By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison
Plans to build hundreds of houses and a 64-bed care home on a site once earmarked for an Amazon warehouse have taken a step forward with the publication of a masterplan.
The 15-hectare Hawke Ridge Business Park, north of Westbury, was unveiled with great fanfare in 2014, with Wiltshire Council and business leaders saying the £50 million scheme would support 1,000 jobs over half a million square feet of employment space.
In 2021, Amazon applied for planning permission to build a new distribution centre on a large part of the park – but the application was withdrawn in 2023.
A new roundabout was built in 2018. Drive-through takeaway units were mooted in 2024, but these have failed to materialise.
After 14 years, and with no new employment use on the site delivered, landowner Hawke Ridge Business Park Limited has teamed up with housebuilder Bellway Homes and is preparing a planning application to change the existing permission from commercial use to residential.
They are seeking permission for 250 new homes alongside a 64-bedroom care home, a local convenience store, flexible retail units, and one drive-through retail unit.
According to the masterplan, the homes will be designed to the Future Homes Standard to ensure energy‑efficient, ‘net‑zero ready’ living.
Forty per cent will be designated ‘affordable’.
The 64‑bed care home will, say the developers, meet growing demand for high‑quality care and respite accommodation in the area.
Alongside new homes, the masterplan features a range of local shops and commercial spaces, including a new convenience store, three flexible retail units and a roadside drive‑through.
The masterplan also includes new planting, biodiversity enhancements and a dedicated natural space specifically to support local wildlife.
Sensitive design measures will also protect the setting of the Grade II listed Hawkeridge Farmhouse. The developers are working with Natural England to protect local bat species.
A planning application is expected to be submitted to Wiltshire Council within weeks, following a period of public consultation.
A spokesperson for Bellway Homes and HPH said, “Hawke Ridge represents an exciting opportunity to bring a long‑vacant site into productive use, delivering much‑needed new homes, a modern care facility, local shops and high‑quality green spaces.
“We are committed to creating a sustainable, well‑connected neighbourhood that complements Westbury and provides lasting benefits for the community.
“We look forward to hearing local views as we shape the plans ahead of submitting our application.”
Residents are invited to share their feedback at https://hawkeridgefuture.co.uk/
