BOTH of Melksham’s councils have used the recently adopted Neighbourhood Plan to support their objections to an application to build up to 150 houses to the north of the town.
This is the first time that the two councils have been able to ‘officially’ use the Neighbourhood Plan – which sets out where the community would prefer to see housing built – since the referendum last month.
“This is not an identified site within the Neighbourhood Plan,” said mayor cllr Jon Hubbard about the proposal to build 150 houses on land to the west of the A350 (Beanacre Road), north of Dunch Lane, at a meeting of the town council’s economic development and planning committee last week.
The town council also raised concerns about vehicular access to the development from the A350, which they said could cause traffic on the busy road to “grind to a halt”, resulting in standing traffic having an impact on the air quality in Beanacre.
In their formal response to the planning application, the town council will also repeat concerns raised in March this year at the pre-application stage, when it was originally proposed to build up to 170 houses on the site.
The town council’s objections to the plan in March included the lack of health services and “sustainable” education facilities to support the development; and the removal of the natural boundary between Beanacre and Melksham.
Melksham Without Parish Council has also raised similar concerns in their objection to the application.
In the event that planning permission is granted by Wiltshire Council, the town council has asked that the housing developers be asked to retain the original trees on the site and plant more trees along the boundary bordering the railway line.
They have also requested that there be improved pedestrian links from the development to the railway station; that a roundabout be built where the entrance to the development meets the A350; and that there be a secondary access point for emergency vehicles.
The public consultation on the application has now closed – the Wiltshire Council planning website says that the deadline for a decision by Wiltshire Council is 20th August.
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