St Peter’s Church, Fugglestone
This small 13th Century Church is actually located in Wilton on the junction of the A36 and A30. Inside it has Victorian gas mantles and a hand powered (by bellows) organ. It still holds occasional services but is in need of restoration. We have partnered with Reverend Mark Wood to help determine the future of the building. As part of this discussion we held a public consultation in February and March of 2023.
The results of the survey and meetings are being compiled and we plan to share them with the public as soon as possible. We will post them on this site, on the homepage, when they are available. Rev. Wood hopes to be able to raise funds, possibly in the form of a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, in order to refurbish the building.
It will still be able to host services but will also be more of a community space so that the building is able to better serve the community on a regular basis, providing a location that can be used more fully than it is at present. The consultation will help us determine to what uses it could be put, where there are needs to fulfil.
The Great Green Challenge
In January 2012 the Wilton Eco Park Development Community Association launched the Great Green Challenge; an environmental audit of Wilton and the local area. Funded by grants from Awards for All and the Local Energy Assessment Fund, the purpose of the Challenge was threefold;
- To raise awareness of the proposed Eco Park.
- To consult local people and businesses about their environmental needs, both locally and for the Eco Park.
- To establish a Community Land Trust.
The results of the audit were used directly to guide the formation of the Community Land Trust, making sure that it would be as community led as possible.
The Great Green Challenge consisted of 25 public events, energy audits on 15 local households, community buildings and businesses, plus training for ten energy enablers. 2,000 questionnaires were also distributed and, from those returned showed it was clear that not only was there 95% approval for the proposed Eco Park, but there was also strong evidence of local fuel poverty, a lack of affordable housing, transport concerns and a need for river and green spaces improvements.
Wilton Hill
In early 2013, it was announced that the Erskine Barracks site had been acquired by Redrow Homes Ltd , who have subsequently selected the name Wilton Hill for the development.
Redrow Homes has formed a partnership with OurEnterprise, a social developer and the Wilton CLT, to create an innovative new development on this site. Planning was approved in early 2014 and the site development is schedule to be fully complete by the end of 2018.
In 2013 a number of local events were held in association with Redrow Homes Ltd and OurEnterprise. They included a public exhibition on site in July 2013, which was followed up during the summer by workshops examining specific aspects of the proposed development.
Before the submission of the final planning application, a second exhibition was held in September 2013 at the Michael Herbert Hall, where members of the CLT and the general public were able to find out how plans had evolved, with the benefit of input from the community given at the earlier events. The event included a number of presentations and also an open Question and Answer session with representatives of the developers and the CLT.
To find our more about the Wilton Hill development, please check out the Entrain Space site – https://www.entrainspace.co.uk or the Our Wilton site – http://www.ourwilton.org
South Wiltshire Green Doors
Wilton Community Land Trust organised South Wiltshire’s first Green Doors project in the May 2013. This weekend event saw 10 local homes opened to the public in Salisbury, Wilton and in other locations in the South of the County. The event enabled people to see what others have achieved and gain inspiration for their own homes. For more see our News pages.
We are now getting ready for a second Green Doors event, to take place in late spring of 2014. Further details will be available very soon.
Other Activities
Since formation we have also run a small river clearance project and has facilitated Ready for Life Workshops with Wessex Community Action. Visits have been made to CLTs in Cornwall and to the large Coin Street development in London.