Despair in Bradford on Avon over plans for development

On May 7, a masterplan to build hundreds of homes on the eastern edge of Bradford on Avon was revealed after a planning application was submitted to Wiltshire Council.

Since the submission of the plan, residents have made their opinions clear as part of the public consultation stage of the planning process.

While some residents support additional housing, many have voiced objections over the size of the development and the risk of introducing more traffic into an already-congested Bradford on Avon.

As previously reported, land investor Waddeton Park Ltd wants to build the homes - 50 per cent of which will be designated 'affordable' - and a 72-bed care home at on a 31 hectare site at Trowbridge Road, between the River Avon and the Kennet & Avon Canal.

The application also includes the provision of a community sports pitch, mobility hub, 12-hectare country park, and other public open space including a community orchard, play areas, and allotments.

The site is currently agricultural land with a single-storey hut used by Bradford on Avon Sailing Club for boat storage.

An application for 194 houses was refused in 2008, with a similar application being withdrawn in 2009.

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Waddeton Park says it has been discussing its proposals with Bradford on Avon Town Council since 2023. It was during these meeting that town councillors raised the lack of facilities in the town, including sports pitches, and the lack of affordable housing.

However, the application has already sparked heated debate amongst residents. Responding to the plan on the planning portal, Dr Ean Richardson objected, writing that the land was “one of the last pieces of green belt which separates Bradford on Avon from Trowbridge”.

Views of the site included in the plans. (Image: Wiltshire Council)

Alongside concern over town boundaries, Dr Richardson highlighted a number of other issues, and concluded that the “application will be of detriment to the local area and disrupt further the already congested traffic flow” adding it would risk increasing the “already unacceptable number of RTCs on this part of Trowbridge Road.”

Andrea Chestwell said: “Number of houses proposed (with no additional facilities such as a primary school) will put huge pressure on existing town resources, such as health and schooling.

“Likely impact of additional traffic on nearby roads and road safety (given that entrance to new housing will be very close to the Beehive bridge where visibility of oncoming traffic will be poor.

“Traffic already speeds down Moulton Drive. This road would likely see a huge increase in traffic.”

While there are further objections revolving around the prospect of additional traffic, there are also more mixed responses to the proposal. Elly Hodkinson said she supported the plan in principle due to a need for affordable housing.

But Ms Hodkinson also identified the “impact of this very substantial proposed development on traffic, air quality and the local wildlife site” as her biggest concern.

She commented: “This proposed development is simply too big and I have serious concerns about the impact on the local community and environment.”

Sarah Harkcom commented that she lives on the boundary of the proposed site, and that while she accepted the need for more houses, added that the peaceful fields were one of the main draws for her, and said the proposal looked like “overdevelopment”.

She also wondered how the town’s health services and roads would manage with the addition of hundreds of residents.

The developers have said the proposal would be sustainable and make a “significant contribution” to housing targets.

In a planning statement attached to the application, agents acting on their behalf wrote: “The development would result in a sustainable form of development which would make a significant contribution towards meeting the housing needs of Wiltshire and it is evident from this evaluation that the public benefits arising from the proposed development would in fact outweigh the adverse impacts rather than vice versa.

“On that basis, and in the context of the presumption in favour of sustainable development, planning permission should be granted without delay."