Plans for over 100 new homes on the north-western edge Cricklade have been turned down by Wiltshire Council.

The application was submitted in March 2022 on behalf of Newland Homes and sought outline planning permission for a development of up to 140 homes on land at Stones Farm on West Mill Lane.

It stated: “The application proposes to deliver a housing mix of both market and affordable homes that meets the identified local housing need.”

A similar application was proposed in 2016 and later withdrawn due to issues relating to biodiversity.

The most recent applicant claimed to have resolved these issues through provisions such as a habitat support area.

However, Cricklade Parish Council objected to the plans, arguing that Newland Homes had not demonstrated that the site was sustainable.

Wiltshire Council also received 49 letters of objection, which expressed concerns such as the potential loss of agricultural land and overdevelopment of the site.

The council concluded that the scale of the development was not appropriate for the location of the site, which lies outside Cricklade’s limits of development.

The plans were therefore considered contrary to Core Policy 1 and 2 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

Wiltshire Council also noted that the applicant had not secured “adequate provision for necessary onsite and, where appropriate, off-site infrastructure.”