Melksham residents are expressing growing frustration over plans for a significant increase in new homes being built in the town, after Wiltshire Council recently approved proposals for 500 new homes at Blackmore Farm, off Sandridge Common, with further developments expected as part of the council’s emerging local plan.
There have been widespread complaints from residents that Melksham lacks the infrastructure to support so many new homes. Residents argue that the town is being overwhelmed by housing developments without adequate investment in essential services.
Melksham has been identified in Wiltshire Council’s emerging local plan as one of the towns that should be expected to accommodate significant growth, along with Trowbridge and Chippenham. In addition to the 500 approved homes, Melksham is expected to take at least 600 more in the coming years.
The town has already experienced considerable expansion, particularly in Melksham East and near Bowerhill. Further proposals have recently been submitted for 295 homes on land north of the A3102 at New Farm and 70 homes off Woodrow Road.
“Melksham is now just one massive housing estate,” said one resident. “The town is dying. There’s nothing to support independent shops, not enough doctors’ surgeries, a hospital not being used, and nowhere to park. It’s disgusting, and we just have to sit by and watch it happen.”
Another resident questioned why Melksham has been targeted for such significant growth: “Why Melksham? We’ve already seen so many new houses built on the edges of town. Trowbridge and Chippenham each have three secondary schools and bigger town centres. Melksham just doesn’t have the infrastructure to cope with this.”
Wiltshire Council has said the developments are necessary to address a significant shortfall in its housing land supply. Recent changes announced by the government now require councils to maintain a five-year land supply to meet housing targets. However, Wiltshire currently has a shortfall of 2.03 years.
A Wiltshire Council planning officer emphasised the importance of approving developments like Blackmore Farm to meet these targets at the council’s recent Strategic Planning Committee meeting, where plans for the homes were discussed at length. They said, “We rely on sites like this. If we can endorse it today for up to 500, we are providing more capacity for housing that we desperately need. In the plan for Melksham, for the local plan, it identifies Melksham as being one of our main settlements that should be taking significant growth. And Melksham will have a requirement, even if this gets approved for up to 500, it will still have a residual requirement to deliver 600 additional houses.” Noting the need for find suitable sites across the county, they added, “We’ve got 2.03 years of housing land supply. Where else are we going to be building 3,500 houses each year?”
Residents are calling for a more sustainable approach, with some suggesting that the focus should shift to improving local services and infrastructure. “Enough is enough,” said one resident. “We need a town that works for its people, not just endless housing developments.”
Pictured: site for the proposed houses
