New Housing Allocations

In identifying further land for housing, the District Council seeks to achieve more sustainable patterns of development by maximising the reuse of previously developed land whilst maintaining its established environmental policies such as protection of the Western Wiltshire Green Belt, AONBs, SLA, conservation of natural habitats, protection of the water environment, protection of the countryside and the best and most versatile agricultural land and the conservation and enhancement of the urban environment and built heritage. Sites proposed for new housing should be well related in scale and location to existing development, well integrated with the existing pattern of settlement and land uses and take account of infrastructure requirements. The District Council, having regard to CO2 emissions, will seek to guide new development to locations which reduce the need for car journeys and the distances driven and permit choice to use public transport.  Housing, where possible, will be located in such a way to minimise car use for journeys to work, school and to other local facilities.

The District Council has identified previously developed land within the towns of Trowbridge, Warminster and Westbury which is now considered appropriate for new housing development. Land which has been previously developed for urban uses, such as residential, industrial, retail, community, transport and utility uses is defined as brownfield. Development of these sites will be permitted subject to the identified criteria in Policy H3.

Mixed use development can help to promote vitality and diversity within urban areas whilst reducing the need to travel. The District Council has identified a number of previously developed sites within Bradford, Melksham, Trowbridge, and Warminster which are now considered appropriate locations for redevelopment for a mix of uses including housing. Development of these sites will be permitted subject to the identified criteria in Policy H4.

Urban Extension Allocations

The identification of suitable land for housing development at Melksham is limited by various factors, which can be summarised as follows:

Western Way is considered to be a firm boundary to the south and west of Melksham.

The River Avon and its flood plain are not only unsuitable for development because of flooding but they also provide visual and amenity green wedges right into the centre of the town. Provision should not be made for inappropriate development in areas which are as risk from flooding or where it could affect such processes.

The Trowbridge-Chippenham railway line is considered to be a firm boundary to the west of Melksham. Land to the west of the railway line is poorly related to the rest of the town.

Development off Beanacre Road could lead to coalescence between Beanacre and Melksham.

Town policy limits have been identified around Melksham which seek to prevent coalescence with Bowerhill and to protect the open countryside;

Extensive Sewage Treatment Works Buffer Zones are defined around Melksham and Bowerhill Sewage Treatment Works that preclude residential development.

To the west of A350 and west of the railway line there is high grade agricultural land which has to be protected from development.

The District Council considers that further development to the east of Melksham is now appropriate. It is proposed to allocate a site with a gross area of about 37.9 hectares and a net developable area of 22.5 hectares, south of the A3102, east of the existing built up area at Foresters Park, and north of Snowberry Lane for about 750 dwellings. The development will require a new community building, a new primary school, a recycling mini-bank station, a fully equipped and fenced children’s play area, provision of additional local shopping and other community facilities, plus a substantial area of public open space, and a landscaped floodplain for Clackers Brook.

The development will provide a reasonable mix and balance of house types and sizes to cater for a range of housing requirements, including affordable housing to meet local needs. To achieve this target, the Council’s preferred approach is for the transfer at no cost of an appropriate quantity of serviced land to a Registered Social Landlord selected by the Council and the transfer of a commuted sum covering the build costs of the units by the developer to the Council. However, other arrangements will be considered. The size and nature of the site is such that the provision of affordable housing could be easily integrated into the overall development.

Around 4.55ha (11.2 acres) of public open space will be required in accordance with the Council’s adopted standards.  This will include formal sports provision in the form of playing pitches, a fully equipped and fenced children's play area and other play facilities as required. Additional tree planting  and  structural landscaping will be required along all the boundaries, particularly along the distributor road and the A3102. The planting will be native species, characteristic of the local area, in order to enhance the biodiversity value of the development. This will strengthen existing hedgerows and establish a firm boundary to the town.  The floodplain of Clackers Brook provides an excellent opportunity for extending the existing walkway along the river (Policies R8 and R11A). The floodplain of the brook should be landscaped in accordance with Environment Agency requirements as an amenity feature and in addition to the public open space required by Policy R5. Landscaping should include adequate safety provision to minimise the risk of accidents in the water environment without jeopardising the recreational value, nature conservation value and the visual appeal.

Within the development the provision of traffic calming will need to be provided to standards as required by the County Highways Authority. It is intended that this area of new housing should be fully integrated with the adjacent community. To this end, footpath and cycleway links will be provided to integrate the new development with the existing settlement. In the same way, the provision of bus stops and shelters at appropriate locations within the development will link the new housing to the rest of the town. These should be provided in accordance with the requirements of the County Highways Authority.

Developers are advised to contact the Environment Agency at an early stage to discuss and agree surface water disposal requirements associated with the proposed development. Surface water should be taken to an attenuation lake to be designed as an amenity feature in addition to the public open space required by Policy R5. Developers are advised to contact Wessex Water at an early stage to resolve foul drainage problems.

Trowbridge

The identification of suitable land for housing development at Trowbridge is limited by various factors, which can be summarised as follows:

Land to the north and west forms part of the statutory Western Wiltshire Green Belt;

Town policy limits have been identified around Trowbridge which seek to prevent coalescence with the nearby villages of Hilperton, North Bradley, Southwick and Staverton and to protect the open countryside;

The railway line forms a firm boundary to development in the south;

Green Lane and Biss Woods constrain development to the east of the town. Green Lane Wood is also a nature reserve.

It is proposed to allocate a site with a gross area of 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) and a net developable area of about 2.2 hectares (5.5 acres) on land within the “Staverton Triangle” for about 80 dwellings. This site, together with land at New Terrace (Policy H7a), will complete the development of the Staverton Marina area between the Kennet and Avon Canal, the railway line and the B3105.

The development will provide a reasonable mix and balance of house types and sizes to cater for a range of housing requirements, including affordable houses to meet local needs. To achieve this target, the Council’s preferred approach is for the transfer at no cost of an appropriate quantity of serviced land to a Registered Social Landlord selected by the Council and the transfer of a commuted sum covering the build costs of the units by the developer to the Council. However, other arrangements will be considered.

Development of this site will require the provision of approximately 0.5 ha (1.2 acres) of public open space within the development including a fully equipped children’s play area. In order to integrate the development with neighbouring areas, there will a requirement for the retention and enhancement of the existing footpaths and the provision of cycleway connections to the existing network, the retention of the area of woodland within the site and the provision of a landscaped floodplain corridor to the north of the site. Additional tree planting will be required in particular to enhance the canalside.

The site will be accessed through the Staverton Marina residential area and within the development the provision of traffic calming will need to be provided to standards as required by the County Highways Authority.

It is proposed to allocate a site with a gross area of 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) and a net developable area of about 2 hectares (4.9 acres) on land adjacent to New Terrace, Staverton for about 60 dwellings. This site, together with land to the south of the "Staverton Triangle" (Policy H7), will complete the development of the Staverton Marina area between the Kennet and Avon Canal, the railway line and the B3105.

The development will provide a reasonable mix and balance of house types and sizes to cater for a range of housing requirements, including affordable houses to meet local needs.  To achieve this target, the Council’s preferred approach is for the transfer at no cost of an appropriate quantity of serviced land to a Registered Social Landlord selected by the Council and the transfer of a commuted sum covering the build costs of the units by the developer to the Council. However, other arrangements will be considered.

Development of this site will require the provision of approximately 0.4 ha (0.9 acres) of public open space within the development including a fully equipped children’s play area. In order to integrate the development with neighbouring areas, there will a requirement for the provision of footpath and cycleway connections to the existing network.

The site will be accessed via a link road between the B3105 and the adjacent Staverton Marina residential area and within the development the provision of traffic calming will need to be provided to standards as required by the County Highways Authority.

It is proposed to allocate a site with a gross area of 10.5 hectares (26 acres) and a net developable area of about 9.1 hectares (22.5 acres) on land north of Paxcroft Way for about 230 dwellings. This infill site will complete development between the existing urban area and the Paxcroft Mead residential area to the east of the town.

The need for additional education facilities as a result of the proposed development is recognised and a contribution will be required towards the extension of The Mead Primary School or, in the event that The Mead Primary School cannot be expanded to meet this need, a contribution towards the provision of a new school to the south of Paxcroft Mead. A recycling mini-bank will also be required to be provided in an accessible location to make recycling facilities convenient for the local community.

The development will provide a reasonable mix and balance of house types and sizes to cater for a range of housing requirements, including affordable houses to meet local needs. To achieve this target, the Council’s preferred approach is for the transfer at no cost of an appropriate quantity of serviced land to a Registered Social Landlord selected by the Council and the transfer of a commuted sum covering the build costs of the units by the developer to the Council. However, other arrangements will be considered.

Development of this site will require the provision of approximately 1.4 ha (3.5 acres) of public open space within the development, including a fully equipped children’s play area and formal sports provision in the form of a playing pitch and the provision of an extension to Paxcroft Brook Country Park to provide a landscaped floodplain corridor. A landscaped buffer strip of approximately 20 metres depth, including additional tree planting will be required along the northern boundary with properties located on the Hilperton Road (Kenton Drive, Halfway Cottage, the Beeches, Halfway Close) to enhance the strategic landscape setting of the Paxcroft Mead development.

The site will be accessed through the Paxcroft Mead residential area. In order to integrate the development with neighbouring areas, there will be a requirement for the retention and enhancement of the existing footpaths and the provision of additional footpaths and cycleway connections to the existing urban area and the Paxcroft Mead development. Within the development the provision of traffic calming will need to be provided to standards as required by the County Highways Authority.

It is proposed to allocate a site with a gross area of 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) and a net developable area of about 1.0 hectare (2.5 acres) on land south of The Grange, Hilperton for about 35 dwellings. The development of this site will complete the Paxcroft Mead residential area at its northern boundary with the Hilperton Conservation Area.

The development will provide a reasonable mix and balance of house types and sizes to cater for a range of housing requirements, including affordable houses to meet local needs. To achieve this target, the Council’s preferred approach is for the transfer at no cost of an appropriate quantity of serviced land to a Registered Social Landlord selected by the Council and the transfer of a commuted sum covering the build costs of the units by the developer to the Council. However, other arrangements will be considered..

Development of this site will require the provision of approximately 0.8 ha (2.0 acres) of public open space within the development, including the provision of an informal grassland open space of approximately 40 metres width along the western and northern boundaries of the site to preserve the open southerly setting and views from and to the adjacent Conservation Area. The retention of important trees and hedgerows along the boundaries and within the site will be required together with additional tree planting and structural landscaping, particularly along the eastern boundary of the proposed open space to preserve open landscape views from the Conservation Area..

The site will be accessed through the Paxcroft Mead residential area. In order to integrate the development with neighbouring areas, there will be a requirement for the provision of additional footpaths and cycleway connections to the neighbouring areas of Paxcroft Mead. Within the development the provision of traffic calming will need to be provided to standards as required by the County Highways Authority. The development, together with other allocations H8b, H8c and H11, will require the completion of link road T5A or its secured provision, which is required to relieve the village of Hilperton of through traffic associated with housing developments east of Trowbridge.

Developers are advised to contact the Environment Agency at an early stage to discuss and agree surface water disposal requirements associated with the proposed development. Developers are also advised to contact Wessex Water at an early stage to resolve foul drainage problems.

It is proposed to allocate a site with a gross area of 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres) and a net developable area of about 1 hectare (2.5 acres) on land south of Devizes Road for about 35 dwellings. This site, together with allocations H8, H8b and H8c will complete the Paxcroft Mead development to the east of Trowbridge.

The development will provide a reasonable mix and balance of house types and sizes to cater for a range of housing requirements, including affordable houses to meet local needs. To achieve this target, the Council’s preferred approach is for the transfer at no cost of an appropriate quantity of serviced land to a Registered Social Landlord selected by the Council and the transfer of a commuted sum covering the build costs of the units by the developer to the Council. However, other arrangements will be considered

Development of this site will require the provision of approximately 0.2 ha (0.5 acres) of public open space within the development. There are a number of important trees and hedgerows in and on the boundaries of this site which will need to be retained and enhanced with new planting. In order to integrate the development with neighbouring areas, there will a requirement for the provision of footpath and cycleway connections to the existing network.

The site will be accessed through the Paxcroft Mead development area and within the development the provision of traffic calming will need to be provided to standards as required by the County Highways Authority. The development, together with other allocations H8a, H8c and H11, will require the completion of link road T5A or its secured provision, which is required to relieve the village of Hilperton of through traffic associated with housing developments east of Trowbridge.