Marlborough residents protest plans for police station

A planning row has erupted in Marlborough over McCarthy Stone’s proposal to turn the former police station on George Lane into retirement homes.

The developer has submitted plans to create 30 homes for over 60s on the site alongside 18 parking spaces.

This new use for the station has sparked mass opposition from residents and councillors who fear Marlborough is being turned into a “ghost town” by excessive retirement developments and a lack of affordable housing for younger people.

At a planning committee meeting on Monday, May 19, multiple residents spoke out against the scheme.

According to the meeting minutes, one speaker, Mrs Compton, offered to lie down in front of the diggers if necessary and the committee chair, Cllr Kym-Marie Cleasby, offered to hold her hand.

The plans for the site (Image: McCarthy Stone) Cllr Lisa Farrell argued the development was “not right for Marlborough” due to the shortage of suitable housing for young people and families in the town.

She warned that she had been informed one school was at risk of shutting within five years if this situation did not change, due to “dwindling numbers of children”.

Cllr Farrell and others were also concerned about the impact on other services like doctor’s surgeries, traffic, and parking.

After much discussion, the committee resolved to create and publicise a petition against the plans and seek an alternative not-for-profit buyer who would be willing to build affordable homes on the site.

The town council objected to the scheme and urged other residents to do the same.

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McCarthy Stone insists providing specialist accommodation for over 60s will mean Marlborough’s “under-occupied” houses are vacated for families to take on, decreasing the pressure to build on the green belt.

Its design and access statement said: “It is considered, through a detailed design approach where the opportunities and constraints of the site have been fully interrogated, that the proposed scheme represents a high-quality development of previously developed land in the heart of an established town with excellent connectivity and transport links.

“Not only will the resultant scheme bring underutilised and vacant land back into use, but it will also provide much needed elderly accommodation, that will help to address the current housing issues that we face with an aging population.”