Victory for villagers as deer field housing plans rejected

Villagers in Dilton Marsh are celebrating after plans to build houses on a green space known locally as the deer field were rejected.

Plans for 85 dwellings, re-submitted last year, faced strong opposition from villagers who want to ‘protect the identity’ of their village. The field is home to deer, bats, owls and other wildlife.

Residents welcomed the news they had been hoping for regarding the deer field as Wiltshire Council refused the plans, citing site sustainability, highway safety and future residential amenity as key concerns. The local authority also referred to a response from National Highways, which warned of additional pressure at the A36/B3099 Marsh Road junction, a site with a collision history that is unlit.

Speaking after Wiltshire Council’s verdict, Dilton Marsh resident Natasha Wildman told the White Horse News, “It is heartening to see that Wiltshire Council have decided to refuse this application. We have development in the village, and our Neighbourhood Plan identifies several sites that are more suitable and sustainable in the medium to long term – we’re not NIMBYs. People need homes that are well built, with access to amenities and genuinely affordable in relation to earnings, not market values.”

In their battle to protect the space around the village, Dilton Marsh locals have previously put up signs to demonstrate their objection to the application. Plans for 100 homes were initially submitted for land south of Clivey in the village but were withdrawn in March last year by the developer, Bellway Homes. However, villagers’ relief was short-lived as the developer resubmitted a new application in October for 85 homes, which again faced considerable opposition

A group gathered on Thursday 20th February to celebrate Wiltshire Council’s verdict and explain why they had opposed the development.

Resident Ken Chapman said, “Personally, I’ve got a view out across the field from my window, which would have been blocked by the new housing. But for the village as a whole, it was the highways issue that really worried us. It’s a collision hotspot. The location of the development would have been really cut off from the rest of the village.”

“That road is a death trap,” added Joyce Jones, who stressed that the lack of pedestrian walkways in Clivey would have made it difficult to accommodate a major new development. She said, “There would have been no access to the site. We are a village – there are plenty of smaller plots for new housing if necessary.”

Residents say they would not be surprised if fresh plans are submitted for the deer field in the future, but they are ready to fight them.

Resident Helen Bateman said, “It’s 1-0 to us, but the game isn’t over yet.”

Pictured Residents of Dilton Marsh celebrate saving the deer field from development and the deer field