A PLANNING inspector has upheld Wiltshire Council’s refusal to allow 125 new homes to be built in Semington, saying the proposals would “significantly increase” the size of the village and adversely alter its character and appearance.

Richborough Estates and Oxford Law had both appealed against the council’s refusal to let them develop two separate sites for housing.

But their appeals were dismissed by the planning inspector, Lesley Coffey, on December 14, following a site visit on July 19 and a 13-day public inquiry which ended on September 8.

Richborough Estate had wanted to build 75 new homes on land to the north of Pound Lane, Semington, of which 40 per cent would have been affordable housing, together with ancillary public open space and play areas, with access off Pound Lane.

The company’s appeal was heard together with an appeal by Oxford Law relating to an outline application to build up to 50 new homes, including affordable housing, with ancillary public open space and play areas on land to the north of St Georges Road, Semington.

The public inquiry, which had opened on June 27, heard evidence in relation to both appeals, including evidence on the effect of the two appeal schemes in combination.

Mr Coffey said: “At the present time, there are about 400 dwellings within the village. The appeal proposal would significantly increase the size of the village, both in terms of the number of dwellings and also the extent of built development.”

The main issues which impacted on his decision were the effect of the proposals on the character and appearance of Semington and the surrounding rural landscape, including the nearby Kennet and Avon Canal.

Mr Coffey also considered the effect of the Richborough Estates proposal on the Semington Aqueduct, a Grade II listed?building and a designated heritage asset, as well as a nearby undesignated heritage asset, a Second World War pillbox, which villagers want to turn into a bat roost.

In reaching his decision, he said there was no “significant new evidence” to justify a departure from the housing requirement within Wiltshire’s Core Strategy plan.

The council had been able to demonstrate a five-year supply of land sufficient to build 6,867 new homes against a housing requirement for 6,817.

The proposals for Semington were inappropriate in scale, having regard to the national planning policy and local development plans, Mr Coffey said.

The inspector concluded he was “not persuaded” that affordable housing would be a positive benefit for the village or would add to, or maintain, Semington’s specific vitality.