Westbury residents’ concern at new development

RESIDENTS of Black Horse Lane have raised concerns about a housing development that will see a turning circle used on the narrow lane reduced in size. 

Persimmon Homes have submitted a planning application to Wiltshire Council for 16 houses to be built off Dartmoor Road, Leigh Park and as part of the work a turning circle used by residents will be reduced in size. If approved, Black Horse Lane residents feel this will make it difficult to manoeuvre and force many to have to reverse down the lane to avoid getting stuck.

The housing development is being planned on a field which is accessed from a gate off Black Horse Lane and it is in this area that four residents rely on the space to turn around.

Vaughan Lipscombe a resident of Black Horse Lane said, “The planning proposal has changed a  lot, principally by reducing numbers,  resulting in a slightly better arrangement. What has not changed is the fact that part of the estate road and footpath impinges upon the traditional turning head for Black Horse Lane.  The developer lays claim to this land and feels it has a right to propose what it likes on its own land.

“As a principle this is correct. However, it is also true that this turning head will disallow visitors, couriers, dust carts and so on from turning.   Up until now they have been able to do so. Without this facility the larger vehicles will have to reverse all the way down.

“The history  is that the track served a scout hut,  and the field.  Up until around 2000 the track was open to Black Horse Lane.    The then owner, local man Chris Smith, now deceased,  found that the animals in the fields had wrecked the fence and at that point he erected a gate meaning the lane still had a viable turning head.

“All of us in the lane have written to the planners about the scheme, in addition, I have written to the developer but, as yet, had no reply.”

Persimmon Homes hadn’t responded at the time of print.