CAMPAIGNERS fighting a bid by developers to build 48 homes near Lydiard Park were out garnering support from park users at the weekend.

Leaflets published by the Lydiard Heritage Action Group were given to people taking part in the weekly park run on Saturday morning, asking for their help to ensure the application by Taylor Wimpey is rejected by Wiltshire Council.

Mike Bowden, one of campaign leaders, said: “We handed out 450 leaflets which made people aware of the Taylor Wimpey proposal and from the feedback I would say that 99 per cent of the runners were against.”

They didn’t want to run along a route that took them past houses rather than beautiful green space, he said.

The group, which has representatives of the Shaw Residents’ Association, Friends of Lydiard Park, Lydiard Park Heritage Trust, Lydiard Millicent residents and residents of The Prinnels among its number, fears the development would destroy the historic rural environment of the area around the park.

Taylor Wimpey says it would provide much needed affordable housing on the site south of Tewkesbury Way and it is prepared to give public open space to Lydiard Tregoze Parish Council.

Mr Bowden said: “A large part of this is about making people aware of what’s going on. If people say they want to support Taylor Wimpey’s application that is their absolute right.”

“One or two people said were we NIMBYs... I’m not a NIMBY because I don’t live next to Lydiard Park.”

And he accepted people needed places to live, but he said that was why the local plan, which was supposed to set out a coherent strategy for future development, existed and that the Lydiard site was not in the local plan.

The leaflet sets out the campaigners’ objections, including the suggestion that the application is a Trojan Horse that may set a precedent if given permission and may lead to all the open space between West Swindon and Lydiard Millicent being grabbed by developers.

It also emphasises that Lydiard Park is a country park rather than an urban one and urges people to fight to keep it that way.

The application, number 16/06978/FUL, can be viewed on Wiltshire Council’s website.