Devizes 350-homes plan meets objections (From This Is Wiltshire)

Devizes Town Council is objecting to plans for 350 houses on land next to Coate Bridge at Windsor Drive.

Although the site is in the neighbouring parishes of Roundway and Bishops Cannings, town councillors spoke out against the plans by Glasgow developers Mactaggart & Mickel.

At a meeting of the town council’s planning committee a week ago last Tuesday, councillors said the extra houses would put strain on Devizes’ already overstretched infrastructure, including health facilities.

Coun Margaret Taylor said: “This is not a suitable location for this number of houses and community buildings. The whole plan is far, far too big in a very sensitive area. I feel like saying it’s a greenfield site too far.”

Coun Ted East said: “The developer has constructed a planning application which seeks to meet and counter all the concerns. I don’t think it does. We have grave concerns about traffic, air pollution, over-stretched infrastructure and green space being gobbled up.

“It has been cynically put forward at this time in order to try to get it through before the Wiltshire Core Strategy has adequate weight. When the Core Strategy is in place, we know it has absolutely no chance of getting through.”

The application will be determined at a future meeting of Wiltshire Council’s Eastern area planning committee.