Wiltshire Council urged to reject plans for 180 homes on edge of town

The consultation period for the application for reserved matters for the homes on land between Southwick and Trowbridge came to an end at the beginning of this month.

The application of reserved matters was made in December last year, with developer Wain Homes returning to Wiltshire Council to provide more details about how the development will look.

As previously reported, in April 2024 planning inspector John Longmuir ruled that Devon-based land promoter Waddeton Park could go ahead with its plans at Southwick Court Farm near Trowbridge to develop the former medieval water meadows.

The appeal site is close to the Grade II* Southwick Court Farmhouse, which includes a medieval manor house, and the Grade II* listed Gatehouse and Bridge over Moat at Southwick Court.

New plans show the proposed designs of the houses (Image: Wiltshire Council)

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A decision on the more detailed plans for the development is now expected to come from Wiltshire Council in September.

This comes shortly after the consultation period for the application closed on July 1, with a wave of respondents making last-minute objections to the proposal.

Among the most prominent was South West Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison, who had made an earlier objection to the plans by highlighting the significant value of the land as a Roman settlement.

In a more recent objection, Dr Murrison commented: “My previous objection to development of this site stands. The application is contrary to Southwick’s Neighbourhood Plan.

“The proposed development would significantly erode green space between settlements, specifically Southwick and Trowbridge, and degrade an important heritage asset site.

“It would create a clear flood risk and increased risk on the A361/Frome Road.”

Carey Tesler, who owns neighbouring Southwick Court and chairs Trowbridge’s Chamber of Commerce, pleaded with the council to consider “saving Southwick Court Fields from destruction and obliterating this heritage asset setting forever.”

Concluding a multifaceted objection, Mrs Tesler wrote: “As co-owner of Grade II* Southwick Court, I am extremely concerned about the great degree of harm which will have a major impact on the entire historic asset, which should remain a treasure for the local community and the nation for future generations to come.”

How the site will be laid out (Image: Wiltshire Council)

Trowbridge Town Council also filed a lengthy objection on multiple grounds including concerns over information “missing” from design documents and issues with the scale of the development.

Jeff Marshall, who farms land near the site of the proposed development, said "this piece of unspoiled land needs to be maintained for the good of everybody living close".

His objection continued: "There is also evidence of Roman and Celtic pieces of history that have been excavated it would be a sin to destroy these by allowing this development to go ahead."

The Environment Agency also objected, citing its 'strong opposition' to the plans' proposals for culverting watercourses, as well as "inadequate" flood risk assessments.

Dozens of other objections also appear on the application’s planning portal, with respondents raising a range of concerns over the proposal.

In February of this year, responding to an enquiry about objections to the plans, spokesperson for Wain Homes told this paper: "As this is a live planning application, it would not be appropriate for us to comment in detail at this stage. We will continue to engage through the formal planning process.”

Wiltshire Council's decision on the application is expected by September 2.