Go ahead for 112 houses on scrapyard

Plans to build more than 100 houses on a vacant scrap yard in Melksham have been given the go-ahead – nearly four years after plans were first submitted.

In 2022, Stantonbury Building and Development Company asked Wilshire Council for permission to build 112 homes at Upside – demolishing disused buildings on the site but retaining an alloy repair centre.

The site lies between South Brook – which is prone to flooding – and the railway line and the busy Bath Road.

Public open spaces, footpaths and cycleways, and 675 sqm of flexible employment or commercial space also form part of the plan.

The developer says the site is “an unsightly and inappropriate use near the centre of Melksham,” especially as a first impression for people arriving by train.

“Redevelopment of the site provides the opportunity to open up the site and integrate it into the surrounding area,” they say.

The residential development will consist of a mixture of homes ranging from one and two-bed flats and two, three and four-bed houses.

Thirty per cent of the homes would be designated ‘affordable’ and these would be scattered throughout the site.

The 6.5 hectare site is in the northwest of Melksham and the town centre is around 800m to the southeast of the site.

As South Brook is prone to flooding, the developer intends to create a public open space on the bank of the river, while ensuring houses face into the development, and not outwards to the road and railway track.

The developer will also construct a footpath between Foundry Close and the railway station which will benefit not just the new residents, but existing residents in that part of the town.