Building on green belt 'could set precedent'

Plans to build hundreds of homes on the edge of an Wiltshire town have been criticised.

Bradford-on-Avon Town Council unanimously voted against the Beehive Field development - near Trowbridge Road - which includes 220 houses, a 72-bed care home and recreational facilities.

Wiltshire Councillor for Bradford-on-Avon South George Simmonds said building on the 75-acre (31 hectare) site would "set a precedent" for housing on the green belt.

Simon Steele-Perkins, director of land investor Waddeton Park, said he was disappointed the town council's response didn't "recognise the benefits" of the proposed development which "they and others in the local community" had acknowledged.

"Nevertheless, we remain sure of the considerable merits of the scheme and will continue to engage with all parties throughout and beyond the planning process," he added.

Currently in the consultation phase, Wiltshire Council will vote on the plans in the coming months.

Steele-Perkins said the "green belt" site met government criteria for it to also be considered "grey belt" - with 50% of the proposed housing "affordable".

The government previously described the grey belt as "poor quality and ugly areas" on parts of the green belt.

However, resident and qualified architect Louise Weissel said the land did not qualify.

"It is not designated as grey belt. Green belt land is designated to prevent urban sprawl. This development is too large not to be considered sprawl," she said.

Weissel, who also works for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, said: "It sits within, and encroaches on, land close to the river in the Bath and Bradford-on-Avon Special Area of Conservation for protected species."

The undeveloped land is currently under agricultural use, apart from a single-storey hut used by the local sailing club.

Simmonds said: "I'm sure some people would snigger at the idea of 220 houses being a lot, but Bradford-on-Avon has a population of about 10,000.

"It's boxed in by green belt and its traffic problems are infamous."

Wiltshire Council cabinet member for development management Adrian Foster said: "As the application is currently under consideration it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."

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