VILLAGERS in Langley Burrell can breathe a sigh of relief after their efforts to stop 500 homes being built in the parish were a success.

An application to build homes, a primary school, play areas on land near Barrow Farm on the M4 side of Chippenham was rejected in February, and the subsequent appeal was thrown out on November 4 by local government inspector, Philip Mayor.

The main reasons for the refusal were congestion and safety issues, the negative impact the development would have on green space and the surrounding area, subsuming Langley Burrell into Chippenham and a failure to set out a bus strategy.

The decision ends a two-year battle between the applicant Robert Hitchins and Langley Burrell Parish Council, Langley Burrell Residents Association and a neighbourhood plan steering group. The latter two groups were created specifically to oppose the development.

"The parish is rejoicing at the news of this decision, which came as quite a surprise. We have been grappling with this for more than two years and now we can all breathe a sigh of relief," said Bob Woodward, chairman of the parish's residents association.

"Dozens of people have worked tirelessly, writing letters of objection, forming different groups to make our voices heard, and finally it has paid off – everyone has done brilliantly.

"We are delighted that Langley Burrell will be preserved and not become a suburb of Chippenham. There are two or three developments coming to areas around Chippenham and we fought tooth and nail to make sure that trend did not continue.

"We were up against a huge company who usually get their way in these sorts of things. They are a total pain in the neck for local parishes. They have a lot of money at their disposal, with top lawyers aiding their efforts.

"Langley Burrell was up against the big boys so you can imagine just how jubilant we are. For the time being, we can retain our small village status. Eventually our neighbourhood plan will carry some weight in preserving it as such."

Earlier in the year, Wiltshire Council refused to consider the application in the light of the absence of the approval of the Chippenham site allocation plan for housing needs up to 2026.