Parish council join fight against Woodrow housing plans

MELKSHAM Without Parish Council has joined the list of objectors to the proposal to build 150 houses on land situated to the south of Woodrow Road.

The parish council has objected to the plans, listing the proposed pedestrian access to the site – which is adjacent to a ‘blind bend’ on Woodrow Road – as their main concern. 

Parish councillors also criticised the housing developers for having a “lack of local knowledge” about the area, and for making “misleading” statements in their supporting documents, including what was described by cllr David Pafford as an “extraordinary” claim that the development would be a five minute walk from King George V playing field.

The proposed development was also labelled as “unsustainable”, with poor connectivity to local amenities such as schools and health services.

The parish council’s concerns echo those of local residents, Melksham Town Council and Wiltshire councillors, who have all objected to the plans.

Other concerns raised include the development’s potential to cause flooding in neighbouring properties; and its potential to exacerbate existing “dangerous” traffic problems.

There is hope that the plans could be refused if Melksham’s Neighbourhood Plan – which sets out a vision for where development should take place in the area – gathers “enough weight” in the planning system. The public consultation on the plans closed last week.