WELCOME to the parish of MELKSHAM WITHOUT
in the heart of WEST WILTSHIRE

REFERENDUM RESULT: Neighbourhood Plan carried

Melksham and Melksham Without residents have voted in favour of adopting the Neighbourhood Plan for the town and surrounding villages, following a public referendum held on Thursday 31st July.

A total of 1,903 people voted YES, with 239 voting NO. The turnout was 10.79%.

The result means the Joint Melksham Neighbourhood Plan (JMNP2) will now be formally adopted and carry full legal weight when future planning applications are considered, alongside Wiltshire Council’s Local Plan.

Developed by the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group with Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council, the plan sets out a vision for the Melksham area up to 2038 and includes 21 bespoke local policies. It covers everything from housing and green space to infrastructure and support for local businesses. Key priorities include the redevelopment of the Cooper Tires site and the old library building, protection for 49 local green spaces, support for town centre businesses, and safeguards to prevent the merging of Melksham with surrounding villages. The plan also aims to deliver more affordable housing, including bungalows, promote brownfield-first development, and introduce a new ‘local list’ to protect historic buildings. The plan was shaped by two years of consultation with residents, businesses and community groups, and builds on the original Neighbourhood Plan adopted in 2021.

Link to formal Declaration of Result: https://elections.wiltshire.gov.uk/Home/Division/9157

CONTACT YOUR COUNCILLOR

Information on how to contact your councillor can be found on the Councillors and Representatives page. Their email addresses are provided, but if you wish to ring or write a letter to your councillor please contact the office on 01225 705700 or email: office@melkshamwithout-pc.gov.uk for their details.

OUT OF HOURS CONTACT DETAILS

OUT OF HOURS PHONE NUMBER
For urgent matters please ring the out of hours mobile 07341 474234 (please ring, not text, as diverted to a staff member)

The Parish of Melksham Without is in the Melksham Community Area.

Map showing Melksham Without within the Melksham Community Area

It surrounds the Town of Melksham and has thirteen Members. It is the largest rural parish in Wiltshire and has a population of approximately 7,500. It covers an area of 2,904 hectares (7,173 acres).

The next Full Council Meeting is on Monday 8th September 2025

There are several villages and communities in the parish, each with its own distinct character and needs.

Beanacre, Berryfield, Bowerhill, Shaw, The Spa, Whitley, Other Rural Settlements

Your Council is Here to Serve You

If you are a resident of Melksham Without and have an issue you would like raised with your local council, please get in touch with the Clerk or your local Councillors.

If you have any comments about our web site or suggestions for information or resources that you would like to see added, please let us know via the feedback page.

New term of Office – May 2025 onwards

All Parish Councillors are volunteers; they are passionate about their communities and seek to make a change to help improve residents' lives. They give up their time, and spend a lot of energy, working to get the best for the communities that they live in, and represent. The Melksham Without Parish Councillors have good local knowledge and a unique understanding of the distinct characteristics of the five villages, two hamlets and rural areas that they represent.

Where they don’t have direct decision making authority, they will engage with those who do, for the good of the community. They strive to :

have a holistic view across the parish
influence decision makers
join up the dots and look at the bigger picture
look at highways and speeding issues

They are committed to achieving the right infrastructure, from community facilities to health and education provision, for all parish residents. At the start of the new term of four years, they have broken that down into more specific priorities and objectives, which are listed in no particular order.

Objectives & Priorities for 2025/26

To progress the review of the joint Melksham Neighbourhood Plan through Examination and Referendum*
To implement, monitor and use the policies in the current and reviewed Melksham Neighbourhood Plan*
To progress the installation of a drinking water refill point at Shaw Sports Field
To review the Emergency Plan*
To progress the Shurnhold Fields car park and improved entrance project*
To continue to maintain a good working relationship with Wiltshire Council, the Area Board and all the neighbouring parishes who abut Melksham Without.
To agree a new lease for Shaw Village Hall with the Management Trust
To ensure the best outcome for the parish from any major National Infrastructure projects
To build funds for a new East of Melksham Community Centre
To review and update the parish council website (both content and to meet new accessibility criteria)
To progress project for a footbridge over the brook to connect Buckley Gardens development to Bowood View development (off Semington Road, Berryfield)
To support village halls and community groups with any impact of new legislation e.g.: change in Waste rules, Martyn’s Law

Objectives & Priorities for Term of Council (2025-2029)

To assess and make best use of evolving technology such as AI and Microsoft tools
To work towards obtaining the Local Council Quality Gold Award
To continue to provide enhanced access to council meetings via remote technology to improve community engagement.
To achieve the best outcome for the parish, for the proposed A350 Bypass.
To continue to progress wider Realtime Information (RTI) in bus shelters across the parish and town*
To obtain higher speed internet access in the parish
To improve drainage at Bowerhill Sports Field
To continue the Melksham Community Support project with Age UK* and look to develop a similar project for younger age groups
To campaign and progress an improved Melksham health facility/hospital
To progress an East of Melksham Community Centre*
To progress Road Safety improvements
To achieve the best outcome for the community from current and future planning applications for major development in the parish
To facilitate 3G pitch/es as per the identified need for two pitches in the Melksham community area
To progress the Bowerhill Sports Field enhancement project with teen shelter/gym equipment

* Working with Melksham Town Council

Website Disclaimer
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information given on the website is correct, Melksham Without Parish Council does not accept any responsibility for any errors shown. Opinions expressed or implied by material on the website are not necessarily those of the Council at any given time. All material on this website; text photos and graphics, are owned by Melksham Without Parish Council and copyright of the Council.

Accessibility

Melksham Without Parish Council is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

We aim to adhere as closely as possible to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0, Level AA), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make Web content more accessible for people with disabilities.

Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user friendly to everyone.

Whilst Melksham Without Parish Council strive to adhere to the guidelines and standards for accessibility, it is not always possible to do so in all areas of the website and we are currently working to achieve this.

Be aware that due to the dynamic nature of the website, minor issues may occasionally occur as it is updated regularly. We are continually seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility.

If you have any comments and or suggestions relating to improving the accessibility of our site, please don't hesitate to contact our accessibility coordinator by e-mail on clerk@melkshamwithout-pc.gov.uk.

Your feedback will help us make improvements.