Residents in a village near Malmesbury are celebrating after plans for a small housing development, which raised road safety concerns from residents, was rejected by Wiltshire Council.

The authority was inundated with objections from people over a proposal for nine new homes, of which four would be affordable, at Dew Pond Barn, Milbourne.

The parish council raised its ‘very strongest objections’ to development because it was outside the framework boundary of the village under the Local Plan, and that it was premature to the completion of the Neighbourhood Plan.

However, parking was the main concern of villagers, with many afraid the development would encourage people to park on the narrow rural road.

“This is a real achievement for local people, who came together and opposed the application that had been developed under the old, discredited, top-down, developer-led system,” said Rodger Budgen, chairman of Malmesbury and St Paul Without Parish Council.

“Realistically our elation may only be short-lived as the developer has the right of appeal. Therefore we must wait and see if this actually is the end of the matter.”

Wiltshire Council rejected the plan on six counts last week, stating that scale and layout were ‘cramped’ and citing issues over parking.

The authority also stated that the applicant, Willis and Co in Chippenham, had failed to show that the development would not have an adverse impact on bats and reptiles.