SEMINGTON Parish Council feel it has been misled by Wiltshire Air Ambulance over plans for its new airbase, and now villagers fear through traffic will start coming past their homes again once it is built.

The new home for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance is set to be built on the land opposite Outmarsh Farm in the High Street, Semington, once the funds have been raised to start construction. The decision to allow the application was made in January but since then the Semington Parish Council has said that talks which happened before the plans being granted have been ignored.

Robert Oglesby, 68, chairman of the parish council, said: "The parish council is not happy with Wiltshire Air Ambulance. They came to us before the plans went ahead so we could talk about the traffic and the bus gate with the no entry and the flight path. We weren't as concerned about the flight path but it was the traffic that we were most worried about.

"We have a bus gate and a no entry system so cars won't speed through the village which makes it a safe environment, but we found out the plans to move the gate to allow traffic in. This will allow visitors to come to the site but if other drivers see it then they may think they can also get away with it."

In the past, Semington has set up a No Entry Watch which is run by a group of volunteers to enforce the rules on the road. Driving through a no entry road is an offence which could mean drivers face three points on their licence as well as an £100 fine.

"We have had a very successful arrangement with the No Entry Watch and it has worked, it is a concern for the people of the village if this changes and more traffic piles into it. With the works and development you can understand the increase in traffic but not once it is done," added Mr Oglesby.

Although the council feel it may be a cause for concern, not everyone shares their view and thinks it will not be a massive issue for the village.

Dennis Gowie, of DG Car Sales, said: "For me it really isn't a problem. I think it will make the area more accessible, especially when there is an emergency. It will not affect me, it may even help business, you never know.

"I think the children will love it when they see a helicopter landing as well, I know people in the village won't all agree with me."

An air ambulance spokesman said: ""Wiltshire Air Ambulance has always consulted with local residents, councillors and other stakeholders in our plans for the new airbase at Outmarsh Farm, Semington.

"It was always our expectation that the bus gate would be moved, but both the planners at Wiltshire Council and our own professional advisors have stated that this is not appropriate since the increased vehicle movements will be negligible and will have little or no impact on traffic flow through the village.

"When the new airbase is built we will, of course, be happy to participate in any re-assessment of traffic flow and if it is deemed that there has been a significant increase, we will liaise with Wiltshire Council on this matter.

"The charity has a duty to follow the advice of the planning authority and other key professionals, but we have not ruled out re-visiting the issue at a later date."