Salisbury Cathedral Close Preservation Society

Planning Issues

Update on the Close Car Park/Marsh Close planning application

From: Jeremy Edwards <edwardsjde@gmail.com>
Date: 26 March 2025 at 17:40:00 GMT
To: Rob Foster <robfoster12@hotmail.com>
Subject: Update on the Close Car Park/Marsh Close planning application PL/2023/09615

Dear Member,

I wrote to you on 17th March alerting you to an imminent meeting of Wiltshire Southern Area Planning Committee to decide whether to give permanent consent to the tennis courts car park and works in Marsh Close.

The councillors voted against the application and shared many of our objections.
Five councillors voted against, one in favour and one abstained.
The planning application was refused.

For more than sixteen months, the Society’s trustees and members have sought a design for the car park that reflected the sensitivity and importance of the setting and which protects the whole of the Marsh Close area, as well as being consistent with the Cathedral’s EcoChurch Award status.

The trustees would have preferred to work with the Chapter to achieve an acceptable design, but we hope the Wiltshire councillors’ refusal to give consent to the inadequate design represents a first step towards something more fitting.

It seems likely that there are now two options open to Chapter:

  1. To submit a revised planning application.  (This is the approach recommended in the Procedural Guide Planning Appeals England “the Procedural Guide”)
  1. To submit an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. The Procedural Guide describes this as “a last resort”.

It is also possible that Chapter will choose to do nothing.

I have, once again, written to the Dean and the Treasurer of the Cathedral offering to assist them in achieving a high-quality and sensitive design for the car park and plans for Marsh Close that the Society can support.

Over recent months the trustees of the Preservation Society have, after careful thought and much discussion, agreed unanimously to spend the Society’s funds to purchase appropriate professional advice on the planning applications for both Leaden Hall and the Tennis Courts Car Park/Marsh Close.  The advice received has been of a very high standard and has proved invaluable in our efforts to defend and protect the very special nature of The Close.

We now anticipate that there will be further calls on the funds of the Society over the coming months not least in respect of the continuing planning applications

We are grateful to members for their support through their membership fees, but we are seeking additional donations to fund the next stages of our work to protect The Close.

Your donations will assist in helping us to progress our Society’s charitable objects including:

  1. Our ongoing campaign to ensure that the historic fabric and landscape setting of Leaden Hall are protected.
  2. Following up on the very successful presentation by Dr Kate Felus on the landscape of The Close and Leaden Hall.
  3. Finally, we plan to hold a number of further events as we seek to fulfil our education remit and continue to raise the profile of the Society.  This follows on from the success of previous talks including those on York Minster and Gloucester Cathedral.

Please consider making a donation, using the following link:

https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/21513#!/DonationDetails

Or by cheque payable to the Salisbury Cathedral Close Preservation Society

FAO: Mr Terry Byrne
Harnham Lodge,
Ayleswade Road,
Salisbury SP2 8DP

Thank you once again for your support.

Yours faithfully,

Jeremy

Jeremy Edwards
Chair
Salisbury Cathedral Close Preservation Society