MOVES to “cramp” nine new houses into a picturesque village near Malmesbury have been thrown out following the adoption four months ago of Wiltshire’s first neighbourhood plan.

Residents in and around Malmesbury voted overwhelmingly in favour of having their own neighbourhood plan which would give them a far greater say in the future development of their town and villages.

The initiative has now made an impact after Planning Inspector Paul Dignan said that it had carried “significant weight” in his decision to reject a contentious housing scheme in Milbourne.

A developer wanted to demolish Dew Pond Barn in Milbourne Lane in order to build nine four and two bedroom houses on the site. The scheme went to appeal after being rejected by Wiltshire Council.

Mr Dignan said the scheme to redevelop the old agricultural building was of a scale that “significantly exceeds the level of growth considered appropriate for small villages.”

He went on: “The Malmesbury Neighbourhood Plan places an emphasis on ensuring that new housing development comes forward in a way that preserves the rural character of the village.”

He said the Dew Pond Barn proposal would fill in a gap between two parts of the village that currently played an important role in maintaining its rural setting and distinctiveness.

As such, it would “thus fail to preserve the distinctive rural character of the settlement,” he said.

The Planning Inspector also criticised the “somewhat cramped layout” of the housing scheme, which he felt would be detrimental to the living conditions of future residents.

Wiltshire’s first referendum of its kind in November saw 90 per cent of those who went to the polls vote in favour of adopting the Malmesbury Neighbourhood Plan as a template for local planning issues.

Politicians of all parties applauded the public’s decision to endorse what was described as a “local plan for local people made by local people.”

A string of similar referendums on the adoption of neighbourhood plans will take place all over Wiltshire in the months and years to come.