DESPITE strong opposition from Melksham residents, Wiltshire council has approved plans for 100 new homes in the the town.

Property developer Robert Hitchins wants to build the new houses on eight acres of farmland at Sandridge Common, opposite Skylark Road, Meksham.

Neither Melksham Without Parish Council, which has authority over the area, nor Melksham Town Council objected to the proposal.

A number of residents wrote objection letters, many of them upset at the loss of more open countryside and the prospect of more traffic.

In a letter of complaint, Matthew White, of Talbot Close, said: “We strongly object to any aspects of the plans that would affect the light to our property.

“We are concerned about the height and closeness of the new properties to our home.

“We object to any loss of privacy if our home is overlooked especially with a view to our bedrooms backing on to the field/new development.”

Mr White’s disabled daughter has optic atrophy, a nerve condition causing loss of vision.

“We are concerned about the increase to noise.

Our daughter is noise-sensitive which is why we moved to such a peaceful area,” he said.

“We have elderly people around us and we know to be sensitive to their lifestyles, but will tenants of a disjointed new estate consider them?

“Sewage issues creating smells are a concern, we have already seen neighbours having raw sewage pumping into their garden.”

“We have concerns over the safety of our home in relation to flood following the development of land.

“We are not sure what average rainfall means to studies when rainfall is reported to be increasing and is likely to increase further.”

Both councils requested that large buildings should not be built close to existing bungalows on the west side.

The parish council also noted that a pedestrian crossing, street lights, and a community hall should be included in the development.

Despite 20 letters of complaint the plans were granted permission but construction cannot begin until the scale, layout, appearance and landscaping of the development is known.