PLANS for four large homes on a site close to Lydiard House will spell disaster for the park if they get the go-ahead objectors fear.

They believe the application for land next to a former gamekeeper’s cottage off Hay Lane could prompt Taylor Wimpey to revive its bid to build 48 homes within site of the park.

According to the agent limiting the development to just four homes will not affect the setting of the historic park with its Grade I listed house.

Willis and Co says: “The site is well screened and will not be overtly visible from public view when approaching Lydiard Park and its surrounding grounds. As such, the harm caused will be minimal.”

The application is for three five-bed properties and one six-bed with garages accessed from the driveway to Brook Cottage.

“Although large in scale, the dwellings are set in large plots to maintain a balanced proportion that will not detract from the setting of the nearby listed building,” they said in their design statement.

The agent said the developer was also willing to accept a landscaping condition to ensure there was enough screening.

Willis and Co concluded: “ It is accepted that the site is outside of the framework boundary, however on balance, it is considered to represent an ideal opportunity to meet the council’s specific long term housing needs with minimal impact to the surrounding area. “

The application was re-activated last week, several months after it was invalidated by Swindon Borough Council because information was missing.

Kevin Fisher chairman of Shaw Residents Association, said: “It should be rejected because of the harm it would do to the heritage experience of Lydiard Park.”

He pointed out that the agent had given very little consideration to the registered park and garden of Lydiard. There was no reference to it in the design statement.

It was not enough to say the houses would be screened with trees – which could be cut down at a later stage by the occupants of the houses – because in a recent case the High Court had ruled that harm to a heritage asset meant more than just visual impact.

Among the objectors was Lesley Andrews, a regular visitor to Lydiard Park and a member of the Wiltshire Gardens Trust. She said: “The status of the parkland and the historic buildings within it need to be protected for present and future generations of residents of Swindon and the surrounding area.

“Any development which impinges on the rural aspect of the park will have a detrimental impact and cannot be reversed.

“Moreover, if this development was allowed to proceed it sets a precedent for other housing developments in the vicinity.

She added: “The result could be the urbanising of the surrounding landscape and the complete destruction of what is a very precious historically significant landscape.”

The Gardens Trust is also worried. “The overwhelming concern about this application is that, should it be approved, it would set a precedent for development outside the settlement boundary and at once encourage Taylor Wimpey to reapply for planning consent. This would be disastrous for Lydiard RPG,” wrote the organisation’s conservation officer Margie Hoffnung.

The application can be seen online at swindon.gov.uk and consultation closes on September 4.