TWO business partners who own a piece of land near Box Tunnel believe the disused area could be an answer to healthcare problems in the village.
James Wynn and Charles Tull bought Box Wharf with high hopes they could develop or sell the land for something that could be of benefit to the community.
One of their original ideas was for the land to be used to relocate Box Surgery and allow its expansion, but another possibility is for a retirement home.
In light of the recent proposal to merge Corsham and Box GP surgeries, Mr Wynn said both proposals had hit the rocks.
He said: "There is no sense in the merger. Where is all the common sense?
"Surely they could trim down their plans to merge both surgeries and instead provide something a bit smaller than a huge clinic that could better serve this community and then do the same for Corsham.
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"We bought this land of course to make money, but we want to use it as something that can serve this area."
Mr Wynn, 55, who lives in Saltford, near Bath, and used to work for the BBC, bought the 1.7-acre plot of land with Mr Tull, who is from Box, two years ago.
They presented their ideas and hopes for the area to Box Surgery and were told the doctors had thought of the land as somewhere they could possibly expand.
Since then, plans for the potential merger of Box Surgery and the Porch Surgery in Corsham materialised.
It was at this point that Mr Wynn and Mr Tull hit a brick wall when talking to the surgery and attempts to contact Wiltshire Primary Care Trust were met with little response.
In relation to plans for a care home, Mr Wynn said they were contacted six months ago by a company called MMCG, asking them if they would consider building sheltered and retirement accommodation on the land.
But after talking with local planners at North Wiltshire District Council, Mr Wynn and Mr Tull were told this option would not be acceptable, as the land overlooked a conservation area, was within the green belt and outside the village development boundary.
This week Mr Wynn wrote to MP James Gray for his help on the issue.
Mr Wynn said if the land was not going to be used for the community then he and Mr Tull would have to consider developing it in a way that planners would approve of.
Offices were one possibility, as would be leaving the land as an industrial site.
He said: "Those are ideas that the planners may approve of, but the village would be unhappy with.
"We want something that can be of use to people and can serve the villagers. It seems such a waste of a perfectly good piece of land."
Box Wharf has previously been used as a stone yard and by sugar company Tate and Lyle.
Posted by: Russell Hawker, WESTBURY on 7:35pm Fri 2 May 08
Business Buildings generating employment opportunities for local people is what all communities need.
The land is clearly designated for business use, and these developers are simply trying to find a more profitable way to use the land is they can find a loop hole.
Just follow the planning rules devised to protect employment land!
Business Buildings generating employment opportunities for local people is what all communities need.
The land is clearly designated for business use, and these developers are simply trying to find a more profitable way to use the land is they can find a loop hole.
Just follow the planning rules devised to protect employment land!
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