TROWBRIDGE Town Council will not support any building on the land adjacent to Hilperton Relief Road, after hundreds of residents criticised the proposals at a meeting yesterday.

The unprecedented turn out, which saw more than 200 locals spill out of the Council Chambers at The Civic Centre, was in response to Wiltshire Council identifying land in the Hilperton Gap for possible use for new houses.

Wiltshire Council is considering the land as part of the further 1,649 houses that need to be found in Trowbridge to help ensure the delivery of the Wiltshire Core Strategy housing requirement.

Trowbridge Town Council was initially going to recommend that the land would be better suited to a secondary school site, but residents expressed disapproval for any building in the Hilperton Gap.

Resident George Bunting, who lives near Hilperton Gap, said: “It is not necessary to build houses in the gap as we need and deserve strategic green space to the north east of the town for amenity and recreation.

“Once house building has started, Trowbridge town would inevitably extend to absorb Hilperton and this would radically change the centre of gravity of Trowbridge.

“We demand that the shape of Trowbridge and Hilperton for future generations is driven by the people, not manipulated by developers and by an arbitrary and unthinking methodology.”

Mr Bunting added that while the core strategy says an additional 1,649 homes are needed in Trowbridge, the shortlist of possible sites shows capacity for 2,464, so even if the gap is excluded there is still enough capacity.

Steve Oldrieve, Wiltshire Councillor for Trowbridge Paxcroft, told the meeting: “My opinion is that we should send a strong message that there should be no building in the gap.

“I have been a strong advocate of a secondary school on the east side of Trowbridge, but not on this site, especially as it looks like there may be one as part of the Ashton Park development

“Developers have identified this land and it is time Trowbridge has its say on where we want houses and where we don’t want them. There should be no building in the gap and it should be kept a strategic green space for Trowbridge.”

Roger Andrews, deputy mayor of Trowbridge, proposed the council made an amendment to the original recommendation that it does not support any building in land adjacent to Hilperton Relief Road as it is strategic green space for Trowbridge.

He added that Wiltshire Council should instead consider alternatives which reduce the additional requirement to be met by the Trowbridge settlement. He said: “The Hilperton Gap is land that separates Trowbridge from Hilperton and like the Dodo; once it is gone it is gone forever.”

All the councillors present at the meeting voted to support the amendment except for Cllr Peter Fuller, who felt it was a suitable site for a secondary school.