AS your MP, I have opposed taking a strong view backing or objecting to individual planning decisions. I am not an official consultee in the process and it can be counterproductive and disingenuous to imply I have more power than I do. However, I remain fully engaged in ensuring all views are heard.

I have been keeping a close interest in plans for new houses in Netherhampton. There are significant concerns about the impact on road infrastructure further east in Harnham and within the borders of Netherhampton itself. I will be making representations on behalf of local residents to ensure all issues are fully examined and the decision-making process is correctly followed.

At the same time, I understand the acute pressures facing many people in Salisbury when it comes to the housing supply. Young families are too often locked in a rental trap without the stability that can come with home ownership.

To meet demand, Wiltshire Council’s Core Strategy calls for the construction of just over 6,000 new homes within Salisbury and Wilton for the two decades between 2006 and 2026. Under 3,000 have been built so far, which means that over half of the homes planned for the Salisbury area still need to be built.

I’m very sympathetic to constituents pointing out the shortcomings of the Netherhampton proposal. With thousands of new homes still needing to be built in South Wiltshire to keep up with demand though, other sites would need to be developed if the Netherhampton site did not go ahead. This is particularly challenging given the delays in regenerating Churchfields, where 1,100 new dwellings were originally planned in the housing strategy. Last Friday I visited Boeing at Boscombe Down where many hundreds of high-quality new jobs in the constituency will be created over the next few years. It’s an exciting time for our area with key new opportunities appearing.

We need to make sure over the next decade that we have the homes and infrastructure in place to ensure that Salisbury and South Wiltshire prosper. This may need to be outside the city in places not yet identified.