MELKSHAM has been described as the “dumping ground” for houses in the county, with local Wiltshire councillors saying the numbers of planned new houses are ‘huge’ and ‘way too high’.
The councillors who represent Melksham on Wiltshire Council made their comments in response to questions from Melksham News about Wiltshire Council’s proposed plans to build over 2,500 new houses in the town.
Five of Melksham’s six Wiltshire councillors have answered questions from Melksham News about Wiltshire Council’s ‘emerging’ Local Plan, which determines where and how development takes place across the county up until 2036.
Councillors were questioned about their views on the plans; their thoughts on the number of houses allocated to Melksham – which is similar to the combined total for Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon, Calne and Corsham; and were asked what input they plan to have into the consultation, which ends next week.
Cllr Jon Hubbard expressed his fears that Melksham is being used as a “dumping ground” for development, and a “easy choice” to solve Wiltshire Council’s “failed attempts to get Chippenham to take its fair share of new development.”
Cllr Hubbard also criticised Wiltshire Council’s failure to maintain a five-year land supply – which means there is an insufficient number of ‘deliverable sites’ to provide five years’ worth of housing – leaving Mellksham open to “ad-hoc developments” from developers “exploiting” the loop-hole.
Cllr Phil Alford said, “The numbers are huge and it needs to come down.” He told Melksham News that he is “unhappy” with the number of houses that have been proposed and has said that he will “fight” to bring the number down.
And all five councillors – cllrs Pat Aves, Nick Holder, Jonathon Seed, Jon Hubbard and Phil Alford – have argued that the town’s infrastructure should grow alongside any new housing developments.
“I am quite clear, any new houses must come with new services to cater for the increase in population,” said cllr Holder. “As well as schools, roads, commercial and leisure developments, local jobs must also be considered as I do not want Melksham to become a dormitory town.”
Cllr Jonathon Seed said that the “growing demand for housing in Wiltshire needs to be shared around the county. However it is critical that new housing comes with new infrastructure (schools, roads, leisure facilities and shops) – and new local jobs.”
And cllr Aves has stressed the importance of Melksham’s Neighbourhood Plan and its potential influence over how the town is developed.
“This will prevent developers from seeking to build in places which have no connectivity to the local area, and without the infrastructure to support it,” said cllr Aves.
