The Future for A Holy Place

Around 2000* people responded to Salisbury Cathedral’s Draft Master Plan Consultation, which closed on 31 December after six months.

A statement from the Cathedral said, “The Cathedral and Chapter now have the task of sifting through and analysing all the feedback, continuing to listen to and consult with stakeholders and partners in order to produce an interim report later this year, which will feed into future revisions of the plan, and eventually be submitted to Wiltshire Council.”

The draft Master Plan was designed to provide a framework and vision for future plans and possible developments. The purpose of the consultation was to share the Cathedral’s ideas and aspirations for improving the experience of visiting and worshipping at the Cathedral for current and future generations.

Representatives from a wide range of groups and organisations attended meetings and presentations, with many members of the public also attending the five Open Days hosted by the Cathedral. An online survey on the Cathedral’s website attracted over 1000 responses and the Cathedral also surveyed people visiting the city’s market place and Cathedral Close.

Jackie Molnar, the Cathedral’s Executive Director and Chapter Clerk said, “This is a tremendous response and we would like to thank everyone who took part. Cathedrals need to plan ahead in decades rather than in weeks or months and our draft plans look forward some fifty years. We set out to give as many people as possible an opportunity to contribute and it’s hugely gratifying that so many chose to share their views. It’s also a great reflection of the affection and esteem that people have for the Cathedral both within Salisbury and further afield.”   

The Draft Master Plan outlined wide ranging ideas from the development of the Cathedral’s Works Yard, home to its team of skilled stonemasons and glaziers, the potential for opening up the South Side of the Cathedral to visitors for the first time, the building of a new Song School and education facilities, right through to schemes for managing traffic and improving housing for the clergy.

Jackie Molnar added, “We will now consider all of the extensive feedback we’ve received and expect to be able to share key themes arising from the responses received in the first part of 2016. In due course a final version of the Master Plan will be provided to Wiltshire Council for its agreement in principle. However, it’s important to remember that the progression of any of the individual ideas within the overall Master Plan will require detailed proposals that will be subject to the usual planning procedures including further opportunities for people to comment.”

* Figure corrected at 5 pm on Wednesday 20 January.