White Horse News Your local family run community newspaper

Issue 493 – Town council oppose edge of town development plan

PERSIMMON Homes’ application to build 104 new homes on the edge of Westbury has been opposed by Westbury Town Council.

The developer has lodged a planning application to develop the former site of Westbury Ironworks on Station Road.
The development would occupy the currently derelict land on the other side of Station Road to Westbury Railway Station.
If successful, the proposed development would create 104 new dwellings, including 47 two, three and four bed houses and 57 one and two bed flats.
Twenty seven of these properties would be for social housing.
In total 152 car parking spaces would be created, in addition to 75 cycle spaces.
The proposed development would also have a play area, and would necessitate creating a new vehicular access to the estate from Station Road.
However Westbury Town Council has opposed the plans. At a meeting of the town council’s Highways, Planning and Development Committee on Monday 18th January the committee opposed the development on the grounds of overdevelopment, lack of parking and the lack of a pavement on Station Road.
Cllr Russell Hawker said, “It is a gross overdevelopment, with a very high density of dwellings per hectare. The four storey flats are an improper design.
“There is also a lack of parking, this is not a town centre location. A nearby bus stop and train station by themselves are not a wide range of town centre facilities.
“We also objected because there is a lack of a pavement on that side of Station Road to the Ham.”
The final decision on the application will rest with Wiltshire Council, who are expected to discuss the plans before May.