Residents turned out in force to voice their opinions at a public consultation regarding a potential housing development on land north of Berryfield Lane. Concerns were raised about infrastructure strain, the loss of agricultural land and the risk of flooding.
Held at Berryfield Village Hall on Wednesday, 30th October, the consultation allowed attendees to view the plans and share their views on the proposal put forward by Martin Grant Homes, which aims to develop a mix of 70 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes on the site.
Two residents who have lived in Berryfield since the 1960s voiced their opposition, expressing concerns about the impact on the town’s already stretched infrastructure.
They said, “We have too much development in Melksham, and what we are concerned about is the length of time it takes to get a medical appointment. We need the infrastructure to support the houses. We are also opposed because the development could be built on prime agricultural land, and it is a flood plain.
“We still like living in Melksham, but the developments are putting too much strain on the town.”
One resident, who was not opposed to the development, commented that he thought it was inevitable the site would be put forward as a development opportunity. However, he was opposed to the large-scale developments that have become prevalent in the town. “I don’t mind places being infilled because people need homes, but I am opposed to the mass developments happening on big spaces of land surrounding the town,” explained Paul Carter Snr.
Good turnout
The chair of Melksham Without Parish Council’s planning committee, Cllr Richard Wood, commented after the consultation, “It was fantastic to see so many residents turn out for the consultation and have their say. We had over 150 people attend, which is really good for a consultation like that.
“The interesting thing was that virtually everybody was talking from the same hymn sheet and the fact that this is a very, very bad place to build a development. The access is going to be very hard to make right, and it is a very wet site.”
The developers stated that an outline planning application is being prepared for the development, proposing two access points for the site: primary access from the Berryfield Park/Berryfield Lane junction and secondary access from Berryfield Lane.
The developers stated, “The emerging proposal has been carefully designed to accommodate a mix of much-needed new homes within an attractive and responsive environment. The layout reflects and respects the character of the surrounding context and provides publicly accessible spaces, including a new children’s play space and landscape enhancements. The layout also takes inspiration from its agricultural setting and nearby listed building by creating a farmstead-type layout on the western parcel.”
Pictured (Cover Image): Cllr Richard Wood, left, discusses the plans with a member of the public
Pictured (Below): The area for proposed development (pic taken from the developer’s website)
