HOUSEBUILDER Redrow South West plans to invest more than £1.8 million into Trowbridge after acquiring the Elm Grove site on the outskirts of the town.

The company has purchased the 42.7-acre site at Elm Grove Farm near the White Horse Business Park where it wants to build 247 one, two, three and four-bedroomed homes.

The housebuilder says that if its plans are approved by Wiltshire Council, it will invest over £1.8 million into the local community, with funds supporting improvements to public transport links, healthcare and education.

The new development will comprise a mix of private and affordable new homes and includes plans for green open spaces and bus stop links.

While planning permission is still in progress, construction is expected to begin at the start of 2025, with the first homes likely to go on sale during the summer of that year.

Sian Smith, Sales Director at Redrow South West, said: “We’re thrilled to announce that we have acquired land in Trowbridge allowing us to bring a variety of much-needed, new homes to the area.

“Here at Redrow, we strive to create sustainable, thriving communities at each of our developments. We pride ourselves on building high-quality homes and investing in the surrounding area – and this development will be no different.

“We anticipate this development will be popular with first-time buyers, young professionals, families and those looking to right-size.

“We encourage prospective buyers to register their interest now to be among the first to hear when plots at this fantastic new development become available.”

The application site at Elm Grove Farm is situated between existing homes, the railway line and the White Horse Business Park. It has been allocated for housing development in the adopted 2020 Wiltshire Housing Sites Development Plan Document.

The original planning application submitted in 2022 was to demolish existing buildings and structures at Elm Grove Farm and build 261 new homes.

The plans included providing changing rooms, playing pitches, allotments, areas of open space, upgrading an existing play area at the nearby Queen Elizabeth II playing field.

They also cover sustainable drainage infrastructure, internal roads, paths and parking areas, landscaping and associated works, plant and infrastructure.

Following strong objections from scores of local residents and Trowbridge Town Council, the number of new homes was reduced to 247.

Cllr Antonio Piazza, the Wiltshire and Trowbridge councillor for Drynham ward, who called in the plans, welcomed the proposed investment, saying Redrow South West had made some changes to its scheme following feedback from residents.

He said: “I welcome the announcement by Redrow South West on their commitment to investing over £1.8 million into our local community.

“The investment signifies a positive step towards improving public transport links, healthcare and education facilities in Trowbridge which are crucial for our community’s growth and sustainability.

“Having met with Redrow’s own Paul and Amy several weeks ago, we should expect a revised application on the Wiltshire Council Planning Portal soon.

“Redrow has expressed a desire to reach out to residents with leaflets and has confirmed that they will hold another consultation meeting at Trowbridge Town Council, where residents may attend and speak, when the revised application has been validated on the Wiltshire Council Planning Portal.”

Redrow South West says Elm Grove will offer excellent transport connections with regular trains to both Bristol and Bath from Trowbridge station.

The company is already building hundreds of new homes at 23 developments across the South West of England, including Warminster, Salisbury and Swindon.

To find out more about homes available across the South West, please visit: redrow.co.uk/locations/south-west