Calne housing appeal is criticised (From This Is Wiltshire)

Town councillors have criticised a decision to allow two developers to build more than 350 new homes in Calne.

Hills Group and C G Fry & Son Ltd won an appeal against refusal of planning permission.

Hills Group had applied to build 200 homes on land off Oxford Road, and C G Fry & Son wanted to build 154 new houses at Silver Street and White Horse Way, on land owned by Lord Lansdowne.

Mayor Roy Golding was the first to express his dissatisfaction when the appeal decision was discussed at the town council’s development and planning committee.

He said: “The first two items on this list, I am incredibly disgusted with. The government wants the local people to decide. We were elected by people to decide and we have been taken no notice of at all.”

Councillors also expressed concern over the future of Calne’s neighbourhood plan following inspector John Papworth’s ruling.

Mr Golding said: “We have been working so hard, including the town clerk, on the neighbourhood plan and what is it for?

“If we are going to spend money and effort to try and get a town plan and it’s going to be overridden. I, for one, feel that money can be spent elsewhere.”

Calne town clerk Linda Roberts said: “I have spoken with Wiltshire Council about an appeal, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of push towards that because of cost.”

Councillors plan to approach the Local Govern-ment Ombudsman to raise concerns about the way the appeal was handled.