GAZETTE & HERALD: Plans to build over 150 new homes on the site of the old Allington School in Chippenham have been given the green light despite concerns about flooding.

Developers Redrow Homes will build 118 new homes on the 3.8-hectare site, ranging in size from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses, as well as 41 affordable homes to be managed by Westlea Housing Association.

At a meeting of North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee last week, Yvonne King, speaking for Chippenham Without Parish Council, said: "There are already flooding problems in that area.

"The parish council believes this flooding will be increased because of the potential new buildings."

She said the parish council also had concerns about the estate becoming a rat run and about noise levels from the noise levels coming from the Bumpers Farm industrial estate.

Coun Judy Rooke said she was disappointed the affordable housing was not dispersed about the site, and wanted to see good pedestrian and cycle links on the new estate.

The site is situated between the Bristol Road, Allington Way and Bumpers Way.

The developers originally wanted to build 136 houses on the site but the plans were considered unacceptable in layout and design.

Residents said local infrastructure could not cope with so many new houses and questioned if town centre facilities were adequate for the increase in population.

The new Westlea homes will mostly be semi-detached with a few terraces of three and each will have at least one parking space and small garden areas.

A part of the Allington site has also been set aside for the creation of a new premises for the Hathaway GP surgery.