RESIDENTS fear Purton could be swallowed up by developments if plans to double the size of a composting site on its doorstep is given the go-ahead.

Consultation has now ended on the proposals by Hills Waste Management to double its Parkgate Farm site from 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes, and make a temporary access railway bridge permanent.

It follows a similar application in 2013 which was rejected due to a lack of information, but residents are concerned making the access bridge permanent would open up swathes of countryside towards Pavenhill to development.

Twenty-three objection letters have now been filed against the plans, and the application has been called in to Wiltshire Council’s planning committee which will meet later this month.

The bridge to the Mopes Lane centre was intended to last until 2024, with a covenant to remove it after this point. However, it has emerged Hills has made an agreement with Network Rail to extend the life of the bridge until 2038.

In March, Wiltshire Council said a significant amount of information had been omitted from the plans and further consultation might be needed, or any decision made was unlikely to be favourable.

Dr Richard Pagett, of Purton, said: “We have always said that the railway bridge mustn’t lead to development in that area of countryside because it could balloon and swallow up the whole village.

“Over time we have had three different extensions of landfills, and every time it was said to be just for a few more years.

“We have had planning by stealth where the fuller picture is not visible.

“They are guests in our village and provide very few jobs. They use our resources, and while it serves the public good, it has been established for a long time waste should be dealt with as locally as possible.

“Swindon should have its own facility, as it is clearly allowing land for housing development and there should be local infrastructure to support that.”

Resident Sheila Fowler said: “It was always the case , of course, that the temporary bridge over the railway was just that, temporary.

“In fact it has to be removed by 2024 when the landfill closes.

“Buried in the documents of this new application, and only mentioned in passing and with no evaluation, is the possibility of making the bridge permanent.

“If this application is allowed this would be a disaster for Purton because it would lead to the continuing usage of the open countryside towards Pavenhill for industrial purposesHistory tells us that this would lead to further applications for industrial development.”

HGV access to the composting site has been through Cricklade, and calls from the town council for Hills to look at alternative routes have been dismissed. A council spokesman said: “Cricklade is faced with the problem of HGV trafficcoming through the congested town centre, causing inconvenience and danger for pedestrians and other road users, as well as shaking the numerous listed buildings.” that line the roads in and out of the town.

“The updated Transport Statement is vague on key points, possibly misleading, and it fails to address any of the issues we have raised previously.”

A Hill spokesman said: “Parkgate Farm has been identified as a site for waste management in Wiltshire and is considered suitable for composting activities.

“This application contains the additional information on odour management and traffic movements relating to the site which were requested by the Local Planning Authority.

“The increase in green waste for composting from households in Wiltshire saw 35,000 tonnes of material processed at the facility in 2014.

“Although there will be a small increase in vehicles associated with bringing more of the county’s green waste to the site, it is calculated at one vehicle per hour, which is has been assessed as being well within the normal daily variation in traffic flows on local roads.”