THE £56m Wasdell ‘science park’ was last night turned down by planners.

The company said the 100-acre site between the A419 and Wanborough would create hundreds of jobs.

But nearby residents in Wanborough were against the plan and fought it all the way.

Now the pharmaceutical packaging firm has been refused permission with councillors voting 10-5 against it – despite Wasdell saying it would leave Swindon if it did not get the green light.

READ MORE: CEO confirms company will leave Swindon in a few years' time

The firm had said the development would create 800 new jobs over the next two years.

But the bid drew hundreds of letters of opposition from people living nearby, particularly in Wanborough, and was opposed by Highways England and the council’s own planning officers,who recommended it be turned down.

Many others supported it as a boost for jobs but councillors voted against as it was not in the local plan, which in part aims to keep Swindon from joining up with surrounding villages.

At the meeting, chairman of the opposition South Swindon Protection Group John Warr suggested the company wasn’t really trying to build a new facility for expansion.

He said the company was successful and profitable but relatively small, employing just over 600 staff in Swindon.

He added: “Why, if you needed to move quickly, would you pick this very controversial site?

“It has no infrastructure and it will take five years from the start of the application before a brick could be laid.

“Why put in writing twice no guarantee to use the site and only put it in writing you would when you realised there was such opposition?”

He said he believed the application was a sort of Trojan horse for a housing development, adding: “This is a cynical and speculative application on behalf of a third party who hope to be able to build houses instead as happened with the Badbury Park business development which is now to be housing.”

At last night’s planning meeting, borough council leader David Renard spoke in favour of the application.

He said: “The report says planning considerations outweigh the economic benefits. I believe the economic benefits outweigh the planning considerations.”

He added: “Swindon is a town built on business. I want to maintain our reputation as a great place to do business.”

Wasdell Group chairman Martin Tedham spoke at the meeting. Last week, he wrote to every councillor in Swindon saying the company would leave town in 2021 and move its operations to Hampshire if it didn’t get the permission.

Last night, he said the site would actually be improved. He made a guarantee there would be a gain in ecological terms.

As part of the development there would be cycling and walking paths through the site – and an increase in flora and fauna including habitats such as woodland surrounding the buildings and ponds and wildflower meadows.

He said: “I want to grow my business. I want to build a science park creating jobs for doctors, scientists, IT, specialists, not people on minimum wage working in factories.”

The South Swindon Protection Group was set up in November 2018 before Wasdell had even lodged its application for the new development, which was put in to borough council planners a few weeks later.

The matter was due to be decided last year, but Wasdell was given time to address some issues raised, and resubmitted hundreds of documents earlier this summer.

Since the plans were first mooted the pressure group’s objections have centred on how big the development would be.

The group used Wasdell Group’s submitted planning drawings to create 3D graphics and videos of its own, showing the site lit up at night.

In January 2019, the group held a protest using more than 200 people forming a human chain to show how big just the initial building would be at 180ft wide.

Some held balloons on 50ft long strings to demonstrate how high the warehouse facility would be.

Wasdell Group has always said the protest group’s graphics were inaccurate.