Resource: Timeline of the SWG's activities and decisions

This is a timeline covering the activities of Chilbolton Parish Council’s Strategic Working Group. It covers events from 2022 when SWG was first formed from members of the Neighbourhood Development Plan Group. It ends with March 2025 when the pre-application they had made on behalf of CPC to Test Valley Borough Council for a development of 25 housed was “paused” for a redraft.

The timeline has been collated from five sources:

• Minutes of Chilbolton Parish Council
• Minutes of the Strategic Working Group
• Annual Reports from the Strategic Working Group
• Reports by the Chair of Chilbolton Parish Council in the Parish Magazine
• A statement made on behalf of the Parish Council in a meeting on 22 Feb 2025

• May 2021: The Neighbourhood Development Plan is “made” when it is voted for by 89.8% of residents in a referendum. The Neighbourhood Development Plan Group is renamed the Strategic Plan Group and its terms of reference are agreed
• June 2021: Parish councillors were briefed that after meeting with Test Valley Association of Town and Parish Councils that the Group would investigate development of affordable and downsizing housing/new builds with local developers and land owners
• Dec 2021: The idea of a property trust is investigated: “We now have a couple of model trust deeds for the proposed village property trust and will report at the next meeting in more detail”
• Feb 2022: The SWG “proposed that CPC sets up a Community Land Trust (CLT) in order to be able to apply for loans and purchase land enter in to contracts.”
• Apr 2022: A document prepared by the SWG sets out the objectives and structure of the CCLT
• Jun 2022: “The parish council are now working on a community land trust that will be controlled by the parish council and used as the vehicle to take forward the projects to build 10 affordable homes and 10 comfortable retirement homes for local people.”
• Jul 2022: SWG starts to become a more formal entity with terms of reference being drawn up. Pro-forma CLT documents are to be drawn up
• Aug 2022: The first documented meeting of the SWG is held with terms of reference tabled. It is a subcommittee of CPC and “all responses are to be recommendations to CPC”. They intend to lead “the development of 10 affordable and 10 downsize houses that were proposed in the [Neighbourhood Plan]”
• Oct 2022: Tony Ewer and James Painter meet “to discuss the application under SHLAA as this was in the public domain and might be an easy route to action the 10 affordable and 10 downsize houses in the CNDP”
• Nov 2022: SWG suggest “working with local land owners to see if affordable housing can be incorporated in any development of land that they have ‘flagged’ as available in a recent Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment
• Dec 2022: Discussions “are ongoing with local land owners [about] available land for housing development”
• Feb 2023: SWG decide that “there would be no further discussions with Painters until such time as we were we are required to consult on the SHELAA and could be public documents”
• Mar 2023: Three pieces of land in Chilbolton are reported as being in TVBC’s SHELAA
• May 2023: SWG terms of reference are agreed
• Jun 2023: SWG agree that they “need to update and confirm the results of the survey that formed evidence for the NP so have agreed to conduct a further survey of Parishioner’s in order to do this. It was suggested that respondents be asked to rate the community projects and aspirations that are set out in section 10 of the NP because we need to ensure that we have wide support [from] parishioners and that we concentrate on meeting the actual wishes of local people.”
• Aug 2023: SWG reviewed the previous village questionnaire used for the Neighbourhood Plan. They agreed that they “should [build] on these findings and expand and re affirm as necessary”. They agreed that “any adult resident on the electoral roll could take part”
• Nov 2023: SWG agreed that they would “proceed to review the SHELAA sites and any other known possible development sites using the TVBC protocol for evaluation development sites”
• Jan 2024: SWG decided to present villagers with a summary of neighbourhood plan aspirations and rate them on a 1 to 5 scale “so that PC is aware of these aspirations”
• Feb 2024 and Mar 2024: Villagers are asked to complete the housing need survey, and that a large response provides “necessary evidence for projects and confirms the public view”
• May 2024: In its annual report on its work, the SWG says that its role now includes the need “to formulate a long term plan for Chilbolton that will be used to guide the Parish Council and its committees on the direction and strategy from 2030 to 2050”
• Jul 2024: CPC agree that “the SWG should talk to the relevant landowners regarding provision of the 20 homes for development on their land as the first part of a long-term masterplan for development, including community facilities including a playing field, shop and other facilities, and provision of improved highways. 10 houses would be affordable and 10 would be downsizing houses to fund the affordable housing.”
• Jul 2024: On the four sites in the SHELAA, SWG report that “TVBC had ruled all these sites out in the recent REG 18 Local Plan consultation as unsuitable sites for inclusion in the settlement boundary. The WG discussed these 4 sites and agreed with TVBC except the Painter Land that appeared to be the only site suitable for 20 houses”. They agreed a group of SWG members would meet with James Painter to discuss proposals “for long term development of their land over 25/30 years and the present priority of building 10 affordable and 10 downsize homes”
• Aug 2024: SWG’s purpose in meeting with James Painter is to “establish what the Painter family wanted from the project, their anticipated time scales and the basis on which land would accrue to the parish”. A draft proposal to CPC would include suggested terms for a memorandum of understanding with the Painter family and the proposed phasing. The first estimate of “phase 1 affordable housing” would be £1m to £1.5m
• Sep 2024: SWG report to CPC says that they have “held a meeting with our preferred land owner who is putting together a draft layout. The idea is that the parish will be granted land for affordable housing, a playing field / village green site and for future parish shop etc. We are nearly ready to discuss with TVBC.”
• Oct 2024: SWG reported to CPC that “TVBC Planning team gave their full support to the CPC’s proposed development of new homes (10 downsize and 10 affordable) at a recent meeting.” and that “It is the aim of the Group to hold a public meeting in December to update residents on this matter”
• Nov 2024: In the Parish Magazine, SWG reported that a public meeting would be held to “outline the proposals for 10 affordable houses and 10 downsize houses”. It also said that “a successful meeting was held with TVBC officers” and that they “enthusiastic about the scheme and have offered to support us”
• Dec 2024: SWG reported to CPC that their team had “been very busy preparing the presentation for the public meeting on the 5th of December to discuss building 10 affordable and 10 downsize homes”
• Jan 2025: SWG agrees to propose that a pre-application is prepared and submitted to TVBC. Parish Councial unanimously agrees
• Jan 2025: Four members of the SWG, including three Parish Councillors draft a pre-application together with the landowner and it is submitted by the landowner
• Feb 2025: Parish Council “pauses” the pre-application and proposes that it resubmits with “modified” documents that would be publicly available
• Mar 2025: Parish Council agrees that the SWG would undertake revisions to the pre-application. A new sub-committee of the Parish Council will be formed to undertake all activities associated with proposed development, aside from those covered by CCLT