PURTON residents have been asked to help fight an appeal made by Persimmon Homes for a housing development in the village – with the backing of the local council’s newly concreted Core Strategy.

In October last year, Wiltshire Council called the application for 34 homes by Restrop Road into its planning committee and rejected it outright, but last month an appeal was lodged. Residents had already opposed the development.

Now, with the Wiltshire Core Strategy in place, it is thought the plans can be successfully fought off as the basis for the appeal was that a five-year supply of housing for the area could not be proved.

The appeal will be heard by a planning inspector in the coming months and Dr Richard Pagett, of Purton, is urging villagers to get involved in any consultation when this happens.

He said: “Wiltshire Council refused the application because it is outside the settlement boundary and is premature and therefore prejudices what we are trying to do in the neighbourhood plan.

"The council has not allocated this site for building in its Core Strategy, and maintains that it has enough land for future housing already in Wiltshire.

“What we see here is a developer riding roughshod over the rights of Purton’s people, disregarding what the people of Purton have already said, when the application was first raised, and disregarding existing planning guidance. It is just good old fashioned greed; build at any cost to the detriment of local people.”

Wiltshire councillor Jacqui Lay said of the previous application: “The site is outside of the settlement boundary of the village therefore is contrary to the North Wiltshire Local Plan 2011 for development of this kind.

“The plan will inform the emerging Neighbourhood Plan and on the wish list is a new access into Bradon Forest School, to help relieve the traffic congestion in the village and reduce traffic volumes using the housing estate to access the school currently.

“A route passing through the land at Restrop is seen as the solution, therefore, the village needs to be ensuring that all the land owners in this area are on board with this solution and are having a constructive dialogue to achieve this new road.

“The parish profile shows that car ownership is above the national and Wiltshire averages, hence we need to show sufficient provision on site for parking for residents and their visitors.

“The village has a parking problem which is not addressed on the site and will only add to an existing problem nearby.

“The site, together with land close by, are potentially key sites in the development of Purton in the future and the correct development for the village should be considered in tune with the Neighbourhood Plan.”