Residents are being asked for their views on a proposal to develop 300 houses on land south of Snarlton Farm in Melksham East, before plans are submitted for the site, following the withdrawal of previous plans last year.
An outline planning application to develop the houses, with land for community use or building, and open space, was first submitted last year by the developer, Catesby Estates. The application was met with strong opposition from local residents.
It was then withdrawn in February this year due to changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which sets out the government’s planning policies for England and has now been revised to recognise where communities have neighbourhood plans in place, which give local councils more control over speculative development.
Melksham Without Parish Council (MWPC) opposed the planning application originally, when it was first submitted, because the land in the application had not been allocated for housing in the town’s joint Neighbourhood Plan, which is currently under a period of consultation.
Wiltshire Council’s Local Plan also does not include the site as a strategic allocation.
A public consultation was held last year and some residents also objected to the application due to the loss of green space and a lack of infrastructure to cope with the development. MWPC and Melksham Town Council echoed these objections and also expressed “disappointment” that concerns raised in the preliminary stage over lack of infrastructure in Melksham, such as medical facilities, were not addressed.
However, following revisions made to the NPPF, Catesby Estates now says the policy context within which the application has been amended can be considered and determined.
One resident who is opposed to the planning application being resubmitted said, “I fully understand that in order to thrive, a town must grow but in doing so, the infrastructure also has to be in place for that growth. You have to balance the scales and that just isn’t happening.”
Catesby Estates now say they are preparing an outline planning application and that the public consultation phase is an ‘important’ part of the process. Feedback should be given no later than Sunday 14th July. To have your say on the plans visit the website https://www.catesbyestates.co.uk/land/land-south-of-snarlton-farm-melksham
