Have your say on Forest estate plans

PLANS have been revealed for a possible 152 new homes to be built on Woodrow Road to the north of Melksham Forest.

The plans were announced in April and caused uproar among people living nearby. Now, the developer’s website has gone live showing more detail and inviting people to give their thoughts on the proposal.

Developer Waddeton Park Ltd says it hopes to build “a new high quality housing development for up to 152 dwellings comprising a mix of different house types including a small number of apartments and two, three, four and five bedroom houses.”

All traffic would enter and leave the estate via Woodrow Road, and there would be footpaths to the north and south.

There would be a ‘wildlife corridor’ beneath the power lines currently crossing the field, which the company says will “enhance mitigation and encourage wildlife, creating a link to the proposed wetland habitat  and new woodland planting area in the west of the site.”

Local people are encouraged to give their feedback on the plans with a form on the website.

People living nearby in the Forest area were upset by the proposal when it was first revealed, and have set up a Facebook group – ‘Woodrow Road building houses on our field’ – to discuss their concerns.

James Dobbin, a teenager living on Woodrow Road told Melksham News, “People use these fields for dog walking and to enjoy the beautiful scenery and countryside which seems, in Melksham, to be slowly depleting and always taking second place to housing.

“There seems to be little consideration for residents who will be widely affected, many of whom have lived in this area for decades.”

To see the plans or give feedback go to www. woodrowroad.co.uk. A planning application had not been registered by Wiltshire Council when Melksham News went to press.