FRIENDS of Woolley and the wider community have welcomed the withdrawal of the planning application by Redcliffe Homes for the field east of Woolley.

The field has been identified as Local Green Space in the Bradford on Avon Neighbourhood Plan.

It provides the setting to the Conservation Area and Crown Court, an area consisting of 18th and 19th century cottages considered by Wiltshire Heritage to be heritage assets.

The application for 57 houses on this field was submitted in January 2017.

This attracted widespread condemnation by the community, with almost 150 letters from residents of the town. The field is home to a range of protected wildlife, such as bats, barn owls, Fieldfares, Redwings and badgers.

This provides the setting to the conservation area, and is an essential characteristic of the rural backdrop to Woolley.

In addition to the community objections, Local organisation Friends Of Woolley drew attention to the numerous inaccuracies of the planning application and how this would encroach upon the preservation of the conservation area.Friends Of Woolley Chairman Brian Elliott said:, “We welcome the withdrawal of this application, the development was completely out of keeping and inappropriate for this area. We are aware this doesn’t mean interest in the field as a potential development site has gone away, however as a community body we would hope this could become an enhanced and permanently protected wild life area.”

A large number of concerns about the suitability and safety of the proposed application were also raised by a number of stakeholders, including Bradford on Avon Town Council, the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust, Historic England and on behalf of Wiltshire Council Drainage, and Highways.

Georgina Newton

Via email