Laverstock and Ford Parish Council vote to object new development plan
It comes after a meeting with the people behind the application last week
Laverstock and Ford Parish Councillors met last night (Monday 15th February) to discuss and take their own vote on the plans to build 135 new homes in the village.
They voted without opposition to object to the plans and have compiled a list of 13 concerns which will be submitted to Wiltshire Council.
One of these is the fact that the location, land east of Church Road, was excluded from consideration in the Wiltshire Local Plan.
It's the local authority who have the final say on whether the build goes ahead, with residents still having until the 4th March to make their views known.
Last week, a meeting was held with the developers, the public and the council to discuss the application and what it would mean to the village.
At this event, many residents expressed their concerns about the engagement with the 'digitally isolated' and asked Wiltshire Council to consider delaying the application.
Councillor Nick Baker, Chair of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council said:
"The Parish Council's objections reflect the very strong opposition to this development at the public meeting attended by over 110 people and from across our community last week. The developer's presentation reinforced my personal feeling that they are trying to build the maximum number of houses at the minimum possible quality in a totally unsuitable location.
I was disappointed by their lack of prior engagement with the local community and the way this proposal is contrary to several democratically agreed core policies. It was clear that very little research has been done into the traffic impact of creating so many houses and a fifty space car park on this already highly congested road and despite branding this a sustainable development the scheme's financial viability appears based on meeting the minimum environmental standards and making no attempt to achieve carbon neutrality. We are urging Wiltshire Council to reject this application."
A decision is planned to be made at the end of March, with just under a month left of the public consultation.
You can have your say by visiting the Wiltshire Council website.