Council buys more time on hub plan

1:40pm Thursday 10th April 2008

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Plans for a £6 million sports hub in Wootton Bassett have been put on hold after councillors voted to defer the application.

At a meeting of North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee last Wednesday councillors decided that the plans should be halted while people's concerns are looked at.

Four planning applications were put on hold because it was agreed that one could not go ahead without the others being agreed to.

The plans have divided the town and now they will be considered carefully by planning officers before facing development control again.

Michael O'Brien, who has been fighting to have the plans overturned since day one, said on Thursday: "The deferral was a massive shock for the Wootton Bassett Sports Association and maybe the development committee should split the applications up - the rugby club's two applications separately and the WBSA as another application. There is no need to join the two projects.

"One of the trustees of the WBSA had been telling people that last night's applications were a formality and it was a done deal, so they are waking up today with a sore head."

The project would involve replacing the seven-acre Gerard Buxton sports ground, which dates from the 1930s, with a state-of-the-art 26-acre complex on the northern edge of town.

To finance the new hub, Wootton Bassett Sports Association wants to sell its ground at Rylands Way to Persimmon Homes, which plans to build 168 houses there.

Part of the scheme also involves providing a new ground for Wootton Bassett Rugby Club, which is currently near the Gerard Buxton facility at Stoneover Lane.

Finally plans for another 100 homes at the rugby club site in Stoneover Lane have also been submitted.

The main concerns raised were from those living near the proposed Persimmon development, because of access and overcrowding issues.

Many also agreed that they were concerned about access to the new sports hub from the already busy B4042.

Issues to do with flood lighting, drainage and traffic were also put to the planning officers.

Paul Harrison, from the Wootton Bassett Sports Association said: "It was frustrating to a degree but it is a complex issue.

"I see what people are saying about having two separate applications and I don't think it is a bad idea but obviously there are still links with them all."