Council object to revised plans for new housing development

WESTBURY Town Council has objected again to a new housing development off Station Road, where Newland Homes are looking to build 87 new houses.

Previous plans for this development were submitted by Newland Homes in September 2017 for 88 homes. At the time, Westbury Town Council’s objections included: inadequate parking, concerns over access to the site, drainage issues, too many one bedroom flats, no affordable housing, no footpath access to The Ham and that they would like to see the provision of seating and litter bins in recreation areas.

During the recent town council’s highways, planning and development meeting on Monday 16th April, Mark Kurton, the project manager for Newland Homes, presented the council with updated plans for the site, looking to deal with previous comments.

The housing company says they have looked at drainage issues on the site, introducing four large surface water drainers. General improvements have included changes to the site entrance.

Newland Homes has also looked into  parking provision and each house now has two parking spaces. The introduction of yellow lines is still being pursued.

The company submitted a viability study to Wiltshire Council to see which percentage of affordable housing will be the best option for this site. They provide a number of scenarios of 0%, 10%, 25% or 30% however the results of this study will remain private.

Despite the changes to the initial plans, Westbury Town Council has objected to the revised plans as councillors felt that only a few of their initial comments have been dealt with, such as parking and drainage. They  still have concerns over access, footpaths and affordable housing.