Wiltshire Council says every town will have to find room for more houses than they expected under changes to the county Core Strategy revealed today.

Consultation has started on the changes made necessary by a Government inspector who told the council in December it must allow 42,000 extra homes rather than the 37,000 it had planned for by 2026.

The modified plan published today identifies increased numbers for each town.

In Trowbridge the number of new homes that will be built will go up from 6,000 to 7,000. The plan allows for strategic growth to the south east of the town at Ashton Park, which extends towards the A350 to the south and the railway line to the west.

An additional 950 homes will then be developed at the town once improved secondary school provision is in place toward the end of the plan period and there has been a further assessment of effects on protected bat species and their habitats to ensure they are properly safeguarded.

In Bradford on Avon the number of new homes will go up from 670 to 780 .

Land has been identified to the east of Bradford on Avon on land at Kingston Farm for strategic growth.

In the wider Bradford area the number of new homes will change from 160 to 185.

In Melksham the number of homes will be increased from 1,930 to 2240.

In Warminster the figure will go from 1,650 to 1,920 and in Westbury from 1,290 to 1,500.

Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for spatial planning, said: “Our vision is to create stronger and more resilient communities and by ensuring we have a robust development plan in place to manage growth – both in terms of housing and economic development – we can achieve this.

“We would like to thank everyone who has responded so far and anyone who is interested in helping us achieve the balance between ensuring our communities grow in a sustainable way while protecting this county’s unique identity should look at the document and provide comment.

"We encourage people to get involved as it's community engagement that continues to shape and inform this incredibly important strategy.”

Full details of the modifications are available to view at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/wiltshirecorestrategyexamination 

Consultation will continue until Tuesday, May 27.