Wiltshire
Planning & Building Contacts

Stonehenge and Avebury WHS: Any development within or affecting the setting of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site - including the buffer zones and wider setting - requires a World Heritage Impact Assessment and consultation with Historic England. Wiltshire Council applies a strong presumption against development that would harm the WHS's Outstanding Universal Value. Pre-application advice is strongly recommended near Stonehenge, Avebury, the Ridgeway or any part of the Stonehenge landscape.

Swindon Borough Council is a separate unitary authority entirely independent of Wiltshire Council. Swindon is a major M4 corridor growth town with significant new housing allocations. The former GWR railway works (Steam Museum) and Mechanics' Institute are Grade I and II* listed. The North Wessex Downs National Landscape borders Swindon to the south.

Chalk groundwater and radon: Wiltshire sits largely on chalk and limestone geology. Groundwater Source Protection Zones cover significant areas - consult the EA groundwater maps before any works involving drainage or ground disturbance. Radon levels are elevated in parts of the county, particularly in south and west Wiltshire and along the limestone belt. Check the UKHSA radon map (ukradon.org) before commencing groundworks. Registered Building Control Approvers (private sector) may also be used for most building work as an alternative to the council.

Historic England must be consulted on all applications affecting the Stonehenge and Avebury WHS. The A303 Stonehenge tunnel Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project is a major long-running scheme with complex heritage implications. Key Wiltshire assets include Salisbury Cathedral (Grade I, tallest mediaeval spire in England), Lacock Abbey (Grade I, National Trust), Longleat House (Grade I), Old Sarum (Scheduled Monument, English Heritage) and the Ridgeway National Trail.

A Wiltshire HER desktop search is essential before any development in or near the WHS, on Salisbury Plain or in rural Wiltshire generally. Finds include Bronze Age barrow cemeteries, Iron Age hillforts (Barbury, Bratton, Figsbury Ring, Old Sarum, Yarnbury), Neolithic causewayed enclosures and field systems invisible at ground level. Archaeological fieldwork conditions are routinely attached to planning consents across Wiltshire.

Wiltshire is drained by rivers flowing to both the Bristol Avon (westward) and the Thames (northward from the Marlborough Downs). The Salisbury Avon corridor through Salisbury city centre is a significant flood risk zone. The upper River Kennet around Marlborough and the Vale of Pewsey are notable flood risk areas. Wiltshire Council acts as Lead Local Flood Authority for surface water and ordinary watercourses. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (01380 725670, wiltshirewildlife.org) is the key ecological consultee for protected species across the county.

Wessex Water covers most of south and west Wiltshire. Thames Water (0800 316 9800, thameswater.co.uk) covers north Wiltshire and the Swindon area, where the county drains to the upper Thames catchment. Check by postcode to confirm your water company before contacting developer services.

Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN, ssen.co.uk) covers much of eastern and southern Wiltshire. National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED, formerly Western Power Distribution) covers parts of western Wiltshire. Check your postcode on the Energy Networks Association postcode lookup (energynetworks.org) to confirm your distribution network operator before making connection enquiries.

Wales & West Utilities serves Wiltshire's gas distribution network. Mains gas is available in main towns (Salisbury, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Swindon, Devizes, Warminster). Many rural villages - particularly on Salisbury Plain, the Marlborough Downs and in the Nadder/Wylye valleys - have no mains gas; oil, LPG and heat pump systems are the standard alternatives.

The M4 (Junctions 15-17, Swindon) and A303 (Wiltshire's main east-west strategic route) are the key SRN routes. The A303 Stonehenge tunnel DCO project - which would bury the A303 through the Stonehenge WHS - has had a complex planning history. The A350 connects Chippenham to Poole. National Highways is a statutory consultee for development with potential impacts on these routes.

Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) is the largest military training area in the UK and a statutory consultee for development across a wide area. The DIO (Defence Infrastructure Organisation) must be consulted on applications within or near military land. The SPTA also contains significant archaeological remains - it was excluded from agricultural improvement, preserving prehistoric field systems. RAF Boscombe Down (Amesbury) safeguarding zones affect development height in the surrounding area.

DSTL Porton Down is the UK's principal military science and technology facility, located north-east of Salisbury. The site carries safeguarding zones which are consulted on relevant planning applications in the vicinity. Wiltshire Council and the Ministry of Defence liaise directly on applications within defined consultation distances.

The North Wessex Downs National Landscape (1,730 sq km) covers much of northern Wiltshire including the Marlborough Downs, the Ridgeway National Trail corridor, Avebury and the Vale of Pewsey. The Avebury WHS core zone lies within this National Landscape. Development must conserve and enhance the area's natural beauty. Wiltshire Council consults the NL Unit on relevant applications. The Savernake Forest near Marlborough is one of England's oldest managed forests.

The Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs National Landscape covers chalk downland in south Wiltshire (Wilton, Tisbury, Shaftesbury area). One of England's designated Dark Sky Discovery Sites - artificial lighting is a planning consideration for development here. The Wardour Valley and Fonthill Abbey ruins are notable heritage assets within the NL.