Residents vent their anger over Westbury – ‘the forgotten town of Wiltshire’

WESTBURY residents have hit back at plans to build 710 more new houses and two applications to build gas plants in the town, reported by White Horse News.

The housing proposal was revealed in Wiltshire Council’s new draft local plan consultation, while the gas plant bids come at a time when plans for the waste incinerator are also being considered.

After White Horse News shared articles on its website, local  people posted that Westbury was a “dumping ground” and that new infrastructure should be put in place  before more new development. Furthermore, it was cited that Wiltshire Council is not taking into account the world climate and ecological emergency.

One resident asked, “What is their obsession with putting all this stuff in Westbury? Another resident replied, “Because Westbury is the dumping ground of Wiltshire.”

Another said, “Just pile more housing in, waste plants etc, but do nothing to the pretty rubbish town centre, or infrastructure.” In reply, another said, “We need shops, a decent doctors’ service, schools will not be big enough.”

Another described Westbury as “the most unhealthy place in Wiltshire, such a shame.” A further comment said, “Westbury, the forgotten area of Wiltshire, always at the bottom of the list where there’s cash.”

Another resident said, “As Chippenham seems to be getting another bypass to the tune of millions of pounds and seems the council’s favourite place, then should they not with all the infrastructure there, be the ones having the incinerator and the gas plants as they have the roads to cope with the traffic. Westbury has neither the roads nor the facilities to deal with these planned ideas.”

Amongst the comments, one resident said, “Always talk of a bypass but nothing ever built. Westbury is a lovely place but does need serious investment concerning infrastructure and less outside interference.”

Another commented, “Build the bypass and infrastructure first, then build housing. Westbury is nothing more now than an overdeveloped housing estate and the dumping ground for Wiltshire Council!”

Someone else said, “The burning site will be a big mess, that will end Westbury as a modern town, it will be 18th century technology with pollution in a big way.

In reporting on proposals for a gas plants in the town, White Horse News reported that the town council had voiced strong concerns about the gas plant. However, on social media, residents questioned why the council had not thrown out the plan – but the town council is a consultee authority and the decision-making is the responsibility of Wiltshire Council, the county’s planning authority.

Concerned about the climate crisis, reader Valerie Jarvis of Dilton Marsh said that David Attenborough would not be impressed. She said,”Wiltshire Council are not taking into account the climate and ecological emergency.

“They are NOT reducing CO2 emissions if they allow the go ahead of the outdated NREL waste plant in Westbury.

“They are NOT reducing CO2 emissions if they allow the go ahead of the proposed gas plants in Westbury.

“They are NOT reducing CO2 emissions if they allow the go ahead of the Chippenham bypass.

“They are NOT reducing CO2 emissions if they allow proposed homes if they are not green homes. They are NOT reducing CO2 emissions if they do not create cycleways.

“What they are doing is tinkering around the edges with no heed to the ever-increasing threat of the accelerating climate crisis. They acknowledged the climate emergency in February 2019. Two years on and the goal of being carbon neutral by 2030 will never happen at the snail’s pace they are moving at.

“If they truly care about the people in Wiltshire, the people they work for, then every policy they make should be made with the climate crisis as their guiding star.”