PLANS to build 145 houses on land at Glenmore Farm at the northern edge of Westbury, which local people have been campaigning against for over eight years, have been rejected by Wiltshire Council, despite the council previously granting planning permission last year.
Since the plans to build houses at The Ham/Hawkeridge Road were first approved last year, the government has made changes to its National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which now provides more protection for communities against speculative housing developments being forced onto towns. Local authorities, such as Wiltshire Council, now only have to plan ahead for four years of housing land supply in the county, rather than five.
Authorities that did not have an up-to-date plan could previously be targeted for development before the changes, with the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
The planning application was rejected by Wiltshire Council at last week’s meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee, as the changes to the NPPF were deemed to be a material consideration and warranted a new discussion over the plans. The plans were brought before the planning committee at the request of Wiltshire councillor for the villages surrounding Westbury, cllr Suzanne Wickham.
The chairman of Heywood Parish Council, cllr John Masson, said at the meeting, “Heywood Parish Council vehemently opposes this development, particularly in light of the refusal of the nearby application for 200 houses on Storridge Road.”
Wiltshire Council recently refused plans to build 200 houses on the nearby Storridge Road, citing the changes to the NPPF as well as fears over overdevelopment.
Cllr Francis Morland added, “It is much easier to speak in support of an officer’s recommendation [to refuse the plans] than against it, which had sadly become the norm when the Wiltshire Core Strategy was regularly being outranked and circumvented by the tilted balance in the pre-December NPPF.
“The adjacent site off Storridge Road is under option to Gladman Developments, and their latest planning application was refused under delegated powers last month. Since both that site and the Glenmore Farm site are outside of the currently adopted settlement limits, and neither are allocated for residential development in the Wiltshire Core Strategy, it would be contradictory and bizarre if you decide to resolve to permit the Glenmore Farm application today.”
Cllr Suzanne Wickham, added, “I support the recommendation to refuse the application on the grounds that the application is outside of the settlement boundary and in light of the changes to the NPPF.”
Westbury resident and ex-councillor David Jenkins added that the application is in open countryside and hosts a variety of wildlife and animals.
He added, “This application does not comply with the development plan. The latest figure regarding overdevelopment in the Westbury Community Area is now at 136.4%. If you want houses, Westbury’s the place, as we have loads of them.”
A representative from Westbury LVA LLP who attended the meeting said, “Just four months ago, this very committee voted in favour to approve the planning application, which provides a clear indication that the site is considered a suitable and deliverable location for new housing for Westbury.
“Since November’s committee only one thing has changed – that being that the council considers it needs to only demonstrate a four-year rather than five-year land supply due to the amended national policy.
“While the relevant calculation may have changed, it remains the case that this authority continues to fail to deliver the requisite number of housing it is set to deliver within the core strategy, and by consequence, the plan continues to fail.
“It is our firm belief that a shift in policy, particularly in a time when demand for housing has reached a critical level, is both baffling and detrimental.”
