A PREVIOUSLY rejected planning application to build 235 houses between Melksham and Bowerhill was approved last week.

Following a meeting on September 27, the proposed development, which also includes an additional primary school with early years provision, on land either side of Pathfinder Way, next to the Spa Road roundabout, will go ahead.

This decision has angered residents and Melksham Without Parish Council as the reasons why the application, put forward by property developers Mactaggart and Mickel, was thrown out in 2014 have still not been addressed.

"The Parish Council have always opposed this development and once again it comes down to Wiltshire Council failing to sort out their five-year land supply," said Melksham Without parish council chairman Richard Wood.

"It was turned down two years ago on the grounds of coalescence between Melksham and Bowerhill and the negative infrastructure impact it would have and that is still the case today.

"They have tried to address it by building a school but they have no answer to this and the huge strains that will be put on the local medical facilities.

"We have grave concerns about the site itself as well. It should be used for industrial land but what they are doing is very short-sighted.

"At the moment it is very concerning that these issues are not being tackled and could even get worse."

The parish council are concerned that this is an inappropriate site for development, particularly the area to the west touching the industrial estate, proposed junctions off Pathfinder Way, and the local need for affordable housing and medical facilities.

Nick Westbrook, a member of the town's neighbourhood planning team, who went to the meeting, said: "Once again a planning application has been approved without taking into consideration the demonstrable harm that this and other housing projects are doing to the town's medical facilities, they just cannot cope and it is only going to get worse.

"The NHS are now saying they can no longer meet the capacity of Melksham with all these housing applications and yet this is going ahead.

"There is a disconnect between the national housing policy and cutting back on health services who are being told to cut billions when they need more help not less.

"There has to be some sort of understanding here because it really cannot go on like this."

Other concerns surrounding the application include flood risks and disruption to the wildlife on the land.