Parish Council objects to planning application

Semington Parish Council has objected to the application to build 30 houses on land “to the south of Pound Lane”. Its reasons are:

1. Core Policy 1 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy sets out the Settlement Strategy for the County, and in doing so identifies four tiers of settlement – Principal Settlement, Market Town, Local Service Centre, and Large and Small Village.  Within the Settlement Strategy Semington is defined as a Large Village. As such it has a defined boundary beyond which is countryside. Thus, the application site lies beyond the limits of development of Semington in the countryside.
2. Core Policy 2 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy sets out the Delivery Strategy. It identifies the scale of growth appropriate within each settlement tier. The policy states that within the limits of development of those settlements with defined limits there is a presumption in favour of sustainable development; but, outside the defined limits – that is, in the countryside – other than in circumstances permitted by other policies of the Plan, development will not be allowed. The policy further states that the limits of development may only be altered through identification of sites for development through subsequent Site Allocations Development Plan Documents and Neighbourhood Plans. The application site is not identified for development in a Development Plan Document. Neither has it been put forward for development through Semington’s emerging Neighbourhood Plan as the landowner / developer ignored the ‘call for sites’ invitation to do so.
3. Core Policy 12 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy sets out the Spatial Strategy for the Melksham Community Area in which Semington lies. It states that development in the Melksham Community Area should be in accordance with the Settlement Strategy set out in Core Policy 1.
4. Semington does not need any more market houses or affordable ones at this time, as evidenced by the 2022 Housing Needs Survey.  Currently, planning permission already exists for 51 new properties (19 affordable / 32 market) in the village. Any additional development proposed should be taking place in market towns where there are appropriate facilities, and sustainable development is possible.
5. The parish council has not been consulted by the developer prior to the application thereby denying the community any opportunity for comment. This was the case with the previous applications to build 20 and 26 houses in the southern part of the field. The developer has declined to respond to overtures from the parish council about development in this field and has simply no idea about any preferences the local community might have about any aspect of the development.
6. We also note the comments from Urban Design on this application, namely that the applicant did not positively engage early on with Wiltshire Council “in regard to the design quality of their Outline scheme, as expected by NPPF 132”.  The Urban Design comment concludes: “I cannot support this application and there is grounds within NPPF 134 to refuse it”. We agree.
7. No attempt has been made to apply for full planning permission for either of the two outline permissions (20 houses / 26 houses) that already exist for this field.
8. Bats and owls feed along the hedgerows that border this quiet piece of land but they will not be doing this if the building takes place.  Given these losses, it is hard to see how the necessary 10% biodiversity gain that will be needed from November 2023 under the Environment Act 2021 will be possible.
9. The development of this land will further compromise the setting of the culturally significant St George’s Court and Kennet & Avon canal.
10. Pound Lane cannot safely take any more traffic because of existing traffic use, congestion and routine parking.
11. The density of housing proposed is greater than in the permission granted in the southern part of the field and also in the adjacent housing on Pound Lane.  This flies in the face of the need to create a soft settlement edge which naturally feathers into surrounding rural landscape to the west (a point echoed in the Urban Design comment), and towards the nationally important Kennet & Avon canal.  What is proposed will be very visible from distance.

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The parish council hopes that whatever you think of this application, you will to respond to Wiltshire Council about it before the end of January.  Our experience is that the Council does listen to residents’ views. You can respond here:

development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i3z000019Azw0/pl202209397?tabset-8903c=3