Melksham could find itself ‘under attack’ from housing developers after Wiltshire’s Local Plan was rejected by the planning inspectorate, warns a local councillor.
Wiltshire Councillor Nick Holder has written to all residents in Bowerhill after new housing targets set by the government mean that Wiltshire will need to significantly increase its housing stock.
The Local Plan aimed to guide development in Wiltshire, including nearly 37,000 homes. However, government inspectors have rejected the plan, finding it does not allocate enough land to meet housing needs, relies on uncertain new settlements, and fails to match the location of new homes to where demand exists. Because the council does not currently have enough land allocated to meet these targets, developers can bring forward proposals on unplanned sites, and appeals against rejected applications are more likely to succeed, creating a risk of speculative development.
Cllr Holder is calling for residents to get involved if they are concerned about plans which could see hundreds more homes built in and around Melksham.
He said, “Since the local plan was rejected, we have seen developers bringing forward even more sites for housing in our area and so far, we have seen proposals for another three developments which could add over 600 more houses to the previous number.
“One of these proposals has already been rejected by Wiltshire Council but this decision has been challenged and referred to central government to decide whether it can go ahead.
“If the challenge is successful and unfortunately, I think it will be, then frankly it is open season on our community.
“Melksham has seen huge growth in homes but we cannot be an easy target for developers looking to cash in on these new targets from Labour.
“We still have not seen the upgrade of Melksham Community Hospital, which I think is vital considering the number of homes we already have.”
He said he remains committed to working with Melksham Without Parish Council and Wiltshire Council to act in the best interests of the community, alongside his Conservative colleagues on Melksham Town Council.
“But it’s important for residents to know that their voice matters and it can make a real difference,” he added.
“Whether it’s following what’s going on in local papers like the Melksham News or the social media pages of councils and councillors, if you see something you are concerned about you should have your say.
“All local residents can raise concerns on the Council’s planning portal and I will make sure to regularly share this link along with updates on new planning proposals which affect our area.”
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