County council looks to boost enforcement team

County council planners are looking to strengthen their ability to strike the right balance between urban development and protecting the local area's picturesque countryside.

The Wiltshire County Council area includes many historic villages and market towns as well as Salisbury with its cathedral (pictured).

“But it is by no means a sleepy backwater,” area development manager Andrew Guest told Planning. “It is a hot spot for new development, with big growth taking place in recent years.

“This is due in large part to its strategically important location: it has good links to London, Bristol, Southampton and beyond."

Guest added: “The economic development and planning service has to strike the right balance between delivering appropriate new housing and employment development while protecting the natural environment.”

The council is seeking to recruit a team leader for planning enforcement to manage the work of 10 enforcement officers throughout the county.

"Timely, effective and proportionate enforcement of planning controls plays a key role in ensuring public confidence in the planning process,” said Guest.

“The new post will be anything but monotonous, given the diversity of Wiltshire's urban and rural environment".

The new postholder's role will include authorising enforcement proceedings including prosecutions, ensuring compliance with legislation in relation to listed buildings and, when necessary, to authorise direct action. 

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