Planning Inspector backs Malmesbury Town Council in major housing quality decision

Malmesbury Town Council is claiming victory after a developer’s planning appeal relating to approved housing schemes for the town was rejected.

Agreement in principal had already been granted by Wiltshire Council for Bloor Homes to build on two adjacent sites at Filands, initially for 71 homes and 78 homes.

After strong pressure from the town council, the 78-home site was reduced to 70 and provision for a children’s nursery included.

But the town council had concerns about the quality of the detailed plans submitted by Bloor Homes, despite them being supported by Wiltshire Council’s planning officers. As a result, Malmesbury’s Wiltshire councillor and current Mayor Gavin Grant ‘called in’ the plans which were then were turned down by the councillors on Wiltshire Council’s Northern Area Planning Committee. Now Bloor’s appeal against this decision has been thrown out by a Planning Inspector.

The town council and Cllr Grant have been pressing Bloor Homes to locate the nursery in a more accessible place, include a community room, increase the open space on the site and incorporate higher levels of sustainability in the properties.

Cllr Campbell Ritchie, a member of Malmesbury Town Council’s planning committee and Mayor when the applications were first received, said the failure of the appeal was good news for the town.

“Thanks to our intervention, we have made sure the adjacent developments will be properly master-planned, with a lower density of higher quality, more energy efficient homes, even though Wiltshire Council was prepared to accept the original proposals.

“We also had to fight hard for the inclusion of a children’s nursery as part of this development and we were able to ensure the nursery site is properly sized and located in an accessible part of the development and can have a community room included with it.”

There are three further sites earmarked in Malmesbury where outline approval has been granted: two in Park Road, initially for 26 and 50 homes, and another, 70-home site at Filands.

Cllr Ritchie said the Inspector’s decision meant these other developers and Wiltshire Council planners were on notice that Malmesbury town councillors would continue to do their utmost to achieve the best possible outcome for new building around the town. 

“I think we have set a new bar. Just because houses have been approved to be built the Inspector has confirmed that developers cannot put in any old application and expect to see them agreed. As he rightly said in his decision, the consequences of poor development last for over a 100 year. New houses have to be well designed, sustainable, and work for the people of Malmesbury. We’re not being Nimby, we will engage with developers, but we want quality development.”