North Wiltshire MP James Gray has defended asking Secretary of State Eric Pickles to call in the Waitrose plan for Malmesbury.

He has been accused of interference after Wiltshire Council planners agreed to the scheme on land behind Avon Silk Mills, a short walk from the town centre, on Wednesday last week.

Mr Gray asked Mr Pickles to look at the plan and consider overruling the council to allow the town’s Neighbourhood Plan, which has been taking shape for over a year, go to a referendum first.

Mr Gray said pushing the Waitrose decision through now would undermine the draft Neighbourhood Plan.

But Malmesbury unitary councillor Simon Killane, who chairs the committee steering the Neighbourhood Plan, is critical of Mr Gray’s bid to delay the Waitrose proposal.

He said: “I have always wanted a referendum on the plan before any supermarket planning application was decided and have tirelessly worked to try and achieve this.

“The reality is that neither I nor Wiltshire Council have the power to delay any applicant indefinitely. The town has expanded and needed a supermarket and Co-op was unable to expand because of the flood zone.

“This was the most democratic, open and transparent, evidence-based process for selecting an important development site that we have ever had in the history of the town. It shows we don’t have to be ‘nimbies’, we can work with the council.

“It is fantastic that that the Neighbourhood Plan was used to inform the decision. There were lots of modifications made to the applications based on comments that came in.”

Mr Gray said: “I am a very strong supporter of the neighbourhood planning process.

“It involves a plan put together by a committee and a consultation period to collect responses and there will be a referendum towards the end of the year.

“This Waitrose decision cuts across the process just as Gleeson (a scheme for 180 homes, which has also been called in) did and is going to prevent the Neighbourhood Plan coming to a proper conclusion.

“Something as important as this should not be down to 11 councillors. It will change the town.”

“The neighbourhood planning process has only has had about 400 responses, when the population is about 6,000. Most people have not had their say and they would in a referendum.

“In dealing with complex processes it’s important everyone comes together. I believe in the neighbourhood planning process and not rushed-through decisions.

“We shouldn’t assume because a minister’s looking into it that it will be overturned.

“If I had not taken action, the people of Malmesbury would have woken up on Friday morning with contractors digging up a green field – it’s much too quick for an important decision.”