DEVELOPERS say moves to build 300 homes just off Junction 15 will have no extra impact on traffic.

Housebuilders Redrow and Persimmon Homes currently have permission to build offices and industrial units on land in new development Badbury Park, near the Great Western Hospital.

But, since winning the planning permission more than three years ago, they say that there has been little interest from firms in moving into the development.

Now, they hope that borough planning officers will give them permission to change the use of the site from offices and light industrial to residential.

They want to build 300 homes, together with parks and community facilities, saying they hope to submit a planning application in late May or early June.

At a consultation event, Gavin Hill, Redrow’s technical director, said that the change of use would not result in extra traffic impacts “in comparison to the employment use and the type of vehicles”.

He said that developers were putting in the application to change the use from industrial to residential after being underwhelmed by the lack of interest: “There’s no demand. The site has been on the market since March 2015 with no serious developer interest.”

When built, a third of the houses would be affordable, he said. Most of the homes would be two or three-bedroom. Mr Hill added that there was generally support for the homes bid: “From the people we’ve spoken to this evening, reaction seems to be positive.”

Fionuala Foley, a ward councillor who helped organise the public consultation event held at the Marriott Hotel, said: “I’m delighted that Persimmon and Redrow have put this on.” She added that the developers were already listening to feedback, with changes made to a planned play area. But she said she wanted to better understand the traffic implications of the development.

The developers said that they were carrying out a traffic assessment with the local highways authority. Initiatives like narrowing the road and landscaping were being looked at in a bid to cut potential rat running along existing road Day House Lane once the development was built, they said.