New Basil Hill plans win support (From Wiltshire Times)

New Basil Hill plans win support

9:09pm Thursday 13th September 2007 in Corsham By Katie Adams

REVISED plans for a multi-million pound revamp of Basil Hill Barracks were given the backing of town councillors last night.

The £800m overhaul of the Corsham site had been put on hold after North Wiltshire District Council rejected plans at a meeting last month.

MoD bosses need planning permission before work can start on the army barracks, which are situated on land off the A4 in Park Lane.

They want to build a three-storey single living accommodation building for military personnel and a 1,300-space car park.

Debate at a meeting of Corsham Town Council's planning meeting focused on the proposed building and the impact its height would have on cottages in nearby Hudswell Lane.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Elaine Marston said she was concerned that recommendations by conservation officers to move the building away from the cottages seemed to have been ignored.

She said: "We should look at that seriously and listen to what conservation officers say."

A resident from Hudswell Lane who attended the meeting said he was concerned about an invasion of privacy and extra light and noise.

He said people living in the listed cottages near the site had seen little changes to the plans since they were last submitted.

Councillors had mixed views over the plans.

Cllr Peter Davis said: "I find little in planning grounds to refuse this.

"I have stood on the site and couldn't even see Hudswell cottages. There is significant screening.

"Corsham needs this development and I personally feel the MoD has done a good job.

"We need jobs in the area and we need this now to keep up with other military goings on around the country.

"We won't be getting a vast extra number of people suddenly turning up in the area, a lot of the people that are already employed by the MoD will remain employed.

"There won't be a whole new body of people turning up in Corsham."

Councillors eventually swung in favour of the plans and voted to give their backing to the development. Plans will now go back before the district council's development control committee.