PROTESTERS have accused developers, who want to build homes on land near the ancient Quakers Walk footpath in Devizes, of trying to get their plan in through the back door.

Just weeks before an appeal was due to be heard into plans by the Merchant Venturers to build 123 homes as an extension to the Quakers Road estate they have submitted a new application for 65 houses.

Members of Roundway Parish Council who met on Monday evening were unanimous in objecting to the scheme. Parish councillor Rick Rowland said: "We all see this as a way of them trying to get around objections by putting in for the maximum number of houses that were shown for the site in the neighbourhood plan.

"Everyone at the meeting was angry about it. But we hope that it will still not be successful as the neighbourhood plan has shown a number of brownfield sites that can be used to meet our housing target without using this site."

Ian Goodridge, who lives on estate, is also angry. He said: "The previous application for 123 houses on this site and an adjacent one was called in earlier this year and is due to be heard in October.

"However, the agents for the Merchant Venturers have submitted a plan for 65 houses on about half of the land, which seems to me a way of getting the whole site approved via the back door."

There are fears that if the plan for 65 homes was approved a scheme for more houses would be submitted at a later date.

Devizes Town Council has written to Wiltshire Council to object to the new plan on a number of grounds including significant traffic problems that would be caused on London Road and the wider area and environmental damage to Quakers Walk.

The town council objection also says: "This application is a re-iteration of a part of an earlier application which is now the subject of a planning inquiry. There is a serious shortage of accessible green open space in the Devizes area and the location is very suitable for a new park which will probably feature in the neighbourhood plan in the future."

There were also concerns about overloading sewage pipes.

In August last year Wiltshire Council approved plans for 123 homes on a larger area of land next to Quakers Walk after its head of development control Mike Wilmott told the eastern area planning committee: "There are no good grounds for refusal. We wouldn't have a leg to stand on."

But in March it was announced that the Government had called in the plan and an inquiry was to be held in October.