Concerneed residents campaigning to block a housing development along Park Road are hoping planning officers reject the application in the coming days.

More than 150 letters of objection have been received from residents keen to see the request turned down.

According to the Wiltshire Council website, not one letter in support of the White Lion Land application was received.

The proposal would see 77 new houses built on land off Park Road, along with a community building, some open space and associated access roads.

More than 100 residents, who are concerned by the prospect of increased flooding, traffic congestion and pressure on the town’s schools, met at an extraordinary meeting of the town council’s planning and environment committee in May to voice their opposition to the scheme.

Kim Power, of Park Road, said she would be delighted to see the application refused. She added: “We don’t want to see the countryside spoiled.

“The flooding of the road is already terrible, the increase in traffic would be dangerous for children going to school and there aren’t any school spaces for them anyway. I would be happy to see it rejected.”

In a letter on behalf of Malmesbury Town Council, Deputy Town Clerk Phil Rice explained the proposal was “outside the framework boundary” and is located in the river valley.

He said that “primary education facilities in the town are inadequate to meet the needs of the young children that would live on the proposed estate” and that “local roads are by no means capable of dealing with the increased traffic that will be generated”.

In a letter outlining the merits of the proposal, agent Edward Ledwidge said: “The proposal is considered to meet a need for new housing, including affordable housing, within North Wiltshire and the settlement of Malmesbury.

“It has been demonstrated that the council do not have a five-year supply of housing land as required by national policy and the application site is not subject to any physical, environmental or other constraints that would prevent housing development taking place.”

But Brokenborough Parish Council chairman Bob Tallon criticised the plans in a letter warning of the impact on the village.

He said: “ The introduction of houses on the Brokenborough side of Malmesbury will inevitably encourage drivers to use our narrow village lane to access Tetbury and beyond. Park Road is also unsuited to increased traffic.

“Although 70 houses are planned, there will be heavy pressure to eventually build up to 200 houses.

“In addition, there will be loss of amenity open space for the people of White Lion Park.”