Plans for 180 new houses at edge of village get go-ahead
The proposal was approved despite the land not being marked out for housing development
Plans to build 180 new houses on farmland near Trowbridge have been given the go-ahead – despite strong opposition from locals and councillors.
Members of Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee heard an application by Barratt Homes to build the houses at Hilperton today (Tuesday, September 23).
The developer wants to demolish farm buildings at Maxcroft Farm, Marsh Road and build up to 180 new homes, including 54 ‘affordable’ units.
The land is not currently earmarked for housing and is outside the settlement boundary.
Nevertheless, the council’s planning department had recommended approval of the application, as the county cannot meet its current housing land target.
The land is south of the Kennet and Avon Canal and is close to a number of Grade II listed buildings. There are houses to the south and west.
Councillor Ernie Clark, who is the division councillor for the village and also chairs the committee deliberating, expressed concerns over the amount of traffic that 180 houses would add to an already over-capacity bridge that crosses the Kennet & Avon Canal. He had seen a video of a one-and-a-half-hour traffic jam, he said.
An officer from the council’s highways department moved to assure him that 180 new homes would create around 90 new car movements at peak hours, leaving or entering the village on three different roads. “The extra traffic is not enough to justify an objection,” he said.
“So you’re saying traffic jams are so bad that adding another few cars won’t make any difference?” asked Cllr Clark.
“Correct.”
Flooding was also debated, with the B3016 – “the first road to flood in Wiltshire when the Avon rises up” – suffering 20 days of flooding a year.
And the growing impact of HGVs going through the villages of Hilperton, Staverton and Holt was also discussed.
In public questions, Celia Beckett, chair of Hilperton Area Action Group, suggested the scheme was “part of a wider plan to create an urban extension of Trowbridge.
“The strength of feeling in the community is considerable,” she said. “People are incredulous at the possibility of this degree of development on such an unsuitable site.”
Cllr Clark proposed a motion on which the committee could vote. “It’s a contentious application and I feel the adverse effects outweigh any benefits,” he said.
“The landowner and Barratt have long had their eyes on developing this site. When the Hilperton Area Development Plan was going through the preparation stage, this site was offered for residential development and declined.
“The applicants now obviously see a window when they might be able to squeeze the local planning authority for permission.
“Hilperton does not require or want any extra housing,” he said.
But mindful that the developer would likely win any planning appeal if the committee refused the application, Cllr Clark’s motion to refuse was lost by eight votes to two.
A second vote, to grant permission, was passed by the same margin.