We have lived peacefully next to you for the last 122 years. Throughout this time we have always been neighbourly, sharing our crops and ensuring safe passage for all who visit your City. Laverstock is thought to possibly mean the “homestead of the Lark” and you can tell when you have reached our Parish by the Lark song that still abounds.

We have made best use of the wonderful countryside of our Parish and made sure it is open to all, particularly City dwellers in need of some restorative country culture. We’ve always understood our Parish needs to grow to help support the City and meet the demands of modern life and we have risen to that challenge. Our Parish hosts three of South Wiltshire’s secondary schools, the city’s football ground as well as our own football team, who like the rest of us would prefer not to be referred to as “Lavvy”. We are also custodians of an historic airfield at Old Sarum. We have nurtured our downlands and meadows and kept our rural community spirit strong.

When we learnt new housing was needed in our Parish we worked hard with the Planners and Developers to make sure our three new settlements would not be a drain on the City or us for that matter. For example we made provision to help move commercial businesses from your City centre to our Longhedge settlement, thus providing places for new homes for your City Parish on brownfield land rather than soggy water meadows.

We battled to secure community facilities, greenspaces, play areas, places of work, schools and community meeting places and I am very proud to say we are doing well! We were thrilled when our new Youth Club at Old Sarum and new Community Centre also at Old Sarum; both received awards this year. Life in our Parish is definitely on the up and our community spirit is on the rise. We pride ourselves on the low crime, healthy environment and a myriad of educational opportunities for all. Please have a look at our web-site and newsletter. Come and join in – you are very welcome!

There is one small issue though that we need your help with. Wiltshire Council is being asked by your City Council to “merge” us with your community. Your local politicians have mixed feelings about this, and for good reason. Why merge two separate Parishes that have happily co-existed for over one hundred years? Apparently one argument that you are not meant to consider, but keeps getting mentioned is that our Parish precept is lower than yours so that cannot be fair. The suggestion is that our Parish benefits from the City parks and play areas and community halls without paying our way. We are all scratching our heads about this one since we have some first class parks and halls of our own, with more on the way. Our flagship Laverstock and Ford Country Park lies on the boundary of our Parish. It is already full of Skylarks and has inspiring views across the countryside of our Parish. It will be the first Green Flag standard Country Park in Wiltshire. You will have heard The Developers have been dumping spoil on part of the Country Park as reported in last week’s Postbag. What you may not know is we have held the Developers to account and helped make sure the relevant Wiltshire Council staff have kept on the case. We want to take on the management of this Country Park at no cost to the City or our own Parishioners. We have also nurtured the River Bourne Community Farm which many City residents already love visiting. Again no cost to you and all are most welcome.

So please do support us to carry on our good work and ask Salisbury City Council to think again. We will always be good neighbours and pay our way one way or another.

David Burton

Laverstock and Ford Parish Council chairman