A LAST ditch attempt is being made to stop a heavily criticised retirement home development which could derail a scheme to regenerate Calne’s town centre.

The application, by McCarthy & Stone, would see the redevelopment of land in The Pippin, the centre of a proposed masterplan for the regeneration of Calne, into 32 high-quality apartments.

With the decision set for Wednesday (May 4) after the Gazette & Herald goes to publication Mo Norrington, of Black Dog Hill, has set up a petition entitled Keep Calne Alive calling for the development to be rejected.

Ms Norrington, of Black Dog Hill, said: “I know about the master plan and that there was a big effort to attempt to do something to improve Calne and make it what it ought to be and regenerate it.

“I have lived in Calne since the days of the Harris factory and saw what happened after it closed and Calne died.

“It has regenerated a bit since then but it is not quite there yet and I was really quite excited when I learned about what these people were planning to do.

“This plan was hoping to bring in those shops and I really believed that it was going to happen and I was so upset by this proposed development.”

The development has received 48 letters of opposition and has come under heavy fire from members of community group Our Place, which say it will run roughshod over their masterplan.

The plan focuses mainly on the development of The Pippin and Phelps Parade, with ideas on how to improve the Castlefields area and the main A4 route into town.

Ms Norrington added: “I was sure that the town was set to improve for the better. I pictured eateries that would be nice for the town.

“I have friends that go outside Calne to eat and buy things as there are just not the shops here to do that.

“I might as well move town. The building is not conducive to the generation of business in Calne.”

A spokesperson for McCarthy & Stone said: “Our scheme for The Pippin represents a multi-million pound investment right in the heart of Calne which tidies up a long overgrown and neglected central site with a thoughtfully designed development.

“We have assessed the likely traffic generation and movement as a result of our scheme in this location, and will proactively work with the council to minimise any impact on surrounding roads.”

To see the petition go to: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/keep-calne-alive-1.