MARLBOROUGH Town Council has slammed developers who are building retirement apartments in the town for attempting to avoid paying more than £300,000 which would go towards providing affordable housing for younger people.

In April 2015, McCarthy and Stone's application to build 27 retirement flats in Granham Close, where the Clarke & Rodway garage used to be, was approved despite town councillors' and residents' protests about transport and access issues.

The permission included a legal agreement that the developers had to make a financial contribution of £334,625 towards affordable housing in Marlborough.

Now McCarthy and Stone says it does not need to honour this Section 106 agreement as the estimated costs for clearing the site have been exceeded, which has enraged the town council.

The firm has applied to have the conditions of the planing permission amended by Wiltshire Council, but there is no fixed date for the decision.

The development also includes car parking, communal areas and landscaping.

"It is quite disgusting that they are trying to get out of it. We are not sure if we can do anything to stop it and I do not think Wiltshire Council has the appetite, the money nor the fight to battle them in court," said deputy mayor Mervyn Hall.

"This town needs affordable housing for young people but these developers are like a juggernaut that we cannot stop. The lawyers come in and get their way.

"Unfortunately this seems to be happening all over the country. We are very disappointed and dismayed that they are doing this.

"An amount like this, which was originally agreed to be £500,000 before the developers knocked it down significantly, could have gone to a self-build project.

"We were against it as the town has too many over-55 complexes. We have written an objection letter to the planning department at Wiltshire Council and hopefully something positive can come from it.

"We should like to remind Wiltshire Council that the Marlborough Area Strategy as set out in the Wiltshire Core Strategy at paragraph 5.78 recognises the need for affordable housing in the town," said town clerk Shelley Parker.

"Core Policy 14 further supports this consideration. The town council urges Wiltshire Council not to agree to this amendment."

A spokesman for McCarthy and Stone said this week: “Due to unforeseen costs during the demolition process, McCarthy and Stone put the construction of the Granham Close development on hold to assess its viability.

“The site was made safe and secure, and Wiltshire Council were notified of our decision.

“We are currently in discussions with Wiltshire Council about the future of the site and renegotiating the terms of the planning permission so that a resolution on both sides can be reached. Wiltshire Council are supportive of the fact that the development will meet a recognised need for older people’s housing in Marlborough.”