More than 60 homes approved in village south of Trowbridge

The strategic planning committee has voted to give the go-ahead for up to 66 homes in North Bradley, on land north of Southwick Road and south of The Rank.

Although some argued the decision should be deferred, the majority of councillors agreed that there wouldn’t be a “sound argument” to win if the applicant went to appeal.

The proposal was submitted in November 2023 by Welbeck Strategic Land II LLP, describing the project as “high quality” and providing a “sustainable, safe, and attractive” result.

READ MORE: Wiltshire Council criticises housing land supply system

The planned layout for the site. (Image: Welbeck Land)An application for 85 homes was refused on the same site in 2019 after it was deemed “unacceptable and inappropriate for a large village with a limited range of facilities”.

Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday, October 22, Cllr Christopher Newbury said he “struggled to see how that reason for refusal has been overcome”.

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The planning officer argued that the reduction in the number of homes and the plans for increased landscaping made the development “more acceptable within the wider environment”.

She said: “I think we’d have to agree to disagree because we don’t have a five-year housing land supply, we don’t have a four-year housing land supply, and the number of dwellings has been significantly reduced from 85 to 66.

“The council, as you will be aware, has lost many appeals on large villages with regards to developments bigger than this size, so a lot has changed since the previous application was refused.”

The case officer report indicates that the proposal does not comply with the spatial strategy contained in the Wiltshire Core Strategy, but because Wiltshire Council has a lack of sufficient housing land supply, the balance in decision-making is "tilted" in favour of granting planning permission.

The chairman of North Bradley Parish Council, Roger Evans, requested the decision be deferred until after the parish council finishes its neighbourhood plan review.

Cllr James Sheppard said: “Head and heart, it’s where we always are in this particular committee.

“How many times do we want to fight for a neighbourhood plan?

“We see the benefits, we see the work they’ve put in, we’ve seen the assurances of the weight that will carry in planning.”

He noted, however, that there had been no officer objections to the plans.

Cllr Sheppard concluded: “Unfortunately, with the housing supply as it is, the weighted balance is in favour of the developer and I feel that this will be a very, very difficult, nay impossible, battle to win.”

The chairman of the committee, Cllr Howard Greenman, argued: “As painful as it is for us, I think we have to support those that elected the members to be here in the first place.”

The planning director at Welbeck Land, Alice Lack, said: “We do recognise that there will be some frustration locally as the neighbourhood plan seeks to restrain development beyond the settlement boundary.

“However, in this instance, it has been shown and recognised by all statutory consultees that the proposed scheme is entirely appropriate despite lying beyond the boundary.

“It will represent a sustainable form of development for much-needed housing in the area.”

Ultimately, the proposal to defer the decision was not carried, with four voting for it and seven voting against.

The officer’s recommendation to approve the application subject to conditions was carried by six votes in favour, and five against.