PLANS for 10 affordable homes on a site just south of Broad Town Primary School near Swindon have been lodged with Wiltshire Council.

But the scheme by Greystoke Land has already prompted concern over provision for wildlife and bird conservation group Wiltshire Swifts has recommended nest bricks should be installed if the council gives the go-ahead. Swifts are amber-rated on the UK list of Birds of Conservation Concern because they have declined by more than 50 per cent since 1995. In a letter to planners the group said: “By conditioning swift bricks in this new development the actual buildings themselves will provide a habitat that previously didn’t exist thereby contributing towards a net gain in biodiversity.”

The site, between the two main areas of housing in the village and opposite the parish church, will include a village green area and a community car park.