PLANS to demolish the former Wiltshire College site and replace it with a five storey block of retirement homes have been approved by councillors despite strong local opposition.

Councillors at the Northern Area Strategic Planning meeting voted 6-3 in favour of C Squared Property Development’s plans to regenerate the brownfield site on Cocklebury Road earlier today.

Despite recognising the concerns of local residents and immediate neighbours and the objection from Chippenham’s Civic Society regarding the historic redbrick building, councillors believed the benefits of the 140-flat site overweighed the potential harm relating to the size of the building, traffic and access.

“I was a student at the college in the early 2000s, so I understand the emotional attachment to the site some may feel,” Councillor Ashley O’Neill said.

“I do however think the site has become a bit of an eyesore. We have many brownfield and derelict sites in Chippenham and we need to get on and develop them.

“The population of the elderly is set to double by 2025 and we need to look at these developments to provide for that generation.”

The planning committee also implored the developers to continue communicating with residents in Chippenham after many people felt they were kept in the dark about the application.

“Community engagement is all well and good at the beginning, but you need to continue that engagement,” Councillor Peter Hutton told CP2D representatives.

“There will be issues that arise from this development so it is important that a forum is held to help solve those problems.”

Despite more than 1,000 people signing a petition in the last three days calling for the site to be turned into an arts centre, councillors were unable to take it into account as they had to view the application at hand.

The developers now have three months to sign a section 103 agreement before works on the site can officially begin.