LAND and development company, Terra, has sold a site in Melksham – which has outline planning permission for 50 affordable homes – to Sovereign Housing Association for an undisclosed sum.

The 2.26 ha (5.6 acres) site is bounded by Semington Road and the A350 Western Way. A Reserved Matters submission can now be submitted to Wiltshire Council, to determine the detailed design of the development. Terra secured outline planning approval for the scheme at an appeal earlier this year.
Wiltshire Council refused planning permission in 2021, backed by both Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council, but Terra won an appeal.
Terra said in a press release, “It was recognised as part of the appeal process that Wiltshire Council cannot currently demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. It was also acknowledged that the inspectorate affords significant weight to the affordable homes provided as part of this proposal, particularly as waiting times for families to access affordable homes across the district currently ranges from 3.1 years to 10.7 years, for two-bedroom or four-bedroom properties respectively.”
The accommodation mix will comprise one-bedroom apartments and two-, three-, and four-bedroom family houses and the tenure split will be determined by Sovereign and is likely to comprise homes for both affordable rent and shared ownership.