1.3%% compared to an average of 1.5% for Wiltshire as a whole).



Education

and Skills

§ The community area of Warminster had 49% of students achieving 5 or more grades A – Cs including English Maths GCSEs in 2008 (lower than Wiltshire average of 53%).

Information from Profile of Warminster Community Area and Warminster Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (Revised March 2010) both published by Wiltshire Council

9.3.3 Integration of Military and Civilian Housing Areas

Military and civilian housing is physically separate in Warminster. The military housing estate is either side of Imber Road and is around 600 houses. These houses were built in two phases: the 1930s (at the same time as the Barracks), and the late 1950s/ 1960s. The quality of this housing is understood to be only adequate. Hirings are dispersed and not in a bulk format. It is understood that there are around 40 houses in Trowbridge used as MoD hirings for personnel based in Warminster.

There is a shortage of Senior Officer accommodation (in particular Lft Cols and above) in Warminster as there is a very high number of Senior Officers making up the Warminster permanent military staff (approximately 15% of all permanent military staff are Majors and above). However, it is understood that Senior Officers often buy locally, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that the breakdown in Warminster is broadly 25% owner occupied, 25% in MoD hirings, 50% MoD housing. It is also understood that Officers often buy homes in Warminster and rent them out when they are stationed elsewhere, but then return to Warminster, including as a permanent place of residence once leaving the Service.

9.4 Business Economy and Skills

9.4.1 The Local Economy

As for the other settlements being studied the local economy is heavily biased by the military presence in and around Warminster. This dominance is not only because of the high number of military staff but because of the civilians employed at the Garrison and all the indirect employment in supporting the Garrison in this location. It is estimated that Warminster has around 700 soldiers living in barracks on a semi permanent basis (with a further 400 soldiers attending training courses lasting up to 3 months) and 600 married serving personnel (with approximately 1300 spouses and children). In addition it is estimated that approximately 1000 people are employed at the Garrison as Civil Servants and contract staff. The 2001 local census showed a domination of ‘administration and defence positions’ clearly reflecting the presence of the Garrison on the eastern edge of Warminster. Hotels and catering services employment were well represented in areas of Warminster outside the town centre in the census (likely to be significantly influenced by the local impact of CentreParcs and Longleat). The Vision and Scoping Report for the Warminster Town Plan (2008) reports an under representation of higher professional occupations, small employers, and students.

The dominance of the military in terms of local employment is clear when considering the travel to work distance (heavy skew resulting from the large number of employees working at the Garrison travelling 0 – 2 kilometres to work). However, also clear is the lack of employment opportunities the town currently provides with the remaining residents of Warminster often travelling considerably longer distances to work than the national average (with over representation in all categories between 20 kilometres and 60 kilometres).


However, despite a contraction in the traditional manufacturing base of the area and the level of out-commuting form Warminster there a number of local employers (other than the MoD) of significant size and quality to note. These include Dents Gloves which employs over 50 people. Dents is currently planning a move to expanded premises on the edge of the town, and Waitrose has received planning permission to develop on its former site. Also Lyons Seafood provides around 300 jobs in the town and surrounding area. In addition, tourism creates a substantial number of jobs. CentreParcs which is situated in the hinterland of Warminster employs in the region of a thousand people. Longleat safari park is similarly close to Warminster and creates a significant number of seasonal jobs. There are also a number of small business parks and trading estates around Warminster (Warminster Business Park, Crusader Park, Northlands Industrial Estate and the Woodcock Trading Estate). It is understood that these estates are fairing reasonably well in the current economic climate. Development is not fully complete at all of these parks with sites not yet brought forward often constrained by inadequate access.

9.4.2 Tourism

Warminster has potential to build on its assets in terms of its location close to a number of tourism destinations (and build on its own attraction given its attractive historic environment and surrounding rural landscape). Longleat safari park and CentreParcs both sit just outside Warminster and within 20 miles of Warminster town tourist destinations include Stonehenge, Cheddar Gorge, and Bath. Despite these clear benefits it has been reported that Warminster currently fails to capitalise on its tourism potential. For example, although there are a number of Bed and Breakfasts in Warminster, many hotels in the town centre lack modern appeal.

9.4.3 Education and Training

Wiltshire College has a new building at Warminster in the town centre, offering a range of part-time courses. As well general interest and hobby related (such as patchwork quilt making, reflexology and jewellery making), more vocational courses are offered (such as Word and Excel training). Basic skills course are also offered (numeracy and literacy).

At the Garrison there are also training and skills course for adults offered at the Army Families Federations Training Centre and Army Education Centre (providing educational support for a number of units in the area).

9.5 Climate, Energy and Resource

Everything within the barracks at Warminster comes under the project Allenby Connaught and as such is subject to the project environmental targets (discussed elsewhere in this report). Much of the land around Warminster Garrison is part of the Defence Training Estate and is therefore subject to a number of green initiatives.

Planning permission was granted in July 2010 for Bore Hill Farm on the southern fringes of Warminster. Malaby Martin and Malaby Biogas plan to install and operate the biogas plant using anaerobic digestion (AD) and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) technology to provide green heat and electricity to the farmstead redevelopment as well as exporting the excess electricity to the local electricity network. The plant will generate enough renewable electricity to power approximately 1,000 houses.


9.6 Governance

Similar to the other settlements considered in this study, Warminster is covered by an Area Board. As well as Warminster Area Board, Warminster has a Town Council (currently leading the Warminster Town Plan), and the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership (WVCP). The WVCP comprises local individuals, groups and organisations working with local councillors and with the assistance of Council Officers, to improve the Quality of Life in the area.

The majority all of the serving personnel and their dependants are potentially able to register to vote in one ward (because of the concentration of military housing), making-up around three-quarters of potential voters in that ward. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many serving personnel and their dependants do not register to vote in their local area. Members of the UK Armed Forces area permitted to vote in UK elections where they live (for example in this case Warminster) or to register and vote at another nominated location (such as their family home). It is estimated that compared to the national average of vote registration (nearly 90%) in Warminster only around 10 percent of military personnel are registered to vote locally (this number is likely to be lower for soldiers than for Officers).

There is a suggestion that Officer’s dependants (traditionally wives) tend to be very involved in local voluntary and community work. Because Warminster Garrison has traditionally had a high number of Officers making up its permanent staff, it benefits greatly from this contribution. In addition, Warminster and its hinterland has a high number of retired senior military personnel, again senior personnel and their partners are often highly active in local community.


This report has provided an in-depth baseline analysis of the study area using both primary and secondary data. The Stage 2 Report will use this baseline work to analyse findings through a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, provide options for growth, appraise these options robustly, and provide recommended options supported by implementation plans.

10 Next Steps


Important notice

This document has been prepared for our client in accordance with our engagement contract with them. No

other party is entitled to rely on our document for any purpose whatsoever and thus we accept no liability to

any party other than our client in respect of this document, its contents or the work we have performed.

© 2010 Deloitte LLP (trading as Drivers Jonas Deloitte). All rights reserved.

Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number

OC303675 and its registered office at 2 New Street Square, London EC4A 3BZ, United Kingdom.

Drivers Jonas Deloitte is a trading name of Deloitte LLP, which is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte

Touche Tohmatsu (‘DTT’), a Swiss Verein, whose member firms are legally separate and independent

entities. Please see www.deloitte.co.uk/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTT and its

member firms.

Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

http://www.deloitte.co.uk/about

salisbury plain sustainable communities project baseline report · 2012-02-17 · baseline report...

Documents