A LACK of transparency and communication to inform parish councillors and residents about the future of a supermarket in Wroughton was the hot topic of conversation on Wednesday night.

A planning application to demolish the Co-op in the High Street was submitted at the end of last month – much to the dismay of locals.

Under the plans, the Midcounties Co-operative Society want to build two three-bedroomed houses and 10 two-bedroomed apartments on the site neighbouring Nursery Close.

Many residents took to social media to voice their concerns regarding the future of the Post Office, which is located inside the Co-op, while others turned out to the parish council’s planning committee meeting on Wednesday to have their say.

Resident, Chris Kennedy, laid out an extensive argument about why he opposes the plans, citing concerns over parking, traffic and the loss of business and employment.

“Bearing in mind that Nursery Close is a narrow street any excessive parking will cause chaos for traffic in that part of Wroughton,” he added.

Gould Singleton Architects, which is acting on behalf of the Co-op, say that despite the demolition, the Co-op store in Devizes Road would remain open, although doubts have been raised over whether the Post Office facility would stay in the village.

They confirmed to the Adver this week that a Post Office provision would remain in Wroughton but could not elaborate on where it would be located.

A member of staff who works in the Post Office said despite rumours circulating around the village about it being moved to McColls or Tesco, they had not been told anything concrete.

Fellow resident Talis Kimberley-Fairbourn also spoke out against the application at the meeting.

“It is bad enough that we have inappropriate development increasing the size and population of Wroughton without additional infrastructure to match,” she said.

“It is not just that but it is a retail outlet in the heart of the village but of course it is also an employment opportunity.

“You cannot reduce a community’s facilities and amenities again and again without damaging the cohesion of that community.

“We don’t want Wroughton to be a dormitory suburb. We value the thriving community we share here and we won’t sit by and watch the heart torn out of it.”

The plans, which go against the Wroughton Neighbourhood Plan, would see a total of 16 parking spaces be created if the application was given the green light - something which the council’s highways and transport department say falls 20 per cent short of parking standards.

The lack of bicycle storage was also raised as no facility had been outlined in the plans.

Coun Steve Harcourt said at the meeting: “I think it is extremely disappointing that we had no consultation.

“Even some of the most unwanted developments the applicants have attended and engaged with residents and the parish council before it was submitted.

“I believe if the applicant had held an event in the village about the proposal and what they intended to do then maybe it might have been easier to deal with this application.

“The applicant hasn’t made any attempt whatsoever to demonstrate that the site isn’t viable. I think for an applicant to move from a retail to residential in the village we would expect some concrete evidence.”

Councillors, who voted unanimously to submit an objection to Swindon Borough Council, also believe that if granted, the plans could have a detrimental impact on neighbouring businesses. Many also spoke of their dismay as the recent Marlborough Road application was used in the application by what they believe was means of justifying approval.

Residents can comment on the plans before September 13 at pa1.swindon.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OUIMI5PTH3V00