The inspector appointed by the Coalition Government has instructed Wiltshire Council that its new housing numbers must be increased by several thousand.

Without any public scrutiny, a council officer has decided that the Chippenham allocation will be increased from 4,000 to a minimum of 4,510, an increase of at least 13 per cent. Although the council claims it wants to distribute the extra housing evenly across the county, the increase for the north and west area (including Chippenham) is 16 per cent overall, while its is seven per cent for the eastern area and only five per cent in the south. These numbers matter. There is a great deal at stake here, going beyond those obvious and unexplained differences. In addition to its 13 per cent increase, Chippenham is the only town in the county for which a minimum number has been allocated.

So it is clear that Wiltshire Council is offering developers open season on all the green space around the town. There is now a real danger that new developments will concrete over those green spaces in all directions. This in spite of the fact that every survey of local opinion has shown that Chippenham residents value those green spaces as an essential part of their quality of life and the character of the town.

Second, it is extraordinary that after many months of consultations, public documents, discussions and meetings produced the previous plans, a minimum of 510 extra houses has been added in an exchange of letters between the council and Government officials.

There was no public consultation, and no opportunity for elected councillors to challenge those numbers in public. Little wonder that the public has so little confidence in local democracy when they have no chance to be heard. Where in all of this is the voice of other elected Chippenham councillors? I was the only one to question these numbers in the internal briefing session which I attended. Why is the town council silent in face of these troubling developments? It will be too late to complain when the developers send in their plans for building on all the green spaces around the town. They will have the blessing of Wiltshire Council, its Conservative leadership and its officers and, crucially of course, of the Government’s appointed official.

We should urgently be sending our collective objections to the inspector, and Wiltshire Council, before it is too late. Chris Caswill, Independent Wiltshire councillor, Chippenham Monkton ward.