BOTH Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council have objected to a planning application for 152 houses to be built near Woodrow Road.
The controversial plans have caused upset amongst local residents who say the development would create access problems, would ruin the countryside and increase flooding.
At the Development Control Committee Meeting held on 15th August the Town Council resolved to object to the application due to ‘the lack of an adequate road infrastructure in this area to facilitate a development of this size.’
Melksham Without Parish Council held its meeting at the Forest Community Centre which attracted a large crowd.
Richard Wood, chair of the Melksham Without Parish Council said, “I was very pleased to see so many people come to the meeting. There were probably 60-70 which just shows how passionate the community is about this.
“We had a rigorous debate with five against one for objecting the application. It was mainly down to access and after hearing about drainage problems and potential flooding, it was decided that the area is not a suitable place for development.”
Over 40 letters have been submitted to Wiltshire Council which object the development including one from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue service.
Local MP Michelle Donelan has also expressed concerns in a letter to Wiltshire Council after she was contacted by local residents. She said, “In particular, I am worried about the detrimental impact of the additional traffic that will doubtless be generated by the 152 new houses.
“The local road network is already overloaded and by all accounts highly unsuitable to any further capacity.”
The consultation period has now expired and a decision is expected on Friday 30th September.
To view the application, visit Wiltshire Council’s planning website and enter the planning application reference number 16/05644/OUT.