PLANS to build up to 60,000 new homes in Wiltshire have been unveiled.

The proposal is part of a major planning strategy - The Wiltshire and Swindon Structure Plan - which sets guidelines for development in the county during the next decade.

The strategy outlines where new houses and employment areas should be built and Trowbridge and Chippenham have been earmarked as areas for growth.

The policies aim to ensure development in Wiltshire is economically and environmentally sustainable, while meeting the needs of residents. It also provides a framework for the review of the more detailed local plans prepared by district councils.

The adoption of the plan by Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council follows a three-year process of consultation with local people and an examination in public, which is a type of public inquiry.

The key policies contained within the structure plan are:

  • The overall number of houses built between 1996 and 2016 will be 60,000;
  • A total of 725 hectares (1,791 acres) of employment land identified for development between the same period;
  • The key areas focused by the plan for development are Swindon, Chippenham, Salisbury and Trowbridge;
  • The policy for development in Swindon includes provision for a university campus on the south-eastern side of the town and housing on the western side of town;
  • Support for transport improvements across the county.

Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire County Council cabinet member for planning, said: "This is an important set of policies that will help ensure development is controlled in Wiltshire and Swindon and takes place in a way that will promote economic growth and protect the environment. There has been extensive consultation which has helped ensure it will best meet the development needs of our local communities."