Altered plans for Royal Wootton Bassett sports field (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Altered plans for Royal Wootton Bassett sports field

1:00pm Saturday 12th January 2013 in News By Emma Dunn

Concerns have been raised about a revised application to build on a sports field in Royal Wootton Bassett.

Permission was given for 168 homes to be built on Gerard Buxton sports ground, in Rylands Way, in 2008. Developer Persimmon Homes has now submitted an application to Wiltshire Council for 129 homes instead.

The plans were discussed at the town council’s planning committee meeting last week, where councillors raised concerns about the development’s proximity to existing homes.

Committee chairman Audrey Wannell said: “We were very concerned with the privacy of three existing properties in Longleaze and Rylands Way.

“We thought two or three of the properties in the plans were going to be overshadowing them and were too close to the border of their land so they wouldn’t have any privacy,” she said.

“We have got to think of the residents who are already there.”

Concerns were also raised at the meeting about parking, the height of some of the buildings towards the edge of the development, and that the affordable housing was not spread throughout the site.

The original development was given the go-ahead five years ago as part of the creation of a £6m sporting hub at Ballards Ash to replace the facilities at Gerard Buxton sports ground.

A long campaign was staged in the town against the original plans before they were given permission.

Michael O’Brien, of Longleaze, who led a campaign group at the time, has written a letter of objection to Wiltshire Council about the new plans.

“I welcome the reduction in dwellings but fundamentally I am still opposed to it and I have written to Wiltshire Council,” he said.

“That land was gifted to the people of Royal Wootton Bassett. I want it left as it is. It is a sports recreation field and it is a space for the community to join together.”

Sue Pinnegar, of Tennyson Road nearby, said: “I am urging people to write letters against it. It is terrible. It is the only green bit of land we have in Bassett and it is going to be built on. Once it is gone, it’s gone.”

In the application, a spokesman for Persimmon Homes said: “This resubmitted residential planning application is for a lesser number of 129 dwellings and associated open space in order to reflect the changes in the housing market from that prevalent when the application was originally submitted back in 2008.

“This resubmitted planning application is for a significantly lesser number of dwellings but it respects the form and layout principles deemed to be acceptable in the previous scheme.”

To view or comment on the application visit http://www.wilt shire.gov.uk/planninganddevelopment.

htm and search for 12/03941/FUL. Comments need to be made by today.