FORMER Mayor of Royal Wootton Bassett Chris Wannell is calling for a halt to further housing development in the town until the infrastructure has caught up because the all the primary schools are already full.

The grandfather discovered at first-hand how bad the situation was when his granddaughter was refused a place in the infants this September even though her two sisters were accepted for Noremarsh Junior School.

She now has a place at school in a village several miles away.

Mr Wannell said the town had already absorbed more development than required by the local plan

He explained that in the Wiltshire Core Strategy, the development plan for the county until 2026, the town was supposed to have 1,100 new houses. “In actual fact it has received 1,354 houses at least and we are only at 2016. We have another 10 years to go,” he said.

“My argument is that the planners and the education department have let the town down.”

“Wootton Bassett has had all this development and there are still developers trying to build in the town,” he said. “We cannot take any more.”

The youth centre had gone and the town had lost infrastructure but still there was the pressure for development. “That is not a sustainable situation.”

“Wootton Bassett has a lovely community spirit. It is a very friendly town. If people keep coming in at such speed we haven’t got a chance to integrate them into our town. Surely it is far better to have a cohesive community than large urban sprawl.”

There was concern that if the Lydiard Park and Marsh Farm developments went ahead it would trigger the eventual loss of greenbelt between Swindon and Wootton Bassett.

“I am calling on Wiltshire Council to put a halt to development until the infrastructure catches up.”

His concern was echoed by Wiltshire Councillor Mollie Groom, whose division extends to Lydiard. “I can understand his views,” she said. Once Junction 16 of the M4 was done and the Wichelstowe development was finished the area was going to need more new schools.

She added: “The Wootton Bassett area is above its housebuilding target. The last thing we need is more houses. It is not only they education, there is a shortage of doctors too.”

Proposals for a new primary school have been put forward by Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, but they are in the very early stages and a site has yet to be identified.