Salisbury River Park Masterplan gets approval

A major planning document that sets out a framework for considering how the River Park area will develop in the future has been endorsed by Wiltshire Council.

The masterplan aims to aid the regeneration of Salisbury through unlocking public land for homes and jobs and enhancing the key tourist arrival point for the city, while improving access to the city centre and countryside for pedestrians and cyclists.

It will also provide flooding infrastructure to protect homes and businesses in the city centre and enable the delivery of several regeneration projects, and is expected to deliver 13ha of open space and 3ha of new native wildlife habitat.

Cllr Nick Botterill, cabinet member for strategic planning, said: ‘The Salisbury River Park will provide a lasting legacy of riverside green space and urban wildlife habitat for people of Salisbury and its visitors to enjoy well into the future, so it is important there is a comprehensive Masterplan to support these transformational improvements.

‘The River Park is also the centrepiece of the Salisbury Central Area Framework which provides a cohesive vision that seeks to make the city centre a more vibrant, attractive and sustainable place.’

The masterplan has been developed in conjunction with the Environment Agency, Salisbury City Council, the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Natural England, taking into account the findings of a public consultation that ended in January.

The first phase of the River Park plan involves providing critical flood prevention measures and environmental improvements in Salisbury’s Central Car Park, the Ashley Road Open Space and Fisherton Recreation Ground.

Funding for the first phase has been secured through the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Flood Defence Grant in Aid and Local Levy funding from the Wessex Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

In related news, Milton Keynes Council has approved a funding package of almost £62m to deliver the city’s biggest regeneration project in the Lakes Estate.

Photo by Alexander London