Shaw and Whitley residents have raised strong concerns about a proposal to build nine houses on land to the south of First Lane, Whitley.
Residents say that they ‘strongly object’ to the proposal by Ashford Homes, and have explained that the site of the proposed development is a declared ‘flood area’ and that the new homes could ‘exacerbate’ the area’s ongoing flooding issues.
A leaflet produced by the developers was sent to some homes in the villages notifying residents of their proposal, but residents have described the distribution of the leaflet as ‘sporadic’, failing to include many of the immediate neighbours to the proposed site.
Other concerns raised include its impact on local traffic, and the movement of the settlement boundary that would be necessary, as the site sits outside the current boundary.
An action group, First Lane Action Group (FLAG), has been formed in preparation for when the planning application is open to public consultation; and local group CAWS (Community Action: Whitley and Shaw) has also said that it will not be supporting the proposal.
A spokesperson from CAWS told Melksham News, “Although a few residents received leaflets from the company, this was sporadic and did not include many of the immediate neighbours whose response has been strongly against the prospect of nine houses being built in the field.
“Over 50 residents have formed a group; First Lane Action Group (FLAG) and are mobilised to ensure strong objections are registered to the application.
“The field is a declared flood area and whilst there has been investment in improving the infrastructure to improve the water run-off, recent heavy rainfall saw the school and vicarage experience flooding despite the additional works being done. Building on the proposed site could only exacerbate this problem.
“The site also sits outside the current settlement boundary. One has to ask oneself about the timing of the application relative to the timeline on the current Neighbourhood Plan being in consultation.
“CAWS has responded to the Neighbourhood Plan and given support to one approved site, subject to it being the only site that sees a change to the current settlement boundary. We will not be supporting this application because of the concerns around flooding, the traffic issues it will cause on First Lane and the movement of the settlement boundary that would be necessary.
“We understand that a planning application has been made to Wiltshire Council for access to the site owned by Ashford Homes on First Lane – at the time of going to print, the application is currently not visible on the council website as it is still to be allocated a number.”
Melksham Without Parish Council told Melksham News that they expect to consider the planning application at their planning committee meeting on 17th August, and that a representative from Ashford Homes will be in attendance.
A spokesperson for Ashford Homes said in response, “I am pleased to confirm that the proposed development would be built outside the designated flood zone and that the on-site surface water attenuation provision will, in-fact, reduce the flow of surface water entering the local brook in peak storm conditions, therefore, improving the current issues. A full flood risk assessment will be available once the application has been validated.
“The leaflets were delivered to those neighbours who we could access given the Covid-19 guidelines at the time.
“A full transport statement is included within the planning application, which concludes that there would be minimal impact on local traffic.”
