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Cllr Dancey's letter of objection to the Boreham plans
(January 30, 2014)
I would like to add my objection to the proposal to develop land close to Boreham Crossroads.
The application does not cohere with important parts of agreed planning policies for this area – those long accepted in the district local plan and those in the pipeline for Warminster as part of the Core Strategy.
The site is outside the agreed settlement boundary for Warminster town (both accepted and proposed) and is not required to enable Warminster fulfil the level of development appropriate between now and the end of the core strategy period. Other, more acceptable, sites are already earmarked by Wiltshire Council.
If policies are to be consistent then development must not take place on this site – unless this is regarded as an exception site.
A previous attempt to develop self-build on this site which was rejected by Warminster Town Council was an attempt to slide this application though against planning policies. That previous application included a dubious public survey involving a self-selected sample of people who had already expressed an interest in self build (not local people).
This latest application is one of several speculative applications currently submitted in Wiltshire which needs to be thrown out by the council. It is clearly not an exception site and the low number of homes potentially provided will do little to offset the town’s housing shortage,
As well as driving a coach and horses through long established policies it would also close the gap between Warminster and Bishopstrow, be detrimental to the best approach to Warminster and develop land that is liable to flooding. Any attenuating measures put in by developers designed to counter flooding could have negative and unforeseen consequences for other nearby properties.
I am one of four town councillor representing Warminster East all opposed to this development. Nimbyism is not involved on my part as I live a mile away!
Councillor Steve Dancey
Warminster east ward
Warminster Town Council