WILTSHIRE Council has won its bid to claim back money from developers for wasting taxpayer’s money after they took a Holt planning row to the Planning Inspectorate before withdrawing it.

The council received notification in September that Gladman Developments did not wish to pursue the controversial plans – which could have seen 98 homes built on land currently used by the West Wiltshire Equestrian Centre – any further.

The amount Wiltshire Council will receive is not yet known but will cover the expenses incurred by preparing the planning row for appeal.

The outline application, initially submitted back in January, was met with much opposition by residents, with more than 80 submitting letters to express their concerns. During the application period, a consultation leaflet was distributed to 475 households and businesses in the village about the plans.

A Wiltshire council spokesman said: “We welcome the Secretary of State’s decision that Gladman Developments must pay the council’s full costs relating to the now-withdrawn planning appeal.

“We advised them at the time their planning application was refused that we did not consider that they had any grounds to lodge an appeal. The Secretary of State has made it clear that the right of appeal must be exercised reasonably, and it is only right that Gladman Developments, and not local residents, should have to pay the council’s costs in having to defend this matter.”

The original plans were thrown out on numerous grounds but primarily because the land is in open countryside outside the limits of development defined for Holt in the Wiltshire Core Strategy, which was approved at the start of the year.

It was also said the proposal did not provide the delivery of necessary infrastructures such as affordable housing and securing education places.

Cllr Trevor Carbin, who first called in the application, said he was delighted by the news.

He added: “Hopefully this should be the end for the whole process and it is quite satisfying that the council have pursued it which is quite unusual for them – particularly at how they initially said they would seek to recover costs in the decision notice.

“I would hope that this is the last nail in the coffin with the development now and of course they allowed to come back and appeal but I would like to think they have got the message with this particular site.”