Opinions are divided on plans for a 1,000-home development in Chippenham, that would include a food store, shops and community buildings.

Crest Nicholson and Redcliffe Homes, which control 128 hectares of land south of the town, put in an outline application for the site from Patt-erdown Road to the west and the River Avon to the east, from Coppice Close down to Showell Farm.

Sarah Foster, of SF Planning Link, said more than half the 100 written responses after last July’s public exhibition supported the scheme but, of them, only a third gave full support. The rest had concerns about traffic.

A bus lane on Rowden Hill was removed from the application as a result of the consultation.

The plans have now been officially lodged with Wiltshire Council and the deadline for comments is January 29.

One Brooklands resident, Pauline Miles, has lodged an objection with the council, saying: “Patterdown Road simply cannot cope with a potential 1,000 plus cars a day. It can take 20 minutes to get onto the road from Coppice Close now.

“This is just too big a development depending on a single road.”

The majority of the site is currently pasture land.

Mayor John Scragg, whose town council ward is Lowden and Rowden, said: “I have had a look at the proposals and they look quite attractive.

“There’s a place for extra housing that way, but it’s difficult to assess. We have got to accept that some areas of green space will have to be built on.”