The fate of a piece of land near Trowbridge is finally due to be decided after multiple deferrals and residents’ long-fought battle to have it named a village green.

Southwick Court Fields have been the subject of numerous planning meetings in what has been described as a “torturous” process to protect the land after it was marked for 180 new homes.

In a rapid turnaround since the last deferral, the application is due back before the western area planning committee on Wednesday, December 4.

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The land marked for up to 180 homesThe land marked for up to 180 homes (Image: Wiltshire Council) This comes after developer Waddeton Park’s legal team contacted the application’s case officer to express concern over the “continuing and unnecessary” delays in the council making “a final decision”.

The site is located on the southern edge of the town, where Waddeton Park and Savills won their appeal against the council’s refusal for 180 new homes on the site.

Residents previously gathered over 150 petition signatures to fight the development plans and requested that Wiltshire Council register the site as a village green.

Wiltshire Council resolved to appoint an independent inspector to carry out a non-statutory public inquiry, the results of which were presented to councillors at the Western Area Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 10.

The report advised that councillors reject the village green application on the grounds that not enough “lawful sports and pastimes” occur on the lower section of the land in question.

The inspector had also discounted the northern part of the land from the application because it had been included in Wiltshire Council’s local plan, something which, in planning law, is referred to as a trigger event.

However, a report presented to the planning committee on Wednesday, November 6, suggested that the decision to declare the original village green application invalid was flawed.

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Speaking at the latest meeting, Cllr David Vigar claimed it was a mistake that had “massive consequences for the residents of Trowbridge Grove”.

He told attendees that public servants must fight to make the right decision, even if it is “difficult and tedious to reach”.  

Cllr Vigar requested the final vote be deferred until January to ask for a further report that examined the option of processing the application “as it should have been processed originally”.

Documents submitted with the committee report for the upcoming meeting show that the developer has sought legal advice which suggests the original rejection of the village green application should be upheld.

The committee will consider these facts when it comes to a decision on December 4.