WROUGHTON residents got their first chance to see plans for a proposed development at Berkeley Farm yesterday afternoon.

Plans were put on show for the 100 house project, which will be located off Swindon Road if given the go ahead, in a consultation held at the White Hart pub.

Ainscough Limited, which is leading the project, said the event was an opportunity for people to give their feedback so where possible alterations could be made to suit the community.

But many of the residents said they were against the plan, largely because of the excess traffic it would bring but also because it may lead to further development.

More than 40 people attended the event in the first half hour, representing the strength of feeling towards the project.

Ainscough managing director Paul Martin said the event was important to find out what people wanted.

He said: “At this stage it is too early to tell the overall feedback but so far there has been a mixture of positive and negative feedback from people.

“This is not just about listening to people and then doing nothing but listening and then trying to do something about what they say.

“We will try, where possible, to take into account reasonable and constructive views and then go forward from there. There will always be those who have an opinion which is the polar opposite to what we are trying to achieve but we are looking to work with the parish council, the borough council and the rest of the community.

“There is a requirement from the government to build a certain number of houses which needs to be complied with.”

The main concern from residents is the impact an extra 100 homes will have on the road network, which they say already struggles during rush hour.

Les Audritt, 64, said: “During rush hours you already get traffic queuing up and down Swindon Road, a lot of it from Nationwide.

“With 100 houses there is a potential for almost an extra 200 cars. It doesn’t matter how nice the houses might be, if the roads are not up to it then it will be chaos.”

Fellow Wroughton resident Terry Pidgeon said: “It’s good they have come down to show us the plans but we have to say we are against the plan. Pulling out onto Swindon Road is already difficult enough. You can get stuck behind eight or nine cars and not end up turning out for such a long time.

“The proposal only covers part of the land. Once this is given the go ahead then it will only be a matter of time before they build on the rest.”

An official application has not been put to the council at this stage.