Around 250 Devizes residents assembled on the Green on Saturday morning to register their anger at a plan for even more housing on land near London Road.

Glasgow-based developers Mactaggart and Mickel have indicated they will shortly be applying for planning permission for 350 houses on agricultural land at Coate Roade, off London Road, and they have set up a display of their intentions on the first floor of Devizes Library.

But speakers at Saturday's rally said, despite the developers' claims, this was speculation and exploitation.

Tony Sedgwick, chairman of the Devizes Area Community Partnership, told the crowd: "These people will go back to Glasgow with the money in their pockets having done untold damage to the Devizes area behind them.

"We have to tell our MP, Claire Perry, we need a policy on development in market towns that don't have the infrastructure to deal with it."

Other speakers included Ted East, chairman of the Trust for Devizes; Laura Mayes, chairman of the Devizes Area Board; Sue Buxton, secretary of the Devizes constituency Labour Party; Nigel Carter, Wiltshire Council member for Devizes; Mayor of Devizes Kelvin Nash and Chris Callow, chairman of Roundway parish council.

Those attending were urged to go to the library and fill in the consultation forms provided by Mactaggart and Mickel.